09/04/2026
If you've got a big tree on your property in Toronto, this is worth a few minutes of your time. The city just updated its tree bylaws, and the changes took effect this month and honestly, they're bigger than I expected when I first read through them.
There's a new category for the city's largest trees (anything 61cm or wider) that gives the city more power to simply say no if you want to remove one, fines for unauthorized removal that can now reach $100,000, and a detail that surprised me most: city staff can now measure a stump and use it as evidence a protected tree was taken down without a permit, even after the tree itself is long gone.
On top of that, around 30,000 households in Toronto's ravine-protected areas are being charged permit fees for the first time ever. Whether you're planning a renovation, thinking about listing your home, or just have a big old tree in your backyard you've been debating whether to remove, this is one of those bylaw changes that's easy to miss until it costs you.
I put together a full breakdown of everything that changed, what it means for property owners, and what the city is already considering for 2027.
Read the full article on my website here:
Toronto's new tree bylaws take effect this month and cutting down a protected tree without a permit can now cost up to $100,000. Here's what property owners and builders need to know before touching a
