Local tree-rule guide
Markham tree rules
Private-tree rules are present; check size/location exceptions.
The local rule
Markham requires a permit to remove a private tree with a diameter of 20 cm or more measured at breast height, including trees that are unhealthy or hazardous.
The City's application process asks for tree condition, location and replacement information rather than treating poor health as an automatic permission to remove.
Application details
Markham’s 2026 permit process is more than a 20 cm cutoff
- Markham’s current application system publishes a review timeline, expedited hazard path, boundary-tree consent rule and a detailed 2026 fee schedule.
- Those details matter after a tree meets the 20 cm protected-tree trigger.
Effective January 16, 2026, each Tree Permit application has a $20.50 non-refundable processing fee. Markham says applications are reviewed within 45 days after payment is received.
The current fee schedule lists $203.50 for removal of the first tree and $102 for each additional tree, in addition to the residential application processing fee where applicable.
Markham’s 2026 fee schedule lists a $687 full indexed replacement-tree value and a $343.50 half indexed value. The City may require replacement planting and/or cash-in-lieu when a permitted tree is not classified as dead, dying or hazardous.
Expedited review requires a Tree Risk Assessment Report prepared by a Tree Risk Assessment Qualified arborist. If failure has already occurred, the City asks for photographic and supporting evidence.
Trees on or crossing a property line require adjacent-owner consent. A Qualified Tree Expert report may also be required, and development work can trigger a Tree Assessment and Preservation Plan.
A refusal or revocation must be appealed within 10 days. The 2026 private-tree appeal fee is $156.50.
Local exceptions and conditions
Scope and protected trees
- Markham protects privately owned trees at 20 cm DBH or greater under Tree Preservation By-law 2023-164; City-owned trees are protected at any size.
- The measurement is made at breast height, not around a trunk's circumference.
- The trigger can also involve damage during development even if the tree remains standing.
- A boundary tree needs ownership established before anyone applies for its removal.
- Markham's approach is markedly different from nearby Richmond Hill's 15 cm rule or Toronto's 30 cm rule, so an arborist working across York Region should label the actual municipality on each inventory.
Applications and timing
- Markham's Tree Permit Application explains the municipal process and, as of January 16, 2026, a non-refundable $20.50 processing fee per application.
- Submit the proposed tree details, location and supporting evidence, and check whether a Tree Assessment and Preservation Plan is required for a development site.
- Where the approved tree is not dead, dying or hazardous under the bylaw, replacement planting or cash in lieu may be required.
- The City publishes review within 45 days after payment is received. Required evidence, payment and the application scope still need to be complete.
- Paying the fee is not authorization to cut.
Enforcement and exceptions
- Markham says a person convicted of contravening the bylaw is subject to penalties; the amount depends on the offence rather than a single figure on its Forestry Operations page.
- The bylaw's protected-tree definition and retained trees under a development approval should be checked even where no separate named heritage-specimen category is shown on the permit summary.
- Use the official bylaw text for exceptions and enforcement provisions.
Neighbouring trees in the survey
- For a replacement or construction project, the City's tree assessment requirements reach trees on adjacent property and City land near the works, not only the trees listed for removal.
- Mark the root protection area on the design before locating construction access.
- A photograph alone may establish what tree is proposed for removal, but it does not replace a preservation plan where the development review asks for one.
- This distinction matters on Markham's compact infill lots.
Measurement and construction plans
- Markham's 20 cm rule is measured at 1.37 metres above ground, but the plan for a renovation should inventory more than the one trunk proposed for removal.
- The City's development guidance looks at retained trees, adjacent ownership and City trees that could be injured by grading or equipment.
- York Region's Forest Conservation By-law is a separate check for woodlots and woodlands, so a wooded edge of a large parcel is not resolved by Markham's one-tree permit alone.
- A protected tree can be injured by cutting roots for a driveway or changing grade, not only by felling the stem.
Reviews after a refusal
- If the City denies a private-tree request, Markham has a bylaw hearing process in which the applicant can challenge the decision; approval can still carry replanting or cash-in-lieu conditions.
- That is different from assuming a fee buys the right to remove a healthy tree.
- The source also separates dead or dying and hazard trees from healthy-tree replacement obligations.
- For a compact infill property, leave room on the sketch for a replacement and root-protection area before the design is finalized.
- The posted 2026 fee schedule distinguishes signs and appeal charges from permit or enforcement penalties; use the actual category when calculating project cost.
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
Last verified: October 1, 2026 · Primary municipal source rechecked October 1, 2026. Rules can change; confirm with the local authority before work. How we research
Local detail review: October 1, 2026.