Local tree-rule guide
Ajax tree rules
Private-tree rules are present; check size/location exceptions.
The local rule
Ajax's private-tree bylaw protection applies to specified protected lands such as parks, Greenbelt lands, Environmental Protection lands and other designated areas rather than every ordinary yard tree.
The Town requires a permit before protected trees in those areas are injured or destroyed.
Application details
When Ajax’s tree-cutting permit actually applies
- Ajax does not publish a blanket tree-removal permit for every ordinary residential yard.
- Its Tree Protection By-law is targeted to protected lands, so the first question is whether the tree is in one of those mapped or designated areas.
The Town says a permit is required before damaging or destroying trees located in parks, Greenbelt lands and Environmental Protection lands. That is a location-based rule, not a universal trunk-diameter rule for every private yard.
Where a Tree Cutting Permit is required, Ajax’s 2026 Planning Act fee schedule lists a fee of $1,547.60. The same schedule lists $4,625.90 for an appeal to the Town’s General Government Committee.
Ajax lists “Approval to Cut Trees” among its development-related applications. For work tied to development, owners should confirm the tree-protection approval before clearing, grading or construction starts.
The Town’s tree page states that the Tree Protection By-law includes a compensatory process when a removal permit is granted. Replacement or compensation conditions therefore need to be checked as part of the actual permit decision.
Because Ajax’s published trigger is based on protected land rather than one city-wide DBH number, a tree can be outside this permit path even if it is large, while a tree in a protected area can require approval regardless of an assumed residential size threshold.
Before work starts
- Ownership: check the property line. Public and boundary trees may follow a different process.
- Site context: review any development approval, covenant or protected-area conditions.
- Work requirements: confirm any permit, exemption or protection requirements that apply to the planned work.
Official sources
Primary municipal source reviewed October 1, 2026. Rules can change; confirm with the local authority before work. How we research