Richmond Hill: questions buyers ask
What does Richmond Hill's tree by-law cover on a private lot?
The City's Tree Preservation By-law 19-25 (Municipal Code Chapter 1015), as summarised on the City's tree permit page.
Sources checked October 28, 2026
The rule in Richmond Hill
15 cm across: the trunk size the rule names
Richmond Hill by-law 19-25: a City permit is needed to injure or remove a tree wider than 15 cm at 1.4 m, including dead or hazardous trees; the fee is $314 + HST for the first tree, with 1 to 7 replacement trees or $945 each; woodlands under York Region's by-law are handled by the Region.
From Richmond Hill by-law 19-25, checked 6 Oct 2026
- The recordTree removal
- Where to read itTree cutting permit; Tree Preservation By-law 19-25
- The free check reads itPick “Tree and ravine limits”
What the record shows
The City's page says a permit is needed before removing or injuring any tree with a diameter of 15 centimetres or more, measured 1.4 metres above the ground. The by-law extends this to dead, dying and hazardous trees, which need an exemption permit backed by photographs, an arborist report or a tree risk assessment, and it does not apply to trees in a woodland covered by York Region's Forest Conservation By-law. The fee is $314 plus HST for the first tree and $109 plus HST for each further tree, up to $859 plus HST.
A removal brings replacement trees by the size of the tree, from one for a 15 to 20 centimetre tree to seven for one of 101 centimetres or more, or cash in lieu, which the City's 2026 fees by-law sets at $945 a tree. 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 cutting permit: the City's page on permits, fees and replacement trees
- Tree Preservation By-law 19-25: the by-law, Municipal Code Chapter 1015 (PDF)
What OfferDue covers in Richmond Hill
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.