Ajax Tree Removal: When You Need a Permit & Arborist Reports

Ajax protects trees by location and zoning

Ajax’s By-law 137-2006 has no city-wide diameter threshold. It protects trees on Greenbelt land, on land the Official Plan designates Environmental Protection, Open Space, Town-Wide Park, Community Park or Neighbourhood Park, and on land zoned Private Open Space.

When a Permit Is Required

A permit applies to a tree located in:

• A municipal park
• Greenbelt land
• Environmental Protection land
• Land designated Open Space, or zoned Private Open Space

Single-dwelling residential lots under 1.2 hectares are exempt from the bylaw, unless the property is zoned Private Open Space.

Where the Exemption Narrows

On land the bylaw covers, a lot of 1.2 hectares or more is not exempt.

Durham Region’s woodland bylaw also applies

Durham Region’s Woodland By-law 30-2020 applies on top of Ajax’s own rules. It covers woodlands of 1 hectare or more anywhere in the Region, including Ajax, independently of whether the property is otherwise exempt from Ajax’s own bylaw.

Construction and Development Applications

Site plan, subdivision and building permit applications need a tree inventory and protection plan when the Town’s planning department asks for one, whether or not the property falls under one of By-law 137-2006’s protected categories.

Our process for an Ajax property

Step 1: Confirm Zoning and Lot Size

We first check the property’s zoning against Ajax’s protected categories, and confirm lot size against the 1.2 hectare single-dwelling exemption.

Step 2: Permit Application, If Triggered

If the property is on parkland, Greenbelt, Environmental Protection land, or is zoned Private Open Space, we prepare the documentation the Town’s reviewers expect for that category.

Step 3: Durham Region Woodland Check

Independently of Ajax’s own categories, we check whether the treed area meets the Region’s 1 hectare woodland threshold and prepare the separate documentation Durham Region’s forestry reviewers require if it does.

Step 4: Town or Region Review

Ajax reviews applications tied to its own protected categories. Durham Region reviews woodland permit applications separately.

Working with The Arborist Group

Some websites list a 30 cm threshold for Ajax. The bylaw has none. We confirm the zoning before any work begins.