Arborist Report Ajax: Tree Permit Requirements & 2-Day Turnaround

Understanding Ajax’s Tree Rules

Ajax’s By-law 137-2006 has no city-wide diameter threshold. It protects trees by location and zoning instead: parks, Greenbelt land, Environmental Protection land, and certain open-space zones. There is no published diameter figure for Ajax, and any source claiming one is incorrect. What determines whether a permit applies is where the tree sits, not how big it is.

When a Permit Is Required

A permit applies to a tree located in:

• A municipal park
• Greenbelt land
• Environmental Protection land
• Certain other open-space zones

Single-dwelling residential lots under 1.2 hectares are exempt from the bylaw, unless the property is zoned Private Open Space. For most Ajax homeowners on a standard lot, that exemption means an ordinary tree can be removed without a municipal permit, at any trunk size.

Where the Exemption Narrows

The 1.2 hectare exemption does not apply to a property zoned Private Open Space, regardless of lot size. Larger lots, and any property near parkland, Greenbelt, or Environmental Protection land, are worth confirming against the zoning map before assuming the exemption applies.

Durham Region’s Overlay

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 approval, subdivision applications, and building permits can require a tree inventory and protection plan from the Town’s planning department, whether or not the property falls under one of By-law 137-2006’s protected categories. This runs alongside, not instead of, the tree bylaw’s own triggers.

How This Plays Out on a Real Project

Step 1: Confirm Zoning and Lot Size

Before recommending a removal path, we check the property’s zoning against Ajax’s protected categories, and confirm lot size against the 1.2 hectare single-dwelling exemption. Most standard suburban lots clear this check with no permit required.

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

The most common question we get from Ajax homeowners is whether the “30 cm” figure they’ve seen somewhere online applies to them. It doesn’t. Ajax has no diameter threshold at all; the bylaw runs entirely on zoning and location. We confirm the actual zoning before any work begins, so removal decisions are based on what the bylaw says, not on a figure that never appeared in it.