Hamilton: questions buyers ask
Does Hamilton need a permit to remove a tree on a private lot?
The City's Tree By-law 15-125 for City-owned trees, and the former municipalities' private tree by-laws in Ancaster, Dundas and Stoney Creek, as summarised on the City's tree ownership page.
Sources checked October 16, 2026
The rule in Hamilton
Hamilton: the City says no private tree by-law applies in the former City of Hamilton; older Ancaster (2000-118), Dundas (4513-99) and Stoney Creek (4401-96) by-laws regulate some private trees in those communities, and a city-wide private tree by-law (45 cm) has been proposed but not passed.
From Hamilton, checked 6 Oct 2026
- The recordTree removal
- Where to read itTree ownership and responsibilities
- The free check reads itPick “Tree and ravine limits”
What the record shows
The City's page says that under Tree By-law 15-125 every City-owned tree needs a public tree permit before any work that may affect it, and that ownership follows the property line: a tree with more than half its trunk on the private side is a private tree. In the former City of Hamilton the page says no private tree by-law applies. Privately owned trees in Ancaster, Dundas and Stoney Creek, and woodlots, are covered by by-laws that may require a permit before work.
A rule summary says which by-law covers which community; it doesn't say who owns a given tree. For a tree near a lot line the City's tree inventory and a property survey are the records that settle it, and tree work in a conservation authority's regulated area has its own permit.
Where to read it yourself
- Tree ownership and responsibilities: the City's page on ownership, By-law 15-125 and the private tree rules
What OfferDue covers in Hamilton
Tree and ravine limits is in the free check as a summary of the City's rule, from our hand-kept table, with a link to the City's page. It is a rule for the city, not a survey of the trees on a lot.
Free check: pick “Tree and ravine limits” See the sample report
Public-record information, not legal, financial, insurance or inspection advice. Records change and can be incomplete, and this page describes the records, not any particular home. What we cover, city by city.