Tree replacement fees and cash-in-lieu: the figures cities publish

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It lists replacement and cash-in-lieu figures that cities print on their own pages, fee schedules and rules. It does not say what any owner or contractor would pay. The city office decides, and these amounts are changed by the city.

Three words recur. A replacement tree is a tree the city requires in place of one removed. Cash-in-lieu, or payment in lieu, is money a city accepts where it says planting is not possible or not chosen. A deposit is money held until the replacement tree is checked. Each city uses its own units: per tree, per diameter inch, or per square inch of trunk. Permits and application fees are on the city pages linked from tree permits in the largest US cities and tree permits in Canadian cities.

The figures, city by city

City	When it applies, amount as published, date and source
Toronto	When: Cash-in-lieu where the permit page says there is inadequate space for replanting. A separate guarantee deposit applies per tree planted on a City street or in a ravine area. Amount: Cash-in-lieu CA$583 per tree. Guarantee deposit CA$583.00 per tree, which the page says equals 120 per cent of the cost of planting and maintaining a tree for two years. Source: Read October 9, 2026. City of Toronto, how to apply for a tree or ravine permit. City detail: tree rules in Toronto.
Seattle	When: A voluntary payment in lieu of on-site replacement, which Tip 242B says is calculated under Director's Rule 8-2023 and paid before the removal approval is issued. Amount: Tier 1 and Tier 2 trees: US$17.87 per square inch of trunk cross-section at standard height. A Tier 1 or Tier 2 tree below 24 inches DSH: US$8,080 per tree. Tier 3 trees: US$2,833 per tree. Source: Rule effective July 31, 2023, read October 9, 2026. The rule's footnote says the amounts are evaluated periodically. SDCI, Director's Rule 8-2023 and Tip 242B. City detail: tree rules in Seattle.
Portland	When: The fee schedule lists fees in lieu of planting and preservation, and restoration fees for removed trees. The qualifying permit page says a fee goes into the Urban Forestry Tree Planting and Preservation Fund where there is no room to replant, and that the maximum may be reduced for the condition of the tree. Amount: Planting and establishment fee in lieu: US$472.00 per DBH inch, or US$712.00 per on-site tree. Preservation fee in lieu for private trees: US$1,888.00 per tree for 12 inches up to 20 inches, and US$472.00 per DBH inch at 20 inches and over. Restoration fee, removed tree: US$472.00 per DBH inch, and US$944.00 per DBH inch for a Heritage Tree. Source: Schedule effective July 10, 2026, read October 9, 2026. Portland Permitting and Development, tree permitting fee schedule; qualifying tree removal and replanting permit. City detail: tree rules in Portland.
Calgary	When: The Tree Protection Bylaw page covers City trees. It gives an installation cost and a replacement size next to its fines. Amount: Tree installation cost CA$565. The page says the replacement tree must be 60 to 85 mm in size. Source: Read October 9, 2026. City of Calgary, tree protection bylaws. City detail: tree rules in Calgary.
Boston	When: The proponent of an approved removal of a healthy public shade tree, after a hearing, pays removal costs and a replacement fee. The page says the fees paid go into the Fund for Parks and Recreation. Amount: US$550 per diameter inch of the tree removed, measured at 4.5 feet above grade. Source: Read October 9, 2026. City of Boston, how to request a tree removal hearing.
New York City	When: For a tree under NYC Parks jurisdiction that is removed, the protocol says NYC Parks converts the valuation into three-inch caliper replacement trees or the cost to plant them. Amount: Average cost to plant a three-inch caliper tree in fiscal year 2023: Bronx US$3,000, Brooklyn US$3,550, Manhattan US$3,500, Queens US$3,000 and Staten Island US$2,600. The protocol says the figure changes each fiscal year. Source: Protocol edition 2023, read October 9, 2026. NYC Parks, Tree Valuation Protocol. City detail: tree rules in New York City.
Surrey	When: A deposit taken to make sure replacement trees are planted and kept through the first year, returned after a two-stage inspection. The page says an owner may be required to plant 2 replacement trees for every tree removed. Amount: Replacement tree deposit CA$550 per tree. Source: Read October 9, 2026. City of Surrey, removing trees.
Victoria	When: Where the owner shows, to the satisfaction of the Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, that a replacement tree or seedling cannot be accommodated on the lot. Amount: CA$2,000 cash-in-lieu for each replacement tree or tree seedling that cannot be accommodated on the site. Source: Read October 9, 2026. City of Victoria, Tree Protection Bylaw page.
Dallas	When: The presentation says protected trees that are removed must be mitigated by planting or alternative means, counted in classified diameter inches. It prints ratios, not a price per tree. Amount: Not published as a price per tree. One worked example prints US$193 x 70% = US$135 with no unit stated. Ratios: historic trees 3 to 1, significant trees 1.5 to 1, Class 1 at 1 to 1, Class 2 at 0.7 to 1, Class 3 at 0.4 to 1. Source: Presentation dated August 2023, read October 9, 2026. City of Dallas, tree removal presentation. City detail: tree rules in Dallas.
Mississauga	When: Replacement trees are required when removing trees of 15 cm or more, one for every 15 cm of diameter removed. Where there is no space on private property, the page says the owner must pay to plant on City property. Amount: Not published. The page says the deposit amount and the replacement fee for public trees are determined by the City. Source: Read October 9, 2026. City of Mississauga, request to injure or remove trees. City detail: tree rules in Mississauga.

How the figures are built

The units differ, so the rows cannot be added up or ranked. Seattle's Director's Rule 8-2023 says its per-square-inch amount comes from a formula in the Guide for Plant Appraisal, 10th edition, published in 2018 by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers, plus a survey of tree species at Seattle area nurseries, with city departments consulted on planting and establishment costs. Toronto ties its guarantee deposit to 120 per cent of two years of planting and care. Portland prices by DBH inch and by tree. Boston prices the diameter inch. New York turns a valuation into three-inch caliper trees and then into a planting cost per borough.

Seattle's rule is dated July 31, 2023, and Tip 242B names it "or successor rule", so the printed rule is the one that was read, not necessarily the amount charged on another date. New York's cost list is for fiscal year 2023. Where a row names no rule or schedule date, only the date the page was read is given.

Where a figure is not printed

Dallas prints replacement ratios in classified diameter inches and no price per tree, apart from one worked example with no unit stated. Mississauga requires one replacement tree for every 15 cm of diameter removed and says the City determines the deposit and the public tree fee. Those cells say so in the table.

Tree replacement fees and cash-in-lieu: the figures cities publish

The figures, city by city

How the figures are built

Where a figure is not printed

Sources