Toronto Tree Removal Permit: Rules, Fees & Arborist Reports

Understanding Toronto’s Tree Protection

Toronto adopted tree bylaw amendments effective September 1, 2026. The amendments create a Distinctive Tree category for trees over 61 cm DBH and protect condition-planted trees from the day they go in the ground. The same effective date applies to a separate fee schedule for ravine (RNFP) applications. The 30 cm permit threshold for other private trees stays the same. Our guide to Toronto’s September 2026 bylaw amendments explains what each change means for an application.

Toronto has the most complex tree regulation system in the Greater Toronto Area. Two separate bylaws govern tree removal depending on where your property is located, and in some cases both apply at once. Before you pick up a chainsaw or hire a tree service, you need to know which rules affect your property.

The same rules apply across every part of the city, including the former municipalities of Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough. Each has its own local geography that shapes how permits play out in practice, covered in our dedicated Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough permit guides.

The city’s Urban Forestry department handles most applications, but properties in ravine or natural feature areas may also require approval from a different branch of city staff. Getting this wrong can result in fines from $500 to $100,000 per tree.

Toronto’s tree rules protect four different classes of tree differently, and the class matters as much as the size does:

• Private trees need a permit once they reach 30 cm or more in diameter at breast height (DBH), measured at 1.4 metres above ground.
• City street trees are protected regardless of size. Any activity that can harm or remove a street tree of any size requires a permit.
• RNFP trees in ravine and natural feature areas are also protected regardless of size, under the separate rules described below.
• Condition-planted trees receive protection under the amendments effective September 1, 2026. A tree planted to satisfy a development approval, a compliance order, or a permit condition is protected from the day it goes in the ground, at any size.

Chapter 813: Private Tree Bylaw

Toronto’s Municipal Code Chapter 813 protects trees on private property with a trunk diameter of 30 cm or more, measured at 1.4 metres above ground (diameter at breast height, or DBH).

The bylaw covers removal, injuring (including root cutting and significant pruning), and destruction of protected trees. If construction activity will affect a tree’s root zone, you likely need a permit even if you are not planning to remove the tree. See our guide to what a tree protection zone means for a construction or landscaping project for what a build near a protected tree involves in practice.

From September 1, 2026, the amended section 813-12 also protects trees below the 30 cm threshold when they were planted under specified conditions: a variance or consent approval, a Site Plan agreement or approved plans, a compliance action such as an Order to Comply, or a planting condition attached to an earlier permit. These trees are protected from the moment of planting, with no minimum size and no grace period. If you are closing out a project with replanting obligations, treat the new stock as bylaw-protected the day it is planted.

Exemptions

A few situations do not require a permit under Chapter 813:

• Trees that are an immediate hazard to people or property (you may still need to document the emergency after the fact)
• Certain invasive species identified by the city
• Fruit trees in active agricultural production
• Trees that are 100 percent dead, once the City has provided its permit exception confirmation

Even if you believe an exemption applies, it is a good idea to confirm with the city before proceeding. For the dead-tree exception in particular, the confirmation from the City must be in hand before removal begins, unless the tree poses an immediate danger that requires emergency work.

Chapter 658: Ravine and Natural Feature Protection

If your property falls within an area designated under Chapter 658, the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection (RNFP) bylaw, you face a second layer of regulation. RNFP areas include ravines, valleys, bluffs, and other natural features that the city has mapped and designated for protection.

Under RNFP, trees of ANY size are protected, and you need a permit for virtually any activity that could alter the natural landscape, including tree removal, grading, filling, and construction. The RNFP permit process is typically slower and more involved than a standard Chapter 813 application. City staff may conduct site visits and request environmental impact information.

Properties that fall in both Chapter 813 and Chapter 658 zones need permits under both bylaws. This is common along the Don Valley, Humber River corridor, Highland Creek, and the Scarborough Bluffs.

How to Apply for a Tree Removal Permit

Step 1: Determine if You Need a Permit

Check whether your tree is 30 cm or more in diameter at breast height. If yes, you need a permit. Then check the city’s RNFP mapping tool to see if your property is in a designated natural feature area.

Step 2: Hire an ISA Certified Arborist

Toronto requires an arborist report as part of most permit applications. The report must be prepared by an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist and should include the tree’s species, size, health condition, and the reason for removal. For construction-related applications, the report should also address how nearby trees will be protected during the work.

Step 3: Submit Your Application

Applications go to Toronto’s Urban Forestry department. You will need:

• A completed application form
• An arborist report
• A site plan showing tree locations
• The permit fee ($145.87 per tree for a standard residential removal not tied to construction; $436.39 per tree if the removal is part of a construction or development project; boundary or neighbour trees cost $304.51 per tree non-construction and $913.58 per tree construction)
• Photos of the tree

For RNFP applications, additional documentation including a landscape plan and environmental assessment may be required.

