Tree rules in Oakville: permits, protected trees and fees

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes four Town of Oakville documents as read on October 9, 2026: the Private Tree Protection page, the Private Tree Protection By-law page, the Private Tree Removal Permit Application Process page and the consolidated text of By-law 2017-038, which the by-law site dates March 28, 2022 and lists as amended by By-laws 2018-034, 2018-043, 2019-030, 2021-038 and 2022-031. Amounts are written as the Town writes them, in Canadian dollars. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in Canadian cities.

Which trees need a permit

The Town's by-law page says the Private Tree Protection By-law applies to all private property in the Town, but not to a woodland or greenlands, which are governed by the Halton Region Tree By-law 121-05. It says a permit is required to remove a tree with a diameter of 15 centimetres or more at chest height, a tree required to be retained or planted under an approved site plan, and a tree planted under the Town's partnership program for larger caliper replacement street trees on private property. The by-law's own preamble says the regional by-law covers woodlands of 1 hectare and above, woodlands between 0.5 and 1 hectare that the Town has delegated, and greenlands of 0.5 hectare or larger.

The permit process page lists what needs a permit: any tree of 15 cm or more at breast height (DBH), any tree of that size removed as part of a development application, and any hedge with stems of 15 cm or more. It says dead and high-risk trees and ash trees need a permit but pay no fee. It says no permit is needed for a tree under 15 cm DBH, or for an emergency removal where there is an immediate risk of serious injury or damage, though the Town must be notified as soon as possible. For measuring, the page gives a trunk circumference of 47 cm or less at 137 cm above the ground as the point below which a tree counts as under 15 cm DBH.

Fees

Case on the permit page	Non-refundable fee
First tree removed in a 12-month period, 15 to 24 cm DBH	CA$65
Each additional tree, and any tree larger than 24 cm DBH	CA$425
Removal that results from a development application: a second tree of 15 to 24 cm DBH in a 12-month period, and any tree larger than 24 cm DBH	CA$900
Dead and high-risk trees, ash trees and buckthorn	No fee

The page says the fees include consultation and administration. The Private Tree Protection page adds that a property owner must apply for a permit and an on-site consultation before removing a tree over 15 cm DBH.

Replacement and security

As a condition of a permit, the page says one tree must be planted for every 10 cm DBH of healthy tree removed, with a CA$300 security deposit for each tree to be planted, refunded after a final inspection of the plantings. Replanting must be on the same private property, and cash in lieu is accepted only where there is not enough space on the property, with the money used to plant on municipal property. The minimum replacement is a 30 millimetre caliper deciduous tree or a 150 cm coniferous tree in a five-gallon container, balled in burlap or in a wire basket. The page says cedar is accepted as a replacement only when a cedar has been approved for removal.

Arborists and arborist reports

The application process page asks for an arborist report from a certified arborist for a high-risk tree or when removal results from a development application, a signed owner declaration when someone else applies, and a signed neighbour declaration for a tree on a shared property line. The by-law defines an arborist as a person with a diploma or degree in urban forestry, arboriculture or the equivalent who is licensed by the Town if its Licensing By-law 2015-075 requires it, and who is certified by the province's advanced education ministry or the International Society of Arboriculture, accepted as a consulting arborist by the American Society of Consulting Arborists, or a Registered Professional Forester. It defines an arborist report as a signed report on species, size, health and location of the tree with an assessment of structural integrity using the ISA publication Tree Risk Assessment, Best Management Practices.

Town trees and enforcement

The Tree Protection and Removal page says street trees on municipal property are protected by Town by-laws, and that the Town's Urban Forestry section maintains them. The Private Tree Protection By-law page says non-compliance with the by-law may result in fees and charges under the Administrative Penalty By-law 2021-038. The Town's service line is 905-845-6601.