Tree rules in Toronto: permits, protected trees and fees
What the City of Toronto's pages say about protected private, street and ravine trees, the 30 cm threshold, tree protection zones, permit documents, cash-in-lieu of CA$583, appeals and the changes that took effect on September 1, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 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 the City of Toronto pages on when to apply for a tree or ravine permit, how to apply, and the Tree Bylaw Review, as read on October 8, 2026. The rules are in Municipal Code Chapter 813 (Trees) and Chapter 658 (Ravine and Natural Feature Protection). The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in Canadian cities.
What is protected
- Private trees: any activity that can cause a tree of 30 centimetres or more in diameter to be injured or removed is prohibited unless authorised by a permit under the Tree Protection By-law. The page measures diameter at 1.4 metres (4.5 feet), and says that for a tree with several stems the largest stem decides, with the whole tree protected if one stem is 30 cm or more.
- Street trees: trees on city streets of any size, including some in the boulevard or part of a front yard next to the road or sidewalk.
- Ravines and natural features: all trees regardless of size, plus changes to topography, fill and structures, in the areas the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law maps.
- Parks: trees of all sizes, with their ground and air space, under the Parks By-law.
The page also notes that the Teiaiagon-Baby Point Heritage Conservation District, whose by-law the City Council adopted on December 18, 2024, may require a Heritage Permit in addition to a tree permit. It names harmful activities beyond cutting, including trenching and tunneling, storing materials, driving over roots, nailing or stapling into a tree, and stringing cables or lights within a Tree Protection Zone.
Tree protection zones
The page gives minimum zone sizes by trunk diameter. For private trees of 30 to 40 cm the zone is 2.4 m, rising by 0.6 m per 10 cm band to 6.0 m at 91 to 100 cm, and 6 cm for every 1 cm of diameter above 100 cm. Street trees use the same sizes, with 1.2 m under 10 cm and 1.8 m at 10 to 29 cm. For ravine trees the distances are doubled (4.8 m at 30 to 40 cm) or the dripline, whichever is greater.
Permits, reasons and appeals
The page says permits are granted only after review shows the proposal meets the by-law, and submitting an application does not guarantee one. Non-construction reasons it accepts include a tree in poor condition that cannot be maintained safely, a tree likely to cause structural damage to a load-bearing structure or roof, relocation, ravine restoration and cemetery operations. It says a nuisance is generally not supported as a reason. Applicants provide an arborist report, photos and a replanting plan (minimum 50 mm caliper for a deciduous tree, 1.75 to 2.5 m height for a conifer); construction applications add scaled site plans showing every tree of 30 cm or more within 6 m. Applications go online or to a service counter, not by email.
A denial can be appealed in writing to Community Council, and the page says its decision is final. For boundary or neighbour trees the City writes to the other owners within 15 business days of receiving the application and again at least 15 days before issuing a permit. The permit is posted visible from the street for one day before work and until the work is finished.
Fees, replacement and deposits
| Item | Amount as the City writes it |
|---|---|
| Cash-in-lieu where there is inadequate room to replant | CA$583 per tree |
| Guarantee deposit per tree planted on a City street or in a ravine area | CA$583.00, set at 120 per cent of two years' planting and care |
| Ravine tree permit, non-construction | CA$87.57 per tree; CA$183.03 for a boundary or neighbour tree |
| Ravine tree permit, construction | CA$262.72 per tree; CA$549.08 for a boundary or neighbour tree |
| Alteration of grade, no trees | CA$632.51 per application |
The ravine permit fees apply from September 1, 2026. Trees planted as a permit condition are protected from planting, whatever their size.
Changes from September 1, 2026
The Tree Bylaw Review page says the City introduced a Distinctive Tree category on September 1, 2026 for large, healthy trees over 61 cm in diameter, and that a stump of 40 cm or more can be used as a secondary measure when a removed trunk cannot be measured. Contravention replacement ratios become diameter-based, starting at 5:1. Council has endorsed lowering the private tree threshold from 30 cm to 20 cm, pending a report in 2027.