{
 "answer": "In the City of St. Thomas, Ontario, permit required: True; applies to private property: True; protected threshold: trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) equal to or greater than 20 cm (no species distinction stated); fines: individual: not exceeding $50,000; corporation: not exceeding $100,000; plus not exceeding $10,000 per day for each day offence continues. Source: Site Alteration By-law 140-2025, verified 2026-08-29.",
 "municipality_id": "gx-001770",
 "municipality": "St. Thomas",
 "status_type": "City",
 "jurisdiction": "Ontario",
 "country": "CA",
 "topic": "trees",
 "label": "Trees & tree removal",
 "status": "found",
 "last_verified": "2026-08-29",
 "official_website": "https://www.stthomas.ca/",
 "documents": [
  {
   "primary": true,
   "is_official": true,
   "title": "Site Alteration By-law 140-2025",
   "category": "trees",
   "document_type": "bylaw",
   "status": "adopted",
   "adopted_date": "2025-12-01",
   "document_url": "https://www.stthomas.ca/UserFiles/Servers/Server_12189721/File/City%20Hall/Environmental%20Services/By-law%20140-2025%20Site%20Alteration%20-%20UPDATED.pdf",
   "summary": "Primarily regulates fill/topsoil/grading, but also prohibits unauthorized injury or destruction of trees on a site alteration site or abutting lands and requires a Tree Management Plan where 10+ trees of 20cm+ DBH are to be removed.",
   "discovered_by": "on-newcats",
   "discovered_at": "2026-08-29",
   "capture_sha256": "aee676813abb30f39cf5de109b15fbbe36ff9fd0fc7554a926f5a528df99069b",
   "captured_at": "2026-08-29T14:33:34+00:00",
   "capture_http_status": 200,
   "snapshot_url": "https://pub-e61c5ee2a8704225bfa8de0c280e8a2c.r2.dev/bylaws/aee676813abb30f39cf5de109b15fbbe36ff9fd0fc7554a926f5a528df99069b.pdf",
   "link_dead": false,
   "facts": {
    "permit_required": true,
    "applies_to_private_property": true,
    "protected_threshold": "trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) equal to or greater than 20 cm (no species distinction stated)",
    "fine_range": "individual: not exceeding $50,000; corporation: not exceeding $100,000; plus not exceeding $10,000 per day for each day offence continues"
   },
   "fact_citations": {
    "permit_required": "s. 4.1; s. 4.6(k) — \"unauthorized injury or destruction of any trees...with a diameter at breast height (DBH) equal to or greater than 20 cm\"",
    "applies_to_private_property": "s. 4.1 — \"any Site Alteration of land within the geographic limits of the City\"",
    "protected_threshold": "s. 4.6(k) and Schedule 'A' item 2",
    "fine_range": "s. 14.2, s. 14.3, s. 14.4"
   },
   "transcript_url": "/ca/on/st-thomas/trees/text-aee676813abb/",
   "transcript_quality": "exact"
  }
 ],
 "source": "https://govanswers.org/ca/on/st-thomas/trees/"
}