The Private Tree Protection By-law (2017-038) applies to all private property in the Town.
Can I cut down a tree in my yard?
Only with a permit if the trunk is 15 centimetres or more in diameter at chest height. A permit is also required to remove any tree that an approved site plan required to be kept or planted, and any tree planted through the Town's partnership program for larger replacement street trees on private property. Property owners apply for the permit and an on-site consultation before removing the tree.
Woodlands and greenlands are governed instead by Halton Region's Tree By-law 121-05. Removing a tree without a permit is subject to fees and charges under the Administrative Penalty By-law 2021-038. The by-law page says "equal to or greater than" 15 centimetres and the permit page says "larger than"; for a tree close to that size, ask Forestry before deciding.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private Tree Protection By-law
How do I measure whether my tree needs a permit?
The Town uses diameter at breast height (DBH), taken 137 centimetres above the ground. Wrap a tape measure around the trunk at that height and divide the number by 3.14. If the tree measures 47 centimetres or less around the trunk at 137 centimetres, it is under 15 centimetres DBH and needs no permit. The Town also lists any hedge with stems of 15 centimetres or more in diameter among the removals that need a permit.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private tree removal permit application process
How do I apply, and what happens after?
Apply through the Town's online services, which needs a Town account. You enter the property address, the number of trees, why you want them removed, their location and species if known, and upload the documents that apply. A tree inspector from the Forestry section contacts you within five business days to arrange the on-site consultation. If approved, you take the fees, any security deposit and the signed decision letter to ServiceOakville at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, to collect the permit. Post it where it is visible from the road for five days before and including the day of removal.
For dead, high-risk and ash trees, where no fee applies, the inspector leaves the permit with you at the site visit. The Town does not publish an overall decision time beyond the five-business-day contact.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private tree removal permit application process
What documents do I need with the application?
It depends on the case. An arborist report from a certified arborist is needed for a high-risk tree, or when removal results from a development application such as a pool, landscaping or other construction. A signed letter of authorization from the owner is needed if you apply on the owner's behalf, and a signed letter of consent from the neighbour is needed for a tree on a shared property line. The Town provides sample declaration forms for both letters.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private tree removal permit application process
What does a tree removal permit cost?
Permit fees include the consultation and administration and are non-refundable. The Town lists $65 for the first tree removed in a 12-month period (15 to 24 cm DBH) and $425 for each additional tree and for trees larger than 24 cm DBH. Where removal results from a development application, it lists $900 for a second tree of 15 to 24 cm DBH in 12 months and for any tree larger than 24 cm. Dead and high-risk trees, ash trees and buckthorn need a permit but pay no fee.
A tree replacement and security deposit may also be a condition of the permit.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private tree removal permit application process
How does the Town decide whether I can remove a tree?
After the site visit the Town scores the tree, the site and the reason for removal, using species, health, location, risk rating, leaf area and the canopy cover that would remain on the property. Under its procedure, a tree scoring below 30 is approved without a replacement condition, a tree scoring 30 to 50 is approved with replacement, and a tree scoring above 50 is denied. You receive a decision letter listing the trees that can be removed, those denied and those to be protected. Dead high-risk trees and invasive buckthorn are approved without a fee or replacement condition once inspected.
A denied tree can be re-applied for 12 months after the denial, because its condition may change. The criteria and indicators are set out in appendices to the Town's procedure.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private Tree Protection Procedure
Do I have to replace a tree I remove?
Often, yes. As a condition of the permit, one tree must be planted for every 10 centimetres of DBH of healthy tree removed, with a $300 security deposit for each tree to be planted, refunded after a final inspection of the planting. Replacements must go on the same property where there is room; the Town accepts cash in lieu, used to plant on municipal property, only where there is not enough space. The minimum replacement is a 30-millimetre-caliper deciduous tree or a 150-centimetre conifer.
