Do I Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Vaughan?

Yes, in most cases. Under the City of Vaughan’s Tree Protection By-law 177-2025, you need a permit to injure or remove any private tree with a diameter of 20 cm or more, or a base diameter of 20 cm or more. The City measures diameter at 1.37 m above the ground, which arborists call DBH. A tree on the City boulevard is protected at any size, and only the City works on it.

How to Measure Your Tree

Wrap a soft tape measure around the trunk at 1.37 m, about chest height on most adults. Divide the circumference by 3.14 to get the diameter. A trunk that measures 63 cm around is right at 20 cm across. If the tree splits into several stems below that height, or it’s a short tree with a wide base, the base diameter counts too.

Plenty of yard trees in Woodbridge and Thornhill pass 20 cm without looking big. A Norway maple planted when the house went up in the 1980s is almost always over the line.

The Two Kinds of Private Tree Permit

Vaughan splits private tree permits by the tree’s condition, and the paperwork differs a lot between them.

Dead, Hazardous or Ash Trees

If the tree is dead, terminally diseased, imminently hazardous or an ash, you still need a permit, but the City treats it as a simpler case. There is no fee, no replacement planting and no arborist report. This covers most of the ash trees emerald ash borer has killed across Vaughan, and trees that split in a storm.

Healthy Trees

A healthy tree 20 cm or wider needs a permit backed by an arborist report. A fee applies, and the City may make replacement planting a condition of the permit. Fees change, so check the current amount with the City before you budget for it. Plan on a wait for a decision, because the City reviews each healthy-tree application on its own.

What the Permit Requires on the Day

• A permit is valid for six months from the date it’s issued.
• You must post the permit on the property while the work happens, where an officer can see it.
• Any conditions on the permit, such as protecting a nearby tree or planting a replacement, are yours to meet.

The new by-law also gives the City administrative penalties, with higher maximum fines than the old 052-2018 by-law it replaced. Removing a protected tree without a permit can cost far more than the permit would have.

City Trees, Ravine Lots and Woodlands

The tree on the strip between the sidewalk and the road usually belongs to the City. Don’t cut, trim or remove it yourself, and don’t hire anyone to. Call City of Vaughan Public Works at 905-832-8585 if it’s damaged, dead or dropping limbs.

Lots that back onto the Humber River valleys in Woodbridge and Kleinburg often sit on TRCA-regulated land, so work there may need approval from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as well as the City. Larger wooded areas may also fall under York Region’s forest conservation by-law. If your yard runs into a ravine or a woodlot, ask before you plan anything.

For questions about the by-law or a permit you already hold, call By-law and Compliance, Licensing and Permit Services at 905-832-2281.

How We Help

When we come out to quote a tree removal, we measure the trunk and tell you whether it’s likely to need a permit, and which kind. If it’s dead or an ash, we’ll point that out, since that permit is free. The City has the final word on every application, so we don’t start work on a protected tree until you have the permit in hand.

If the tree sits on or near the fence, read who owns a tree on the property line before you apply. A shared tree needs your neighbour’s consent as well as the City’s permit.