Guelph’s New Tree Removal Rules: What Homeowners Need to Know

If you have a tree 30 cm (11.8 inches) or larger in diameter at breast height (DBH) on your property in Guelph — front yard, backyard, or side yard — you now need a permit to remove it, even on private property.

This is part of the City of Guelph’s new Private Tree Protection By-law, which aims to preserve and expand the city’s urban tree canopy.

Why It Matters to Us – and to You

When You Don’t Need a Permit

You’re exempt from requiring a permit if the tree:

• Is completely dead

• Poses an imminent or high risk to people or property (must be certified by a qualified Arborist or Forester)

• Was injured or removed under Emergency Services direction

• Is being removed under a Property Standards or Zoning Bylaw order

• Is on a rooftop, podium, or inside a solarium

• Is an invasive species, including:

  • Common Buckthorn

  • Glossy Buckthorn

  • Black Alder

  • Autumn Olive

  • White Mulberry

• Is on lands:

  • Managed by the University of Guelph Arboretum (with an approved plan)

  • Operated for a railway

  • Owned or controlled by the Grand River Conservation Authority, unless it’s part of a Planning Act application

    
    

Regular pruning is also allowed without a permit, as long as it follows good arboricultural practices and doesn’t compromise the tree’s health.

Permit and Fee Breakdown

✔️ Application Fee

• $150 for 1–3 trees

• $50 per tree for 4+ trees (up to a maximum of $500)

  
  

✔️ Replacement Tree Fee or Deposit

• You must pay $350 for every 15 cm of tree DBH removed.

  • A 30 cm tree = $700

  • A 75 cm tree = $1,750

• This fee is held as a security deposit, not a fine.

  
  

✔️ How to Get That Money Back

If you plant one 60 mm caliper tree for every 15 cm of DBH removed, you’ll get your $350 per tree security deposit refunded.

Examples:

• Remove a 30 cm tree? Plant 2 x 60 mm caliper trees → Get $700 refunded

• Remove a 75 cm tree? Plant 5 x 60 mm caliper trees → Get $1,750 refunded

The trees must be planted on your property and verified by the City for compliance.

Need expert tree service in Guelph or surrounding areas?

Contact JL’s Tree Service today for a free estimate and see the difference that comes with hiring a company that values its people as much as its work.

Contact us now at (519) 242-5193 to schedule your tree care services with Guelph and area’s trusted local arborist.