Every municipality in the west GTA has its own private tree bylaw, its own size threshold, and its own forms, and they do not match. Toronto regulates trees at 30 cm diameter, Mississauga as low as 15 cm in some zones, Vaughan at 20 cm, and Milton mostly does not require a residential permit at all. Getting that wrong costs you either weeks of delay on an application you did not need, or a problem with the city over a removal that did need one. Our permit assistance service handles the paperwork side of tree work: we measure the tree properly at 1.4 metres, confirm which bylaw and which permit stream applies to your address, fill out the application, coordinate an arborist report if the city requires one, and track the file until a decision comes back. It starts at $75 on top of the tree work itself, which for most homeowners in Etobicoke, Brampton, or Oakville is cheaper than a second site visit from a company that quoted first and checked the bylaw later. We will also tell you plainly when no permit is required, because that is true more often than people expect.
What's included
- Confirmation of whether your tree is regulated at all: we measure diameter at 1.4 metres the way the bylaws define it and check it against your municipality's threshold.
- Identification of the correct bylaw and permit stream for your address, including Toronto's ravine protection rules and Vaughan's simplified stream for dead, hazardous, and EAB-infested trees.
- Completed application forms with the tree details, measurements, and property information filled in correctly the first time, so the file does not bounce back.
- Assembly of supporting documents, and coordination of an arborist report where the city requires one, so the report and the application match each other.
- Submission of the application to the municipality and tracking of the file, including responding to routine questions from city staff on your behalf.
- A plain written summary of what was applied for, what the city said, and any conditions attached to the approval, such as replanting requirements.
- Honest advice when no permit is required, in writing, so you have a record of why the work proceeded without one.
How it works
- Call or text with your address and a description of the tree. We can often tell you immediately whether your municipality is likely to regulate it.
- We visit, measure the tree at 1.4 metres, and give you a free written quote for the tree work at the same time.
- We confirm the bylaw, the permit stream, and the required documents for your specific property, including ravine and woodland rules where they apply.
- We prepare and submit the application, coordinate an arborist report if one is required, and track the file with the city.
- Once the permit is issued, we schedule the work, complete it to the permit conditions, and handle cleanup and hauling.
What moves the price above starting at $75
- Which municipality you are in. A single-form application in Burlington is less work than a Toronto ravine file, which involves two bylaw chapters and typically more supporting material.
- Whether an arborist report is required. The application assistance itself starts at $75, and if your city wants a report with it, that is a separate service starting at $300.
- Number of trees. Applications covering several trees mean more measuring, more documentation, and sometimes separate forms, so multi-tree files are quoted above the single-tree starting price.
- City fees. Municipal application fees are set by each city and are separate from our charge. We confirm what your municipality charges before we file so there are no surprises.
- Complexity of the measurement. Multi-stem trees, trees on slopes, and trees shared across a property line take longer to measure and document defensibly than a single clean trunk.
- Follow-up rounds. Responding to routine city questions is included. If an application needs substantial revision or resubmission because the scope changed after filing, that additional work is quoted separately.
Starting at $75, quoted in writing before any work starts.
On-site visit, written quote, no obligation. Usually within 24 hours of your call.
When you need this
- You are in Toronto or Etobicoke with a tree at or over 30 cm diameter, or any tree on ravine-protected land, where removals are regulated regardless of size.
- Emerald ash borer has killed your ash in Woodbridge, where Vaughan's By-law 177-2025 regulates trees at 20 cm but offers a simplified permit stream for dead, hazardous, and EAB trees.
- You are in Mississauga, where the threshold drops to 15 cm diameter in some zones, low enough that trees people assume are too small to regulate often are not.
- A storm-damaged or clearly hazardous tree needs to come down and you want to know whether an exemption applies. Brampton, for example, exempts hazardous trees and trees within 2 metres of an occupied building.
- You are planning a renovation, pool, or addition and need removals approved before excavation, ideally early enough that permit review does not hold up your contractor.
- You honestly do not know whether a permit applies. Milton has no private tree permit for most residential lots and Halton Hills has no private tree bylaw, and paying for an application you do not need is as avoidable as skipping one you do.
