Replant or Pay Cash-in-Lieu: How GTA Tree Replacement Rules Work

When a GTA municipality approves your tree removal permit, the approval almost always comes with a condition: replace what you removed, or pay the city to plant trees elsewhere.

The Logic Behind Replacement Requirements

The permit decides whether the loss of a protected tree is justified and, if it is, how to offset it.

The two outcomes are on-site replanting (you plant replacement trees at your own property) and cash-in-lieu (you pay the city per tree, and the city plants elsewhere in the municipality). Cities want replanting on site. Cash-in-lieu is the fallback when a property cannot physically accommodate the required number of trees.

Toronto: Set Permit by Permit

Toronto’s Chapter 813 bylaw sets no replacement ratio. Urban Forestry sets the number of replacement trees as a permit condition, through the landscaping and replanting plan it approves. City staff describe the ratios as an internal procedure, not bylaw text.

If the property cannot accommodate the required trees, the city accepts a cash-in-lieu payment of $583 per tree. Chapter 813 sets cash-in-lieu at 120 percent of the cost to plant and maintain a tree for two years.

Toronto accepts cash-in-lieu only when the lot physically cannot fit the replacement trees. Your arborist report and replanting plan need to explain, specifically, why on-site planting at the required ratio is not feasible.

Properties in Toronto’s ravine and natural feature areas (RNFP zones) face stricter review overall. Replacement there is set by tree diameter under Urban Forestry’s Tree-Based Compensation. A permitted removal of a tree 19 cm or smaller needs 1 replacement tree, and each further 10 cm band adds one, up to 15 trees at 150 to 159 cm. The Toronto guide has the table.

Mississauga: 1 Tree Per 15 cm of Diameter, Plus a Security Deposit

Mississauga publishes a DBH-based formula: one replacement tree for every 15 cm of trunk diameter removed. A 45 cm tree requires 3 replacements. A 60 cm tree requires 4.

Mississauga also requires a security deposit to confirm that replacement obligations are met. The deposit is returned once the city confirms the replacement trees are established. If on-site planting cannot fit the full requirement, the city accepts cash-in-lieu at $901.67 per tree (HST exempt), under Schedule D of the Parks, Forestry and Environment Fees and Charges.

Mississauga’s protected diameter threshold is 15 cm, the lowest in the GTA. Trees that would not trigger a permit in Toronto or Brampton can generate a replacement obligation in Mississauga.

Vaughan: Tiered Ratios by Tree Size

Vaughan uses a tiered replacement schedule rather than a continuous formula. The number of required replacement trees depends on the size bracket the removed tree falls into:

• 20-30 cm diameter: 1 replacement tree
• 31-40 cm diameter: 2 replacement trees
• 41-50 cm diameter: 3 replacement trees
• 51 cm diameter or more: 4 replacement trees

Replacements must be completed within one year of permit issuance. Where the site cannot fit them, Vaughan charges $600 per replacement tree as cash-in-lieu in 2026. The Tree Protection Protocol multiplies the replacement count by the current year’s tree replacement fee (s.4.2), and Fees By-law 051-2026 Schedule J sets that fee at $600, HST exempt. Vaughan’s Backyard Tree Planting program with LEAF offers subsidized native trees. Check the stock size against your permit’s replacement specification before counting it.

Oakville: 1 Per 10 cm, With a Refundable Deposit

Oakville sets replacement on a stepped table in Schedule A of its bylaw. A 30 cm tree falls in the 25 to 34 cm band and needs 3 replacements. The table tops out at 12 replacements for trees over 115 cm. Oakville requires a refundable $300 security deposit per replacement tree. The deposit is returned once the trees are confirmed as established on the property.

Oakville publishes no cash-in-lieu rate. It accepts cash in lieu only when there is not enough room to replant on your property, and the funds go to planting on municipal property.

Markham: Replacement Reflects Tree Condition

Markham uses the Progressive Aggregate Caliper Method for permit conditions. The removed tree’s DBH is multiplied by the average of its health and structure ratings. That adjusted diameter is then divided by 5 cm to determine the number of replacement trees.

For example, a 30 cm tree in good health with fair structure produces 21 cm of adjusted replacement diameter. Dividing by 5 and rounding gives four replacement trees. A tree in worse condition produces a lower replacement requirement than a healthy tree of the same size.

If the property cannot accommodate the required replacements, Markham may accept cash-in-lieu. The 2026 tariff lists $687 as the full indexed value and $343.50 as the half indexed value for each required replacement tree.

For an unauthorized removal, the bylaw uses the Aggregate Caliper Method and can order compensation or replacement. Where no evidence remains, the bylaw uses six replacements for each tree proven to have existed.

Brampton: No Fixed Formula

Brampton is the outlier in the region. Its Tree Preservation By-law 317-2012 does not specify a fixed replacement ratio. Replanting conditions are set case-by-case by the Commissioner of Community Services, based on the specific circumstances of the removal.

Where Replacement Trees Must Go

Across the GTA, replacement trees go on the same property as the removed tree. Cities can set planting locations during the permit review when the property has constrained space or setback conflicts.

Toronto’s Urban Forestry staff may reject replacement proposals for non-native or invasive cultivars. Mississauga requires a shade-bearing native species. Common approved choices include native oaks, maples, serviceberry, and tulip tree. Your arborist report should include a replanting plan with specific species and planting locations. A note that says only “replacement trees will be planted” gets sent back.

Off-site planting on public land needs the city’s agreement.

The Arborist Report Must Cover the Replanting Plan

The replacement condition is part of the permit, not something addressed separately after approval. A tree removal permit report that only covers the removed tree’s condition and the reason for removal will generate a follow-up request from city staff asking for the replanting plan. That adds time to the review.

The replanting plan needs to specify the number of trees required (calculated against the applicable formula), the proposed species, planting locations on a site plan, and, if cash-in-lieu is being proposed, the reason on-site planting is not feasible.

If you are uncertain which report type your project requires, the arborist report selection guide covers the distinction between removal reports and construction impact assessments, which use a different process.

Summary of GTA Replacement Formulas