We encourage you to read When to Apply For a Permit before starting the permit application process.
Use these instructions to prepare and complete each item of your application. Incomplete applications will not be processed. If you are unsure about whether you should apply for a permit or if you require assistance, please contact 311 or your local Tree Protection and Plan Review District Office.
Prepare and complete the following documents to apply for a permit to remove a City-owned tree or private tree of 30 centimetres diameter or more.
Download the Application to Injure or Remove Trees.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine the property boundaries and tree ownership.
If the City determines a tree is a Boundary Tree and you disagree, you will be required to submit an up-to-date property survey.
The following items must be prepared and submitted to complete your Application to Remove a Tree.
Prepare and complete the following documents to apply for a permit to injure a City-owned street tree or private tree of 30 centimetres diameter or more.
Download the Application to Injure or Remove Trees.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine the property boundaries and tree ownership.
If the City determines a tree is a Boundary Tree and you disagree, you will be required to submit an up-to-date property survey.
The following items must be prepared and submitted to complete your Application to Injure a Tree.
Prepare and complete the following documents to apply for a permit if your property is located either entirely or partially within a Ravine and Natural Feature Protection (RNFP) area and your activity could result in the injury or removal of a tree, placing or dumping fill or refuse, or altering the existing grade of land.
If your proposed development requires a Site Plan approval or a Building Permit, the Ravine and Natural Feature Permit application will be reviewed with it. If approved, a permit will be issued after the Site Plan approval or it will be issued, conditional upon a Building Permit being issued.
Download:
The following items must be prepared and submitted to complete your application.
Drawings must:
The City is implementing a new Tree Based Compensation pilot project. As of November 1, 2022, this pilot will affect compensation planting associated with tree removal permit applications and contraventions in Ravine and Natural Feature Protection (RNFP) areas.
The purpose of this pilot is to better understand the benefits and issues associated with implementing a compensation planting structure that more accurately reflects the ecological services and value that trees provide based on their size. Under the pilot project, RNFP compensation planting requirements will be based on the Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) of the tree approved for removal. The larger the tree that is removed, the more trees will be required for replacement planting.
Please ensure that your arborist is aware of this new pilot. For more details and to ensure compliance with the new pilot, please contact RNFP staff.
The City of Toronto maintains City trees in accordance with City standards at no cost to residents. The service delivery may take up to eight months as clearing hazards after a storm is the highest priority. It is illegal to perform any work on City trees without proper authorization by the City.
If an owner of a private property that is located adjacent to the City tree wishes to have the required work completed sooner than scheduled, they may apply for permission to have an arborist complete the work at their cost.
Permission is required for any tree maintenance work, including minor pruning, tree planting and integrated pest management. Fax the complete application to Urban Forestry Data Management Centre, at 416-392-1915.
Permission may be applied for using the application form and providing all required information, including (but not limited to) the following:
If you are in the process of obtaining a Permit to Injure or Remove a tree under Street Tree Bylaw, Municipal Code, Chapter 813, II, the Permission would not be required, however, you would still be required to complete the Agreement for Arborists Retained by Private Property Owners to Undertake Work on City Trees and the Certificate of Insurance. You will submit these documents to the Planner in Tree Protection and Plan Review section of Urban Forestry that is reviewing your permit application
Check that you have gathered and completed all the required documents for your application. The completed application form along with all supplementary documents can be submitted to your local Urban Forestry Tree Protection and Plan Review (TPPR) Office by:
Submission of an application does not guarantee that a permit will be issued.
City staff will review the application to ensure that it is complete. Staff will notify the applicant in writing of any missing items. Once the application package is complete, staff may conduct a site visit to verify the application details and to determine if a permit may be issued and/or if a public notification process is required.
City staff will review your permit application and will contact the applicant by email.
If the City denies your permit application, you will be notified in writing. You can appeal this decision to through Community Council by notifying the City in writing. Staff will prepare the appeal report to Community Council. The City Clerk will notify you of the meeting date. At the meeting, you will have the opportunity to present your information. Community Council’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
If your project changes, you may be required to submit a new permit application. If your project involves new tree injury or removal that was not previously applied for, you are required to submit an additional permit application for the new trees to be injured or removed. If your project changes in a way that involves new or different tree injury or removal to trees previously applied for, please contact the City staff who are reviewing your existing permit application. If your project no longer impacts trees, you may wish to withdraw an application by contacting your local TPPR office.
Once City staff have completed their review of the permit application, they will contact you with next steps. The next steps include requirements that you must satisfy prior to permit issuance. These requirements must be satisfied, and a permit issued, prior to the start of work and tree injury and removal.
Before issuing a permit to remove (destroy) or harm (injure) privately owned trees, the City requires the applicant to sign a document called Undertaking and Release. By signing this document, the applicant will confirm that they intend to plant replacement tree(s) and/or implement the approved tree protection plan. Another person must witness the applicant’s signature.
The City will issue the permit after review and approval of all required information and receipt of a signed, dated and witnessed Undertaking and Release.
After an application involving a boundary or neighbour tree(s) is received, the City will issue a written notification to the owners of a boundary or neighbour tree within 15 business days. If the application to remove or harm a tree is approved, the City will issue a second written notification to the owners of a boundary or a neighbour tree at least 15 days before a permit is issued.
