Tree permits in Canadian cities

Canada has no national rule for trees on city or private land. Each city writes its own bylaw, and the bylaws differ on size, species, land type and fees. This page reports what each city's own page says. It is not legal advice and it does not say whether a given tree needs a permit. The city office named in each table decides. For the wider picture, including Toronto and Ottawa in brief, see the guide to tree protection laws. This page does not repeat it.

Sizes are copied as the pages give them. Most Canadian pages measure the trunk diameter at breast height (DBH), but the height differs: Toronto's page gives 1.4 m, Brampton and Markham give 1.37 m, Victoria gives 1.4 m, Richmond gives 1.4 m and Quebec City gives 1.3 m. The unit and the measuring height differ by city page, so two sizes are not always comparable.

Ontario

City	What its page says	Office
Toronto	Private trees of 30 cm or more in diameter are protected under the Tree Protection By-law. Street trees of any size are protected	Urban Forestry Tree Protection and Plan Review office, Toronto permit page
Mississauga	Public trees cannot be injured, removed or pruned without a permit. Private trees of 15 cm or greater need a permit, dead or dying trees included	City of Mississauga, Mississauga tree permit page
Brampton	No permit for trees under 30 cm measured at 1.37 m, or for a tree within 2 m of an occupied building. Woodlots have a separate bylaw	City of Brampton, Brampton tree regulations page
Markham	A permit comes before injuring or destroying any private tree of 20 cm or more at 1.37 m	Tree Preservation Unit, Markham permit page
London	The Tree Protection By-law covers trees of at least 50 cm inside the Urban Growth Boundary and all trees in mapped Tree Protection Areas	City of London, London private trees page

Toronto

Toronto's page says any activity that can cause a tree of 30 centimetres or more in diameter to be injured or removed on private property is prohibited unless authorised with a permit. For a tree with several stems, the page says the largest stem decides, and where at least one stem is 30 cm or greater the whole tree is protected. Under the ravine bylaw the page says harming or removing any trees in a protected ravine is covered regardless of size. Trees in City parks are covered by the Parks By-law, and the page says a Heritage Permit may be needed on top of a tree permit inside the Teiaiagon-Baby Point heritage conservation district. A permit is not required to prune a tree as long as it follows good arboricultural practices to maintain its health, according to the page. It also says situations where a tree is a nuisance are generally not supported as reasons to remove one.

The City's bylaw review page says that from September 1, 2026 a Distinctive Tree category applies to large, healthy trees over 61 cm in diameter on private property and in ravines, and that a stump of 40 cm or greater is a secondary measure when a removed trunk cannot be measured. The same page says Council has endorsed lowering the private tree threshold from 30 cm to 20 cm, pending a report in 2027. See the Toronto tree bylaw review page.

Other Ontario cities

Mississauga gives a base permit fee of CA$399.77 with HST included, and says no fees apply when the trees are dead or dying. Its page says the City has 30 business days to review a complete application. Markham gives a non-refundable processing fee of CA$20.50 from January 16, 2026 and a review time of 45 days after payment. Its page also says trees on or crossing a property line need the adjacent owner's consent under the Forestry Act. Brampton's Woodlot Conservation By-law defines a woodlot as at least 0.2 hectares with set tree counts, and its page says a permit is required for alterations to a woodlot outside the formal development approval process. London calls a private tree of 50 cm or more inside the Urban Growth Boundary a Distinctive Tree, and its page says work in a Tree Protection Area may need a report from an arborist or a Registered Professional Forester.

British Columbia

City	What its page says	Office
Surrey	Protected trees include all trees at least 30 cm DBH, some species at any size, and replacement trees	City of Surrey, Surrey removing trees page
Burnaby	With a development application, any tree 20 cm or greater. Without one, conifers 30 cm or greater and deciduous trees 45 cm or greater	City of Burnaby, Burnaby trees page
Richmond	Cutting a tree larger than 20 cm dbh (measured at 1.4 m) generally needs a permit. Topping is prohibited	Permits office, Richmond tree removal page
Victoria	Private trees with a DBH over 30 cm, listed species over 50 cm in height, trees on steep slopes and trees near watercourses	City of Victoria, Victoria tree protection page

Surrey's page lists Arbutus and other named species as protected at any size. It gives a permit fee of CA$108 plus CA$42 per tree, a replacement tree deposit of CA$550 per tree, and says an owner may be required to plant 2 replacement trees for each one removed. It says a fine of up to CA$20,000 can follow damage to a tree or removal without a permit. On pruning, Surrey's page says a Tree Cutting Permit is needed to prune a Significant or Heritage Tree, and it describes a Heritage Tree as one nominated by the Heritage Advisory Committee and approved by Council. Its pruning page lists limits for protected trees that include removing branches in the upper 50% of the total height and removing more than 25% of the total branches. See the Surrey pruning trees page.

