Do I Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Richmond Hill?

Short answer: Usually yes, if the trunk is 15 cm or wider. Since April 23, 2025, Richmond Hill’s Tree Preservation By-law 19-25 protects private trees with a trunk 15 cm or more across at chest height. You need a City permit before you remove or injure one, so check with the City before any work starts.

The Short Version

Richmond Hill replaced its old tree by-law, 41-07, with By-law 19-25 on April 23, 2025. The biggest change is size. The old rule started at 20 cm and the new one starts at 15 cm, so a tree that didn’t need a permit a few years ago may need one now.

Trees owned by the City, including the boulevard tree between your sidewalk and the road, fall under a separate by-law, 20-25. Only the City works on those.

How to Measure Your Tree

Wrap a tape measure around the trunk at chest height, about 1.4 m off the ground, and divide by 3.14. If the tape reads about 47 cm or more around, the trunk is 15 cm or wider and the by-law likely applies.

What a Permit Involves

You apply to the City of Richmond Hill. Before the City issues a permit, it asks for replanting securities or cash in lieu, money it holds so replacement trees get planted. Replacement trees are protected once they go in. The City now enforces the by-law with administrative penalties, so it pays to sort out the permit first.

Before You Book a Removal

• Contact the City of Richmond Hill and ask whether your tree needs a permit: Access Richmond Hill at 905-771-8800 or [email protected].
• Ask about dead, dying or hazardous trees. The process can be different for trees in that condition.
• Check for other rules if you’re near a ravine, woodland or on the Oak Ridges Moraine, where extra protections may apply.
• Talk to your neighbour if the tree is on or near the property line. See trees on the property line.

We’ll Talk It Through

When we come out for the free quote, we’ll measure the trunk with you and tell you whether it’s likely over the 15 cm line. The City has the final word, though, so it’s worth checking with them before any work starts.

Trimming Instead of Removing

Sometimes the problem can be solved with a trim rather than a removal. Heavy cutting can count as injuring a protected tree, so we keep trims to normal pruning and tell you honestly if a trim will do.