Let’s say you live in South Etobicoke and you want to remove a troublesome, unsightly, or even unsafe tree from your property. Step one is to call a professional tree removal company to come and work their magic, right? Or better yet, head out to the hardware store to rent a chainsaw and have at it yourself!
While that might sound like a lot of fun, both answers couldn’t be more wrong — or illegal! Tree removal in South Etobicoke (or anywhere in the Municipality of Toronto, for that matter) isn’t as simple as that. Like most fun things in life, there’s actually quite a bit of red tape around what you’re allowed to do.
However, that still doesn’t solve your problem about what to do with that pesky tree on your property. Luckily, I’ve put together this guide to help inform you about everything you need to know about tree removal in South Etobicoke so that you can stay out of trouble.
Have questions about tree removal, South Etobicoke homes, or anything real estate-related? I’m always happy to chat. Call or text me at 647-239-7587 or send me an email at melissa@southetobicoke.com to get started.
How Big Is Your Tree?
First thing first, you’ll need to find out how big your problem tree actually is — in quantifiable integers, not just ‘really big’.
The rules state that if the trunk of the tree you want to remove on your property has a diameter of more than 30cms (or 12 inches in old money), then the City of Toronto requires you to get permission from them to take it down, regardless of whether it’s on your private property or not.
If your tree’s trunk happens to be any smaller than 30 cm, then it’s completely legal to cut it down or remove it without anyone else’s permission.
Here’s where it gets a little tricky — your measurement of the tree trunk’s diameter must also be taken at about your chest height. This way, the rules prevent you from taking your measurement from the narrowest part of the trunk and pleading innocent after chopping it down.
What State Is The Tree In?
One way you can sidestep that 30cm rule is if your tree is in dangerous shape. Whether the tree you want to remove is dead or imminently hazardous — i.e. it’s about to fall down and possibly injure someone or cause damage to your property — then you don’t require a permit to cut it down.
However, judging whether or not your tree is in that bad a condition isn’t up to you. Instead, you’ll need to file an application with the City of Toronto’s Urban Forest Management department so they can come and confirm on your behalf that the tree should be removed.
While that sounds like a lot of hoops to jump through to deal with an ‘imminently hazardous’ tree on your property, I’ll ‘cut down’ on the leg work for you and link you to the Permit Application here.
Removing a tree might seem like a big job, but it’s not among the most lucrative home improvements homeowners can make. Find out which jobs are more worthy of your investment by reading about the Big Home Renovations That Bring A Big Return here.
You’ll Probably Have To Pay Some Fees
You’d think that once you finally get permission to cut down that troublesome tree that would be the end of all the bureaucracy, right? Wrong again. The city will actually make you pay to keep your property and surrounding environment safe.
If you’re granted a permit to remove a tree, the permit fees start at $104 for all non-construction-related tree removal projects. If it’s a construction-related job, then you can expect the fees to start at $313. Take note of the ‘start at’ verbiage — these removal jobs can very easily become more costly from there.
There’s one important caveat, however. If you fit into what’s considered a ‘low-income’ demographic then you might be able to have your tree removal fee waived completely, which makes a lot of sense.
What doesn’t really make as much sense is that the City of Toronto warns that these tree removal permits can take up to six weeks to come through after being filed, which can feel like a long time to bank on your ‘imminent hazard’ staying ‘imminent’.
Dead or dying trees are a great thing to avoid when buying a home in South Etobicoke, but what else should you watch out for when looking at properties? Find out in my post all about What to Look for When Buying an Etobicoke Bungalow.
Do You Really Need To Remove It?
At this point, you’ve probably picked up on the idea that the City of Toronto really doesn’t want you removing any trees from your property. After putting so many obstacles in front of you, the city’s rules and regulations really beg the question, “do you really want to remove your tree?”
There are definitely a lot of reasons why you might want to remove a tree; like if the tree is dead, there’s a very real risk it could soon fall over onto yours or your neighbour’s home, or perhaps even both.
But if the sole reason you want to remove your tree is for aesthetic or landscape design purposes, then the city’s strenuous removal process is really going to make you reflect on whether or not it’s worth all the effort and money on your end.
At the end of the day, however, all of these obstacles are put in place because…
Toronto’s Trees Are Beautiful!
While the laws around tree removal in Toronto and South Etobicoke might seem like one big hassle, they’re actually one of the best parts about living here.
Despite Toronto being one of the largest, most population-dense urban cities in North America, our city’s tree canopy is lush, vibrant, and thriving! Having such a wide variety and large collection of trees near us not only purifies our air and helps to keep us healthy, but it also helps sustain many, many other wildlife species that are native to the same patch of land we live on.
When you think about it, having these complex rules in place to protect our city’s trees helps keep Toronto and South Etobicoke looking and feeling like a beautiful urban forest.
Are you trying to bring your South Etobicoke home up to its best condition before listing it on the market? Get my advice on Preparing Your South Etobicoke Bungalow For Sale This Fall to set yourself up for a successful sale.
What If You Do It Anyway?
If a tree falls in the middle of the forest and nobody’s around to see it, did it really fall? What about if it’s cut down in the middle of South Etobicoke? While there are undoubtedly a bunch of very philosophical answers to those questions, what isn’t up for debate are the consequences of removing a tree without a permit.
Sure, you might be able to get away with cutting down a tree without anyone ever finding out, or at least without anybody ever enquiring about whether you got a permit or not. But in my opinion, it’s just not worth the risk considering the City of Toronto’s fines for unlawful tree removal starts at $500 and can go up to as much as $100,000.
So, if you really want to bring a tree on your property down, go about it the easy way and submit your permit application nice and early.
Have questions about tree removal, South Etobicoke homes, or anything real estate-related? I’m always happy to chat. Call or text me at 647-239-7587 or send me an email at melissa@southetobicoke.com to get started.
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