Local tree-rule guide

Richmond Hill tree rules

Private-tree rules are present; check size/location exceptions.

Last verified: September 28, 2026Primary municipal source reviewed September 23, 2026

The local rule

Richmond Hill requires a permit before injuring or removing a private tree with a diameter of 15 cm or more measured at 1.4 m above grade.

The Tree Preservation By-law also covers injury, so roots, grading and construction around a protected tree can matter even when removal is not planned.

Local exceptions and conditions

Scope and protected trees

Richmond Hill's Tree Preservation By-law 19-25 protects private trees with a trunk diameter of 15 cm or greater measured 1.4 m above ground.
It defines injury to include removing more than 20 per cent of live tissue in a 12-month period and encroaching into the Tree Protection Zone.
The City gives a radius table: a 15–20 cm tree has a 2.0 m zone, a 41–50 cm tree 3.0 m, and a 71–80 cm tree 4.8 m.
Excavating for a patio or pool can therefore need review even when nobody proposes to fell the tree.

Applications and timing

Richmond Hill requires an arborist report with a private Permit to Injure or Destroy application.
Its online form asks for tree details and replacement plan; subdivision or site-plan applications include a tree inventory and preservation plan within the development review.
The City may inspect, require changes and attach replacement or cash-in-lieu conditions.
The public permit page does not guarantee a fixed decision time for each application.
Its replacement table rises with trunk size: 15–20 cm generally corresponds to one replacement tree and a tree over 100 cm to seven.
Confirm the current application fee and conditions at submission.

Enforcement and exceptions

An unauthorized removal or root-zone injury can lead to penalties under the 2025 bylaw and the City's administrative penalty process, with exact amounts depending on the violation.
The bylaw's protected-tree diameter is the general private threshold; an individually protected tree in an approved site plan or a public tree must be checked separately.
A storm-related temporary permit suspension reported for an earlier event should not be treated as a standing exemption.

Graduated replacement requirements

The replacement table is deliberately graduated rather than a one-for-one rule.
It allocates two trees for a 21–40 cm removal, three for 41–50 cm, and more at larger sizes.
A permit holder should calculate planting space before assuming every required replacement fits beside a driveway.
The City's form provides a way to notify staff that replanting is complete or arrange cash in lieu, so the obligation continues after the arborist removes the old tree.

Roots, soil and construction

Richmond Hill's By-law 19-25 reaches work that many owners would call landscaping.
The tree protection zone extends out from a 15 cm or larger protected private trunk, and the bylaw treats root-zone encroachment and removal of more than 20 per cent of live tissue within 12 months as injury.
A retaining wall or patio can therefore require a permit even when the tree stays upright.
The graduated replacement schedule makes the size survey meaningful: the number of new trees rises with DBH, and an owner planning to pave most of a small lot should ask about planting capacity before applying.

Report and site-plan requirements

An arborist report is part of the permit file, along with a plan showing what will be cut, retained and replanted.
Subdivision or site-plan projects need a fuller inventory and protection strategy.
If a protected neighbour tree's roots run under the proposed works, a boundary sketch and the neighbour's rights should be resolved before digging; a permit for the owner's tree does not grant ownership of the neighbour's stem.
The City's online process can condition approval on replacements or cash in lieu and may check completion after removal.
An old storm-related temporary pause in permits is not a standing exemption from the 2025 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

Richmond Hill official tree / bylaw pageOfficial source ↗official Richmond Hill Tree Preservation By-law 19-25Official source ↗

Last verified: September 28, 2026 · Primary municipal source reviewed September 23, 2026. Rules can change; confirm with the local authority before work. How we research

Local detail review: September 28, 2026.