Tree guides
Dead or hazardous: check the approval path.
A dead, declining or unsafe tree may follow a different process. That does not automatically make removal permit-free.
Routine hazard request or emergency?
Check whether the city requires a permit, exception confirmation or professional evidence. A routine hazard application is different from an immediate threat.
Dead, dying or hazardous condition is one of the reasons Vancouver can approve removal. The City’s permit process relies on arborist evidence for non-development applications, and the permit still needs to be issued before routine removal.
Toronto has a permit-exception process. The City asks for tree details, size, species, condition, photos and location. The owner must receive confirmation before removal unless immediate work is required to eliminate a dangerous situation.
Ottawa’s Tree Information Report guidance allows a shorter condition-based report. The bylaw also recognizes immediate threats to public health and safety as an exemption situation, so an emergency can follow a different route from ordinary removal.
Montréal boroughs commonly recognize dead, irreversibly declining or dangerous trees as valid reasons for felling, but the city portal still directs owners through borough-specific permit and evidence requirements.
Document the actual condition
- Useful evidence: dead crown, decay, structural defects, root failure, movement, potential targets and photographs.
- Professional assessment: use the qualification the municipality requires.
- Nuisance is different: leaf drop, shade and visible roots do not prove a hazard. Montréal lists nuisance reasons that do not justify felling.
If the danger is immediate
- Protect people and restrict access to the fall zone. Contact the municipality or emergency service specified locally.
- Where emergency work is necessary, keep photographs and professional records showing why delay was unsafe.
- Use the normal application route if the tree can safely remain during review.
Before non-emergency removal
- Determine whether the tree is private, boundary or municipal.
- Decide whether the condition is urgent or can be safely assessed.
- Check the city’s dead/hazard exception or permit route.
- Obtain the required arborist or professional evidence.
- Keep written municipal confirmation before non-emergency work.
Official sources
Sources were re-checked for this guide on September 29, 2026. Municipal bylaws, fees, exemptions and development conditions can change. Use the linked municipality for the current rule before work begins.
Independent information, not legal or arboricultural advice. Ownership, site conditions and professional assessments can change the answer.