Who to hire for tree roots lifting a driveway

Short answer

An arborist first, then a concreter or landscaper. The arborist decides which roots can be cut without killing or destabilising the tree — structural roots near the trunk cannot — and that decision determines whether the paving can simply be relaid, needs a root barrier, or whether the tree has to go.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Arborist.

  • your council

    the tree is on the nature strip. Street trees are council assets, the damage is a council matter, and cutting their roots yourself is not permitted.

  • a landscaper or concreter

    the paving is being relaid. Doing it with a root barrier and a flexible surface is what stops a repeat.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Establish whose tree it is. A nature-strip tree changes the entire process.
  2. Photograph the damage and the tree together.
  3. Measure how far the lifting extends from the trunk. Damage close to the trunk usually means the roots that cannot be cut.

What to ask when you book

  • Which roots can be cut without compromising the tree, and what is the evidence?
  • Is a root barrier appropriate here, and how deep?
  • Should this be relaid in concrete, or is a flexible paving surface a better answer next to a growing tree?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Area of paving affected.
  • Whether a root barrier is installed.
  • Whether the surface is replaced in kind or changed to something that tolerates movement.
  • Whether the tree is retained, pruned or removed.

Is this licensed work?

Not licensed, but council tree controls frequently apply, especially for street trees. Cutting roots of a protected or council tree without consent is the same offence as removing it.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for tree roots lifting a driveway
An arborist first, then a concreter or landscaper. The arborist decides which roots can be cut without killing or destabilising the tree — structural roots near the trunk cannot — and that decision determines whether the paving can simply be relaid, needs a root barrier, or whether the tree has to go.
Can I cut the roots that are lifting my driveway?
Some of them, sometimes. Fine and intermediate roots away from the trunk can often be cut without serious harm; large structural roots close to the trunk cannot, and cutting them can make a tree unstable in wind years later. If the tree is protected or is a council street tree, cutting the roots is generally not permitted at all.

Find a Arborist near you

918 arborists in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.