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Small-Leaf Privet

Ligustrum sinense · Oleaceae
8m
Mature height
16
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
4
Councils: permit required
Small-Leaf Privet (Ligustrum sinense) growing in Sydney
Small-Leaf Privet · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Small-Leaf Privet sits on the exempt species list in 16 of the 20 councils Pro Climbing Tree Services covers, so in most of Sydney it can be removed without a permit. Heritage listings and significant tree registers still override that.

How to identify it

Smaller duller leaves than Broad-Leaf Privet, often with fine hairs on the twigs. Sprays of small cream flowers in spring and summer with the same heavy scent, then small purple black berries. Usually multi stemmed and shrubby.

Where it grows in Sydney

Ubiquitous along fence lines, drainage easements and neglected corners across every council on this list, and a dominant weed in Inner West and Southern Sydney bushland.

Common problems

  • Aggressive environmental weed that forms dense thickets
  • Strong hay fever and asthma trigger when flowering
  • Shades out and replaces native understorey
  • Regrows rapidly from cut stumps and root fragments

What removal involves

Exempt in nearly every council covered here. Usually presents as a thicket rather than a single tree, so the job is more clearing than climbing. Stump treatment is essential, and follow up on seedling regrowth is normally needed for a season or two.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Willoughby
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Lane Cove
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hunters Hill
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
City of Sydney
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Inner West
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Woollahra
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Waverley
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Randwick
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Strathfield
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
What is the difference between the two privets for permits?

Most councils list both, so in practice there is no difference. Where a council lists only Ligustrum species generically, both are covered.

Commonly confused with

Broad-Leaf Privet
Same genus. Small-Leaf is shrubbier and semi deciduous, Broad-Leaf grows into a proper tree

Related species

Broad-Leaf Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) growing in Sydney
Broad-Leaf Privet
Ligustrum lucidum
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla
Bamboo (Bambusa and Phyllostachys species) growing in Sydney
Bamboo
Bambusa and Phyllostachys species

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Ligustrum sinense
Also known as
Narrow-leaf Privet, Chinese Privet
Family
Oleaceae
Origin
China
Mature height
4m to 8m
Canopy spread
3m to 6m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Semi deciduous, small, dull green, opposite pairs
Typical lifespan
50 years plus
Root habit
Suckering and dense
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Exempt species still need to come down safely, and several councils want notice or a fee free permit lodged first. We check that for your address, handle any paperwork, and quote the removal, stump grinding and clean up together.
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