When an application involves construction, City staff require tree protection hoarding to be installed in accordance with an approved tree protection plan prior to issuing a permit. City staff will request photos of and may inspect tree protection hoarding prior to issuing a permit
To proceed with the permitted activity, you must post the permit in a conspicuous (noticeable) location visible from the street for one day prior to work beginning. The permit must remain posted until the approved tree injury or removal has been completed in accordance with permit conditions.
When an application to remove or injure a tree is approved by the City, a permit is issued with an expiry date and is subject to conditions being met by the applicant, such as:
The City of Toronto requires guarantee deposits to ensure compliance with conditions of a permit for tree injury, tree removal, or the conditions of a site plan approval.
The City collects the following deposits:
These deposits help to ensure that City-owned street trees are protected during construction, and that any trees planted as a condition of a permit survives for two years after planting.
For each tree to be planted on a City street or within a Ravine Protected Area (excluding trees in a stewardship/naturalization plan) the current value is $583.00 per tree. This value is equal to 120 per cent of the cost of planting and maintaining a tree for a period of two years.
For the implementation of a stewardship/naturalization plan within the Ravine and Natural Feature Protected Area, the guarantee deposit is calculated as 120 per cent of the estimated cost to plan, implement and maintain a stewardship/naturalization plan. In the absence of a cost estimate, the City will apply a cost of $25/m2 of the area proposed for stewardship/naturalization.
For the Tree Protection Guarantee where work may impact City street trees, the tree value is calculated based on the tree diameter, species, condition and location, using an appraisal method by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers (CTLA) in association with International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). The value of the deposit includes removal costs and the cost of a replacement tree.
The applicant can submit the required deposit(s) at Urban Forestry Tree Protection and Plan Review (TPPR) Office service counters including the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection service counter. Acceptable methods of payment for guarantee deposits are: debit, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, money order, certified cheque, bank draft or letter of credit payable to Treasurer, City of Toronto. Collected funds will be held in a non-interest bearing account.
City of Toronto will release deposits once all construction activities are complete and all permit conditions have been met. Failure to comply with the conditions of the permit may be considered a contravention of the bylaws and contravention inspection fees and charges may apply, as described on How to Report a Contravention.
To initiate an inspection by the City, the requestor shall submit:
Once the request is received, City staff will inspect the site to determine if the guarantee deposit can be released and communicate the results to the requestor.
The refund cheque will be made out and mailed to the original payee. Cheques are not available for pick up in person. It takes approximately eight (8) weeks to process the request.
Guarantee Deposits for tree planting on City streets will be released when the City of Toronto confirms that replacement trees are healthy and in a state of vigorous growth two (2) years after planting.
The applicant must send photos of the planting and if necessary arrange for an inspection by the City immediately after planting is completed to start the two (2) year warranty period.
Two years following the initial inspection date, the applicant must contact TPPR and submit the Guarantee Deposits Refund Request with current photos of the planting. The City of Toronto may arrange for a follow up site inspection to confirm that the trees are planted to the satisfaction of the City.
Guarantee Deposits for trees planted within the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection Area will be released when the City confirms that trees were planted. The applicant may initiate the refund process immediately after the planting is completed.
Tree Planting Security Deposit for stewardship/naturalization within the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection Area is based on the implementation of stewardship/naturalization plans, which can take many years. The City will provide partial refunds for each stewardship/naturalization step as outlined in the cost estimate on file as the work progresses.
The applicant may initiate the guarantee deposit refund process immediately after completion of a stewardship/naturalization stage. The process of inspection and partial release ends when the entire stewardship plan is completed to the satisfaction of the City.
Tree Protection Guarantee where work may impact City street trees will be returned when:
Upon review of the photos or following an inspection, City of Toronto staff will authorize the removal of tree protection measures and initiate a refund of the deposit.
A Tree Protection Guarantee may be held for a minimum of two (2) years following construction activity if any of the following activities are observed and documented on site:
The City will review such damages and impacts on a case-by-case basis. Determination of continued deposit holds will be communicated to you in writing. Disputes related to a continued hold of a deposit can be addressed by the district Supervisor and escalated as required through the City’s Complaint process.
The City will retain Tree Protection Guarantees if after the two (2) year deposit hold the tree is in decline and no longer viable. The forfeited funds will be transferred to a tree planting fund. If the funds are to be forfeited the applicant will be advised by the City in writing.
The City will retain guarantee deposit for tree planting if the applicant does not successfully plant healthy and viable trees by the required date specified in the related permit. If a protected City tree is a subject of a contravention resulting in an Order to Comply with an associated Cover Letter, or Stop Work Order issued by the City, the tree protection guarantee on file will be retained for a minimum of two years following the date of the contravention to allow for the monitoring of the condition of the subject tree(s).
Failure to meet permit conditions results in a Tree By-law contravention.
When a project and all requirements are complete
You must notify the City after you have completed any of the following requirements:
After they receive your notification, City staff will visit the site to verify that the required work was completed to their satisfaction.
Also, you must notify the City at the end of construction to obtain approval to remove tree protection hoarding. This is done by contacting the local TPPR district office with photos. Submitting photos of hoarding installed should also be sent to the staff processing the file.
Tree removal permits are issued subject to the condition that the applicants plant new trees. All trees planted as a condition of permit issuance are protected by the bylaw regardless of size. This helps to ensure the future of the urban canopy in accordance with the City Council approved Toronto’s Strategic Forest Management Plan.
Private replacement trees are protected, regardless of size.
Photos of replacement trees should be emailed to the local TPPR office with the site address in the subject line.