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St. Catharines: questions buyers ask

Does St. Catharines need a permit to remove a tree on a private lot?

The City's By-law 2017-326 for trees on or affecting City property, and Niagara Region's Woodland Conservation By-law 2020-79, as summarised on the Region's forestry page.

Sources checked October 29, 2026

St. Catharines

The rule in St. Catharines

St. Catharines by-law 2020-79: the City's by-law covers trees on City property; on private land, Niagara Region's Woodland Conservation By-law needs a permit or exemption to injure or destroy trees in a woodland, including woodlands under one hectare, which the City delegated to the Region.

From St. Catharines by-law 2020-79, checked 29 Oct 2026

  1. The recordTree removal
  2. Where to read itTrees; Forestry and tree cutting and 1 more
  3. The free check reads itPick “Tree and ravine limits”

What the record shows

The City's trees page says injuring or removing a tree on City property needs an approved application under By-law 2017-326, with the work done by a contractor the City sources. For trees on private land, Niagara Region's Woodland Conservation By-law 2020-79 makes it an offence to injure or destroy a tree in a woodland without a permit or an exemption. The by-law defines a woodland by the number of trees per hectare, applies to every woodland of one hectare or more, and the Region's page lists St. Catharines among the municipalities that have delegated woodlands under one hectare to the Region.

The Region's page says a woodland can cover several neighbouring lots, lists exemptions such as trees removed to build under a building permit, and names fines of up to $10,000 or $1,000 a tree for an individual on a first conviction. A rule summary says what the by-laws cover; it doesn't say whether a given lot is part of a woodland or who owns a tree near a lot line.

Where to read it yourself

What OfferDue covers in St. Catharines

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.