Local notes for the west GTA
The thresholds across our service area, checked against the bylaws themselves: Toronto including Etobicoke regulates private trees at 30 cm diameter measured 1.4 metres up, and trees of any size on ravine-protected land under Chapters 813 and 658. Brampton is 30 cm under By-law 317-2012, with exemptions including hazardous trees and trees within 2 metres of an occupied building. Woodbridge falls under Vaughan By-law 177-2025 at 20 cm, with a simplified stream for dead, hazardous, and EAB-infested trees that skips the arborist report. Mississauga is 15 cm in some zones. Oakville is 76 cm circumference, roughly 24 cm diameter. Burlington is 20 cm and Hamilton is 30 cm. Milton has no private tree permit for most residential lots, and Halton Hills has no private tree bylaw, though one is under study. Across Halton, Regional By-law 121-05 separately covers woodlands of 0.5 hectares and up and Regional Greenlands. Bylaws change, so we confirm the current rules before every application.
Where we provide this service
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my own property? +
It depends entirely on your municipality and your tree's diameter. In Toronto and Etobicoke the line is 30 cm measured at 1.4 metres up, and on ravine-protected land any tree is regulated regardless of size. Brampton and Hamilton also sit at 30 cm, Burlington and Vaughan at 20 cm, and Mississauga goes as low as 15 cm in some zones, which catches trees most people assume are too small to matter. Oakville measures circumference instead, with a 76 cm line, about 24 cm diameter. Milton has no private tree permit for most residential lots and Halton Hills currently has no private tree bylaw at all. We measure your tree properly during the free quote visit and tell you which rule applies before you spend anything.
What does permit application assistance cost? +
It starts at $75 on top of the tree work itself, which covers a standard single-tree application: confirming the bylaw, measuring, completing the forms, submitting, and tracking the file. The price rises for multi-tree applications, Toronto ravine files that involve two bylaw chapters, and situations where the scope changes after filing. Two costs are separate: the municipality's own application fee, which each city sets and we confirm for you before filing, and an arborist report if your city requires one, which starts at $300. We put the full picture in writing with the quote so you can compare it fairly against other bids, some of which quietly leave the permit work out entirely and leave it to you.
How long does a tree permit take, and when should I apply? +
Each city sets its own review timeline and we cannot promise or control it. What we can say from experience is that applications generally move slower in spring and early summer, when every tree company and homeowner in the GTA files at once, and faster in late fall and winter. If you know a tree is coming down next year, the smart sequence is to get the quote and file the application in the off-season so the approval is waiting when you want the work done. For genuinely hazardous situations, some municipalities handle things differently, Brampton for instance exempts hazardous trees from its permit requirement, and we offer same-day response during business hours to assess a dangerous tree while the paperwork question gets sorted out properly.
What happens if I just remove the tree without a permit? +
We do not recommend finding out. Municipal tree bylaws carry fines, and cities can also require replacement planting on top of any penalty. Contractors take the risk too, which is why a reputable company will not drop a regulated tree without paperwork, and why a company that offers to is telling you something about how they operate. The frustrating cases are honest mistakes: a homeowner in Mississauga who assumed a 16 cm trunk was too small to regulate, or a Toronto owner who did not realize the back of the lot was ravine-protected land where size does not matter. A quick measurement and bylaw check costs almost nothing compared to the downside, which is exactly why we start every quote visit with a tape at 1.4 metres.
My tree is dead or dangerous. Do I still need a permit? +
Often the process is different, but the answer varies by city, and this is exactly where we earn the fee. Brampton's bylaw exempts hazardous trees and trees within 2 metres of an occupied building. Vaughan, which covers Woodbridge, has a simplified permit stream for dead, hazardous, and EAB-infested trees that does not require an arborist report. Other municipalities handle dead and hazardous trees in their own ways, and we confirm the current rule for your address rather than assuming. What we will not do is call a healthy tree hazardous to dodge a permit, which puts you and us at risk. If your tree is a genuine hazard, a cracked stem or a storm-hung limb, call during business hours and we will assess it the same day where possible.
Do you do the actual tree work too, or just the paperwork? +
We do the work. Permit assistance exists as a service because the paperwork is a real part of tree removal in most of the GTA, not because we are consultants. The usual sequence is one visit: free written quote for the removal or pruning, measurements for the permit, and photographs if a report is needed, then we file, wait for the city, and schedule the job once approval lands. Doing both sides means the application describes exactly what will happen on site, and the work matches exactly what the permit allows, including any conditions like replanting. If you only want the paperwork handled and have another company lined up for the work, we will still take it on, we would just rather you compare our quote first.