Trees & tree removal — Guelph, Ontario

Do I need a permit to cut down a tree?

In the City of Guelph, Ontario, permit required: True; applies to private property: True; protected threshold: Tree of at least 10 cm DBH on any Private Lot larger than 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres); or a Tree of at least 30 cm DBH on any Private Lot; replacement required: Replacement Trees and/or Replacement Tree Fee (cash-in-lieu) as conditions of a Tree Permit, calculated in accordance with the Tree Technical Manual. Source: Private Tree Protection By-law (2025)-21059, verified 2026-08-28.

Private Tree Protection By-law (2025)-21059 adopted bylaw
permit required True s. 3.4
applies to private property True "A by-law to prohibit or regulate the injuring or destruction of trees on private property"
protected threshold Tree of at least 10 cm DBH on any Private Lot larger than 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres); or a Tree of at least 30 cm DBH on any Private Lot s. 2.1 "Regulated Tree"
replacement required Replacement Trees and/or Replacement Tree Fee (cash-in-lieu) as conditions of a Tree Permit, calculated in accordance with the Tree Technical Manual s. 7.3(d), s. 1.1(c)
fine range Minimum $500; first conviction max $10,000 or $1,000 per tree to max $100,000 (whichever greater); subsequent conviction max $25,000 or $2,500 per tree to max $100,000; corporations: first $50,000 or $5,000 per tree, subsequent $100,000 or $10,000 per tree s. 13.3(a), s. 13.3(b)(i), s. 13.3(b)(ii), s. 13.3(c)
scout note

Prohibits injuring or destroying a regulated tree on private property without a tree permit. A regulated tree is one of at least 10 cm diameter at breast height on a private lot larger than 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres), or of at least 30 cm DBH on any private lot. Requires tree protection measures, replacement trees, replacement tree fees paid into

Machine-readable: trees.json · Official website: https://guelph.ca/ · Last verified 2026-08-28 · Trees & tree removal in other municipalities