OTTAWA TREE REMOVAL PERMITS

Even though it’s your private property, you need to make sure you’re complying with City of Ottawa tree removal bylaws. These are intended for the preservation of trees in a city that is ever expanding and prone to loss of green space due to development. Trees larger than 30cm in diameter require a City of Ottawa tree removal permit – with some exemptions (see above).

A good rule of thumb is to reach out and hug the tree (we know, we know, it sounds… tree-huggy). If you can get your arms around the tree (at the height of your chest), it’s likely smaller than 30cm (unless you play Center for the Toronto Raptors). If you can’t get your arms all the way around the tree, it’s more than 30cm and you’re probably going to need a tree permit from the City of Ottawa (see above for exemptions).

To be absolutely sure, use a body measuring tape to measure the tree at chest height.

If you don’t meet the exemptions to remove your tree that’s greater than 30cm in diameter, and you proceed to remove the tree, you would be in violation of Ottawa by-laws. Now, these aren’t the same as criminal laws; the police aren’t going to show up in a cruiser and haul you in. Still, a City of Ottawa By-Law Services officer could be paying you a visit, and upon finding that you in fact removed the tree without proper paperwork and payment, you could be subject to fines ranging from $500 to $100,000, depending on the severity and egregiousness of the situation.

You could go it alone, eyeball it or just keep your fingers crosses that the city won’t find out. To be on the safe side, however, why not hire a professional arborist? Here at Wright Tree Service we have Certified Arborists on staff. We’re Ottawa’s tree experts, with experience and in-depth knowledge of what the city requires in the way of permits, applications, payment and so on. We’ll be glad to come out to your property, take a look at the tree(s) in question, and let you know the best, most prudent way to proceed. If no permit is required, we can remove the tree for you right then and there – case closed! If we find that the tree exceeds the exemption size and needs a permit, we’ll advise accordingly.

Fair question. It is, indeed, your private property after all. But trees provide a benefit to everyone in the surrounding properties and community as a whole. That’s why the City of Ottawa has established a tree conservation program, designed to maintain an adequate amount of green space and greenery across Ottawa so that Ottawa residents can continue to enjoy the high standard of living to which we’ve been accustomed. If you have a small tree that you want to remove, that’s up to you. But removing mature trees will require a process to go through. There are exceptions, such as if the tree poses a health or safety risk to people, is threatening property damage (e.g. about to fall on your house), etc.