Tree rules in Saskatoon: permits, protected trees and fees
What the City of Saskatoon says in Bylaw No. 9957, the Tree Protection Bylaw, 2024, and on its pages about the Tree Permit for work within six metres of a City tree, major and minor landscaping, the absence of an application fee, the fines and the Appeal Board.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes three City of Saskatoon sources as read on October 9, 2026: the Tree Protection Requirements page, the Tree Permits page with its FAQs, and the text of Bylaw No. 9957. The bylaw covers trees on City property such as boulevards, medians, parks and natural areas, and work near them. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in Canadian cities.
What the bylaw prohibits without approval
The requirements page lists eight things. They are pruning, removing or relocating a City tree; applying pesticides or harmful chemicals to one directly or indirectly; interfering with its access to water, air or nutrients; removing or interfering with its protective barrier; carving into or marking its bark; attaching an item to it; doing work such as construction or major landscaping within six metres of it; and placing heavy equipment, machinery, vehicles or construction materials within six metres of it, unless they sit on a paved driveway, street or path. Approval is not required for lights or extension cords on a City tree from October to March if they cause no hazard or injury, for minor landscaping such as hand digging or mowing, or for trees in back lanes.
The Tree Permit
The permit page says construction, including new utility connections, within six metres of a City tree needs a Tree Permit, and that a Tree Permit is required before any Demolition Permit even when no trees are present, with an Urban Forestry Technician verifying that. Major landscaping means removing a large volume of soil with heavy equipment such as a skid steer or excavator, and the page's examples are retaining walls, artificial turf, pea gravel, large rocks, sod, driveway work and pathway construction. Minor landscaping, such as overseeding, irrigation or planting shrubs, needs no permit. The FAQ says the party doing the work on site is responsible for making sure a permit has been issued and its conditions followed.
| Question | What the City's pages say |
|---|---|
| Fee | There is no application fee. The FAQ lists costs that could arise if City trees may be affected: a deposit drawn on if a tree is unexpectedly injured or destroyed, pruning or removal costs, a tree's appraised value and relocation or replanting costs |
| Who can apply | A developer, utility provider, homeowner, contractor or subcontractor |
| What goes in | An application and a site plan marking every City tree within six metres, with diameter at 1.3 metres, access and laydown areas, fencing around the Tree Protection Zone from the TPZ table and anti-compaction measures within six metres |
| Timing | The page says the City responds within 4 business days. The FAQ says applications can be made up to 18 months before work and as late as five business days before starting |
| Changes | Extensions and changes go to the Forestry Technician, and substantial changes need a new application and site plan |
Fines and appeals
Section 15 of the bylaw sets a fine of not more than CA$10,000 for an individual and CA$25,000 for a corporation, plus up to CA$2,500 for each day an offence continues. A judge or justice of the peace may add the costs of removal, the tree's appraised value or the decrease in it from injury, replacement or relocation costs and the cost of protective devices. Section 17 lets the City issue a notice of violation for attaching items, placing equipment or materials near a tree, interfering with a protective device, failing to install one, pruning a City tree, applying pesticides or harmful substances and planting a tree on City property. Section 18 sets a minimum penalty of CA$100 for a first offence, and the notice discounts a first offence to CA$50 if paid within 14 days. The FAQ describes the same range: a discounted CA$50 for minor offences and fines up to CA$10,000 or CA$25,000 for serious ones such as illegal removal.
Section 9 lets an aggrieved party appeal the City's decision to deny or revoke a permit, or to impose terms or conditions on one, to the Saskatoon Appeal Board, under The Saskatoon Appeal Board Bylaw, 2024. It gives no right of appeal on the formula the City uses for a tree's appraised value. Section 12 gives the same board an appeal of an order to remedy a contravention. The City's Urban Forestry phone on the FAQ is 306-975-2890.