Peterborough: questions buyers ask
What does Peterborough's tree by-law cover on a private lot?
The City's Tree Removal By-law 21-074, passed on 28 June 2021, as summarised on its tree removal applications page, and the Woodland Conservation By-law 17-121.
Sources checked October 29, 2026
The rule in Peterborough
7.5 cm across: the trunk size the rule names
Peterborough by-law 21-074: a City permit is needed to remove a privately owned tree 7.5 cm or more in diameter at 1.37 m; a $15 application fee (up to five trees) plus a $150 permit fee ($50 through a licensed tree service provider) for a healthy tree of 15 cm or more, with one replacement tree or $550 per healthy tree removed; woodlands fall under By-law 17-121.
From Peterborough by-law 21-074, checked 29 Oct 2026
- The recordTree removal
- Where to read itTree removal applications; Tree Removal By-law 21-074
- The free check reads itPick “Tree and ravine limits”
What the record shows
The City's page says the by-law regulates the removal of all trees in the city, and that an application is needed to remove any privately owned tree measuring at least 7.5 centimetres in diameter at breast height, 1.37 metres from the ground. Every application carries a non-refundable application fee of $15 for up to five trees or $150 for six or more, and removing a healthy tree of 15 centimetres or more adds a permit fee of $150, or $50 when a licensed tree service provider applies. City-owned trees on road allowances, parks and open spaces can't be removed under the by-law.
A permit to remove a healthy tree comes with a condition to plant one replacement tree for each tree removed, or to pay the Tree Replacement Fee of $550 a tree. A tree on a shared property line needs an application from each owner, and the Woodland Conservation By-law 17-121 covers trees in woodlands. A rule summary says what the by-law covers; it doesn't say who owns a given tree or how wide its trunk is.
Where to read it yourself
- Tree removal applications: the City's page on permits, fees and replacement trees
- Tree Removal By-law 21-074: the by-law (PDF)
What OfferDue covers in Peterborough
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.