Step 4: Wait for Review

Urban Forestry staff review the application and may conduct a site visit. Toronto does not publish a standard review time on its current application guidance. Timing varies with application completeness, construction impacts, tree ownership, inspection needs, and ravine review. Applications can be submitted through the city’s online permit portal. The city may approve, deny, or approve with conditions such as replanting requirements.

Fees and Processing

The permit fee is $145.87 per tree for a standard residential removal not tied to construction, and $436.39 per tree when the removal is part of a construction or development project, as of the City’s 2026 fee schedule. Boundary or neighbour trees cost $304.51 non-construction and $913.58 construction. Toronto adjusts these fees annually. Toronto does not publish a standard review time. Timing varies with the application and the site.

Starting September 1, 2026, By-law 402-2026 adds a separate RNFP application fee schedule for Chapter 658 permits, in addition to the private-tree fees above: $87.57 per tree for a non-construction ravine tree, $183.03 per tree for a non-construction ravine boundary or neighbour tree, $262.72 per tree for a construction ravine tree, $549.08 per tree for a construction ravine boundary or neighbour tree, and $632.51 for a grade alteration application involving no trees. The same by-law exempts some applicants from the new RNFP fee, including recognized non-profit and social housing providers and applicants with low incomes.

If a permit is denied, the applicant may appeal to the applicable Community Council. Community Council’s decision is final.

Penalties for Unauthorized Removal

Removing a protected tree without a permit in Toronto can result in fines from a minimum of $500 per tree up to $100,000 per tree. The city actively investigates complaints and has forestry bylaw enforcement officers. In addition to fines, the city can require you to plant replacement trees at your expense, often at a ratio significantly higher than what the original permit would have required.

The September 1, 2026 amendments also close a measurement loophole. When a tree has already been cut and the trunk can no longer be measured at 1.4 metres above ground, a stump measuring 40 cm or more at 0.3 metres above the ground is treated as evidence the tree was protected.

Replanting Requirements

When a permit is approved, the city requires replacement plantings at a ratio of 1 tree per 10 cm of DBH removed. So a tree with a 40 cm diameter would require 4 replacement trees. If your property cannot accommodate replacement trees, the city may accept a cash-in-lieu payment at a rate of $583 per tree. From September 1, 2026, replacement trees planted to satisfy a permit condition are themselves protected from the day of planting, whatever their size.

Toronto has become increasingly strict about accepting cash-in-lieu. The city prefers actual replanting and may deny cash-in-lieu requests if staff determine that planting space exists on the property.

Heritage and Distinctive Trees

Toronto does not maintain a formal heritage tree registry, but certain trees may receive additional protection through heritage designations on the property itself. Trees on properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act may require additional approvals before removal.

Large, old, or historically significant trees often receive extra scrutiny during the permit review process, even without a formal heritage designation. Starting September 1, 2026, a healthy tree with at least one stem greater than 61 cm DBH can be designated a Distinctive Tree. Designation is a determination made by Urban Forestry’s Executive Director, not an automatic result of size, and a tree that already holds a Heritage Tree designation under the bylaw’s separate heritage provisions is excluded from the category. Once designated, the tree’s status becomes a mandatory review criterion in both Chapter 813 and Chapter 658 applications, and Council has directed the Executive Director to refuse permits to injure or destroy these trees at the Executive Director’s discretion.

Alongside the amendments, the city approved a Distinctive Tree Maintenance Incentive pilot for 2026. The adopted staff report budgets an estimated $50,000 for roughly 20 to 25 sites, with up to $1,500 per site toward eligible maintenance costs for large healthy trees. Program administration was still being finalized as of August 2026. See our guide to Toronto’s September 2026 bylaw amendments for what these changes mean for a large-tree application.

Common Questions

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Toronto?

Yes, if the tree is on private property and measures 30 cm or more at breast height. City street trees are protected no matter their size, and so is every tree in a designated ravine or natural feature area under Chapter 658.

What do Toronto tree permits cost in 2026?

Under the 2026 fee schedule, $145.87 per tree for a standard residential removal and $436.39 per tree when construction is involved. Boundary or neighbour trees run $304.51 and $913.58 respectively, and ravine applications gain their own separate fees starting September 1, 2026.

How big are the fines?

A minimum of $500 per tree up to $100,000 per tree, plus replanting orders that often exceed what a permit would have required. The city employs dedicated forestry enforcement officers.

Is a dead tree exempt?

Not automatically. The City has to issue its permit exception for the dead tree first, and unless the tree is an immediate hazard, cutting ahead of that paperwork is treated as an unauthorized removal.

Working with The Arborist Group

We handle Toronto tree permit applications regularly and know what the city’s reviewers expect. Our reports are prepared to Toronto’s specific standards, which reduces the chance of requests for additional information and keeps the process moving. Contact us before you file to confirm your application package is complete.