Permit Library › Municipal: City of Toronto › Parks, Forestry & Recreation: Urban Forestry › Tree permits
Permit to Injure or Remove City-owned Street Trees
Permit to injure or remove any City-owned street tree.
You need it when: Any work that could injure (including roots) or remove a City-owned street tree.
Why it's needed
- Required for any injury or removal of City-owned trees.
When to apply
- Get the arborist report accepted by Urban Forestry first.
- Tree permits often feed major road cut permits. A two-stage approach may be available for long-lead tree permits.
Review time
Plan for about 40 business days.
Documents for a complete application
- Arborist report (location, species, size, condition, structural integrity, disease, health) [TO]
- Tree Protection Plan (injury) and landscape/replanting plan (removal) [TO]
- Site plan to scale showing all trees ≥30 cm DBH within 6 m [TO]
- Colour photographs [TO]
- Tree summary table
Submission checklists
How to submit
- Apply online (preferred) or at a service counter. Email applications are no longer accepted [TO].
Fees
Per-tree fees; replacement planting required (cash-in-lieu $583/tree); tree protection guarantee by CTLA appraisal; deposits held ≥2 years [TO].
Forms and guides
- Tree Protection By-law Declaration (City of Toronto, declaration)
- Application to Injure or Remove Trees (2026) (City of Toronto, application form)
- Tree Protection Policy and Specifications for Construction Near Trees (City of Toronto, standard / specification)
- Arborist Report Guidelines (City of Toronto, guide)
- Arborist Report for Development Applications (City of Toronto, guide)
- Municipal Code Chapter 813: Trees (City of Toronto, by-law)
Official pages
Track Permit to Injure or Remove City-owned Street Trees free.
Track this permit freeDeadlines in business days, email alerts before decisions are due, and your whole team in one place.
Sources are marked in the text: [TO] toronto.ca pages, [Guide] general industry guidance, [Plan] permit planning practice. Confirm on the official page before applying.