Burnaby's page says replacement trees are a condition of all Tree Cutting Permits and lists trees in streamside protection areas among protected trees. Richmond says its bylaw prohibits topping on both private and City property, with fines up to CA$50,000 per tree. Victoria's page also protects hedges that contain a stem over 30 cm DBH, and for several-stem trees it counts the three largest stems together, measured at 1.4 m. Victoria gives CA$2,000 cash-in-lieu for each replacement tree that cannot be accommodated on the site.

Quebec

These pages are in French. The English glosses below are plain translations, and the page decides what the words mean.

City	What its page says	Office
Montreal	A felling permit, also called a "certificat d'autorisation" (certificate of authorisation), is needed. Rules vary by borough	Your borough, Montreal felling permit page
Laval	A certificate is needed before felling a tree on your lot, and the felled tree must be replaced	City of Laval, Laval felling permit page
Quebec City	Felling generally needs a certificate. Trunks of 10 cm or more at 1.3 m are covered	City of Quebec 311, Quebec City information sheet

Montreal's page says to find your "arrondissement" (borough) to get the information that applies to you. Its general section says a certificate is needed to fell a trunk of at least 10 cm in diameter measured at 1.3 m, or at least 15 cm measured at 15 cm above the ground, and also to cut "40 % ou plus de ses branches" (40 per cent or more of its branches). Borough sections can differ: the L'Île-Bizard borough section gives 5 cm at 1.3 m and 50 per cent or more of the branches. It gives a study fee of CA$136 per application and lot, taxes included. A felled tree must be replaced within 12 months of the date the certificate is issued, and a request to fell an ash tree on private land is free. The page also says owners cannot prune or fell a tree grown by the City on the public strip.

Laval's page says a certificate is needed even when Hydro-Quebec recommended the felling. It gives the size as broadleaf trees of at least "30 mm (3 cm)" in diameter and conifers of at least 150 cm in height, and an inspection fee of CA$84 per tree. A request to fell an ash ("frêne") is free because of the emerald ash borer. Its tree page says pruning trees on your own lot needs no certificate, and it lists removing more than 50 % of the living crown ("ramure vivante") as a forbidden pruning practice.

Quebec City's information sheet says a certificate is always needed for a tree in the front yard ("cour avant"), and that the City aims to answer in 20 business days.

Prairie cities

City	What its page says	Office
Calgary	The Tree Protection Bylaw covers City trees only. It bars cutting, removing, moving or pruning them	City of Calgary, Calgary tree protection page
Edmonton	Elms on boulevards cannot be worked on without City consent. Elm pruning is illegal April 1 to September 30	City of Edmonton, Edmonton elm page
Saskatoon	Bylaw No. 9957 covers trees on City property. A Tree Permit applies to work within 6 m of a City tree	City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon tree protection page

Calgary's page says the bylaw does not apply to trees growing on private property. It says a Tree Protection Plan is required if construction will come within 6 metres of a public tree in the road right of way. It gives a replacement tree cost of CA$565 and a replacement size of 60 to 85 mm, and says fines range from CA$100 for attaching an object to a tree to CA$1,000 for failing to comply with an enforcement order.

Saskatoon's page lists pruning, removing or relocating a tree on City property among the things the bylaw prohibits without prior approval. It also says heavy equipment, machinery or materials within 6 metres of a City tree are covered unless they sit on a paved driveway, street or path.

Dutch elm disease rules

Alberta, Saskatchewan and the City of Winnipeg each have elm pruning dates, and the dates differ. The wood-moving side of these rules is in the guide to moving wood and firewood.

Place	What its page says about elm pruning
Alberta	Pruning ban April 1 to September 30. Elms can be pruned October 1 to March 31 and removed any time of year. Source: the Alberta prevention page
Saskatchewan	Provincial regulations prohibit pruning elms April 1 to August 31. Source: the Saskatchewan elm page
Winnipeg	The City does not prune elms April 1 through July 31 and asks residents not to either. Source: the Winnipeg elm page

Alberta's page also says it is illegal to bring elm material into Alberta from a province with the disease, such as Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan's page says it is illegal to transport, store or buy elm firewood, and that all commercial pruners of elm trees must complete a recognised training program or be supervised by someone who has. Winnipeg's page says it is illegal to store elm wood without doing at least one of a list of steps it gives, and illegal to move elm wood for any reason other than disposal. It says infected elms on private property are tagged with an orange dot and removed within one year. Edmonton's bylaw page says elm pruning is illegal there from April 1 to September 30, and that elm trees or elm firewood cannot be transported, stored or sold without permission from the City. It gives a ticket range of CA$250 to CA$10,000.

What to take from it

Size thresholds run from 10 cm in Quebec City and in Montreal's general rule (5 cm in some boroughs) to 50 cm in London, and each city picks its own measuring height.
Several cities protect only their own trees (Calgary, Saskatoon), while others reach private land (Toronto, Mississauga, Surrey).
Some pages say dead or dying trees still need a permit, and some waive the fee for them. The wording differs by city.
Several Quebec pages are in French and some rules differ by borough.
The city office named on each page decides. A page can change, so the page has the last word.

For work near trees on building sites, see trees and construction. For Canadian work in general, see the start in Canada guide.