Local tree-rule guide
Kingston tree rules
Private-tree rules are present; check size/location exceptions.
The local rule
Kingston regulates tree removal under its Tree Bylaw, but the bylaw includes property- and project-specific exemptions rather than one simple rule for every tree.
The City tells owners to confirm whether a permit applies and separately protects municipal trees from private removal or injury.
Application details
Why Kingston’s 15 cm rule is not a blanket residential permit rule
- Kingston publishes a 15 cm DBH permit trigger, but its current guidance also contains an important urban-residential exemption.
- Reading the size number without the property context can therefore produce the wrong answer.
Kingston lists a permit requirement for trees 15 cm DBH or larger, measured 1.37 m above ground, as well as trees on municipal property, in Environmental Protection/Open Space lands, under a Tree Preservation and Protection Plan, and in several other protected contexts.
In the urban area, a residential property built before the Tree Bylaw, or created through subdivision, consent, part-lot control or condominium, does not generally require a tree permit solely because of tree size if the tree is outside an Environmental Protection Area or Significant Woodland. Ownership and any other protection still have to be checked.
A permit can still be required for distinctive species, protected species under provincial/federal law, commercial harvesting on larger lands, trees covered by a protection plan, or properties with a recent or pending Planning Act application.
The City says a permit is not required for a dead, severely damaged, diseased or dangerous tree when proof from a Certified Arborist is provided to the Director of Planning Services for approval.
Kingston’s current fee schedule lists $119.90 for 1–5 trees, $239.90 for 6–15 trees and $479.35 for more than 15 trees. The application is submitted through DASH and an arborist report is required where applicable.
A tree in the municipal road right-of-way is City-owned. Private owners cannot remove it simply because it is adjacent to their property, and property-line/overhanging disputes between private owners are treated as civil matters rather than resolved by the Tree Bylaw.
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