The Town no longer accepts cedar as a replacement for removing any tree other than a cedar. Under the procedure, trees scoring below 30 carry no replacement condition.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private tree removal permit application process
What if the tree is dead, diseased or dangerous?
It still needs a permit, but dead and high-risk trees, ash trees and buckthorn pay no fee. A high-risk tree needs an arborist report from a certified arborist licensed by the Town. The Town's permit pages describe no separate emergency exception to the permit, so if a tree has already fallen or is an immediate danger, call ServiceOakville at 905-845-6601 and ask.
Town staff do not remove trees from private property; the owner hires a licensed arborist.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private tree removal permit application process
Can I prune my own tree without a permit?
Yes, provided the pruning meets good arboricultural standards, which include cutting no more than one-third of the live branches or limbs of a tree in one season. The Town advises retaining a qualified arborist to do the work.
Source: Town of Oakville, Town tree maintenance (private property)
Whose tree is it?
Ownership follows the land, not who planted the tree: a tree on private property is the owner's, and a tree in the municipal right of way (a boulevard or road allowance) is the Town's. The owner is responsible for the tree's care and health.
The Town suggests checking your property survey, or asking the Town, to find the property line before planting or removing anything near it.
Source: Town of Oakville, Private tree protection
What about a tree on the line between two properties?
The Town says a tree that straddles the property line is jointly owned by both owners and can be removed only with both owners' consent. Its procedure defines a boundary tree as one with any part of its trunk growing across a private property line, and requires a signed letter of consent from the neighbour with the application.
Source: Town of Oakville, My neighbour's construction (boundary trees)
I have a woodlot or a ravine lot. Which by-law applies?
The Town's by-law does not apply to a woodland or greenlands, which Halton Region's Tree By-law 121-05 governs. The Region's by-law applies to properties containing all or part of a woodland larger than 0.5 hectares, and to properties partly or wholly in the Regional Greenlands, now called the Natural Heritage System. You can harvest up to 24 cubic metres of wood a year for your own use if you follow Good Forestry Practices, and a Tree Harvesting Permit (no fee) or a Special Council Permit ($500, approved by Regional Council) covers larger or non-standard cutting. Removing dead or diseased trees is exempt.
The Region treats a treed area as a woodland if it has more than 500 trees a hectare, trunks over 12 centimetres across and a minimum area of 0.5 hectares, and a woodlot can cross property lines. Regional Forestry staff will carry out the measurement. If convicted, violators can face fines, restriction orders or both.
Source: Halton Region, Halton Region's Tree By-law
Is Conservation Halton involved too?
Sometimes. The Town's deck guidance says that if a project includes excavation and the property backs onto green space, a river bed or a wetland, Conservation Halton approval is needed. The Town's tree pages do not set out Conservation Halton's own rules for tree work, so for a lot beside a creek, ravine or wetland, check with the conservation authority as well as the Town and the Region.
Source: Town of Oakville, Decks (conservation approval)
What are the penalties, and how do I report a removal without a permit?
Non-compliance can bring fees and charges under the Administrative Penalty By-law 2021-038, and the Town prosecutes in court. In July 2026 a company pleaded guilty to removing a private tree without a permit and received a $72,000 Court Order to Rehabilitate, directed to the Town's reforestation funds. To report a suspected illegal removal, call ServiceOakville at 905-845-6601 with the address and a brief description.
The Town does not publish a tree-specific fine table, and its pages show no dedicated online form for reporting a removal.
Source: Town of Oakville, Town successful in court action regarding demolition of heritage home and removal of tree
What changed in the Town's tree rules in 2024?
On March 25, 2024 Council approved a new procedure under the by-law for assessing removal applications. It removed cedar from the list of suitable replacement trees for other species, limited cash in lieu of replanting when there is room on the property, and avoids permitting the removal of all protected trees from properties slated for development where healthy trees can reasonably be kept. The Town's goal is 40 per cent canopy cover by 2057.
Source: Town of Oakville, Oakville strengthens tree protection