Tree Removal Costs From $300. The Permit Can Cost More

We read the websites of 32 tree companies that work in the GTA on September 28, 2026, and what all 25 GTA municipalities publish on tree permits. Eight companies publish a removal price. Their small-tree prices start at $250 to $500 (the $250 is on a list the company headlines as 2024 prices). The highest band printed is torontotreeremoval.ninja's "$6,000+" for an 80 to 100+ foot tree, and Al Miley & Associates says Toronto removals "typically range from $300 to $20,000+". The town's charges come on top, and you pay them to the town. Twelve of the 25 municipalities regulate one healthy yard tree, and some charge for every replacement tree you can't plant. In Mississauga, a healthy 45 cm tree with no room to replant carries $3,104.78 in City charges ($399.77 + 3 x $901.67). That's nearly four times the $800 starting price one company posts to cut a 30 to 60 foot tree there.

What GTA tree companies charge to remove a tree

Eight of the 32 companies publish a removal figure. Five present it as their own rate. Three present it as what removal generally costs in their area: Loyal Tree, Toronto Tree Service Pros and torontotreeremoval.ninja. Al Miley & Associates prints both its own starting prices and a 2026 guide to Toronto costs. Six size trees by height, in feet or metres. None of the eight price pages says whether HST is in the price shown. Vista's separate fair-pricing page says it won't accept payment "without taxes applied".

Six of the eight start their smallest size at $250 to $350. The tops of those small-tree ranges mostly sit at $600 to $800, and Vista's runs to $1,800.

Al Miley & Associates' home page also carries the company's 2026 Toronto cost guide, which says removals "typically range from $300 to $20,000+". The FAQ on the same page says "Tree removal in Toronto costs between $350 to $3,000" and "Prices range from $350 for small trees to over $3,000". So the $20,000+ is the guide's outer edge, not a posted rate.

Two warnings about these tables. First, the permit turns on the trunk, not the height. Vista's small-tree line says "(no permits required)" for trees up to 30 feet. But Toronto's test is a trunk 30 cm across, so a short tree with a thick trunk can still need one. Second, some price pages get the City's fees wrong. So use them for the company's own prices, and take permit fees from the town.

What the price includes

It depends on the company, and five of them spell it out. Toronto Tree Service Pros says its ranges cover "all debris chipped and hauled, site raked and cleaned". torontotreeremoval.ninja's figures leave the "wood in 18-24 inch rounds on-site (or hauling it away for an additional fee)". The Ontario Arborist says "Every job includes branch and debris haul-off". Vista says its pricing "includes everything from assessments to cleanup". Al Miley & Associates says "Additional costs apply for stump grinding, debris cleanup, and permits". So two quotes for the same tree can differ on cleanup alone. Ask whether the wood leaves with the crew.

What pushes a quote up

The companies name the same few extras. Toronto Tree Service Pros says to expect "a surcharge of $200-$500 for hydro-adjacent removals", meaning trees near power lines. torontotreeremoval.ninja adds "$500-$1,000 extra for difficult-access removals". Al Miley & Associates prices trees that need "Specialized rigging and crane requirements" from $3,000.

Stump grinding is a separate line

Grinding the stump is usually priced on its own. Ten of the 32 companies publish a stump figure, and eight of those ten start at $150 or less (The Real Tree Masters only as a general range for the trade).

Grinding is not the same job as pulling the roots. The Ontario Arborist prices full stump and root removal at double its grinding rate, from $300 against $150.

Emergency and storm work

Emergency prices are the least published. Al Miley & Associates prints "$500 to $5,000" for emergency removal. Toronto Tree Service Pros says after-hours work costs 25 to 50 per cent more. Its example is a $1,200 weekday job that "might cost $1,500-$1,800" as an emergency call. torontotreeremoval.ninja puts the premium at "50-100%". The Ontario Arborist lists storm cleanup from $500, but says it doesn't offer after-hours service.

What the permit adds, town by town

Ontario has no province-wide permit for a yard tree. Section 135 of the Municipal Act, 2001 lets each local municipality "prohibit or regulate the destruction or injuring of trees" (Toronto's tree by-law rests on the City of Toronto Act, 2006 instead). So your town decides whether one yard tree needs a permit, and the 25 GTA municipalities split five ways.

• 12 regulate one tree on an ordinary house lot: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Oakville, Burlington, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury. (In Aurora, only a tree over 70 cm, a heritage tree or a tree in a heritage district, or more than two trees in 12 months.)
• 2 regulate only mapped natural areas: Pickering and Ajax.
• 1 regulates only through development applications: Whitchurch-Stouffville.
• 2 regulate only woodlots, large parcels or mapped areas: Whitby and Clarington.
• 8 have no local by-law for a yard tree: Milton, Halton Hills, King, Georgina, Oshawa, Uxbridge, Scugog and Brock.

The size that triggers a permit is DBH, or diameter at breast height: the trunk's width measured about 1.4 metres up. It's lower in much of the 905 than in Toronto. Toronto, Brampton and Caledon start at 30 cm. Mississauga and Oakville start at 15 cm.

"No local by-law" does not mean nothing applies. Halton Region's by-law covers woodland over 0.5 hectares and its Greenlands system. York's covers woodlands of one hectare or more and, in some towns, woodlots from 0.2 hectares. Durham's covers woodlands of one hectare or more.

A dead tree is not a free pass either. Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora and Newmarket still want a permit or an application for one. Five of those eight charge no fee for it. Toronto needs no permit for a tree that is 100 per cent dead, but you must "request and receive a permit exception confirmation" before it comes down.

Permit fees for one healthy tree, 2026

Two towns' fees need a footnote. Markham's 2026 schedule also lists "Removal of 1st Tree Fee $203.50" and $102.00 for each extra tree. Its permit page names only the $20.50, and it doesn't say whether a homeowner pays the others. Newmarket's 2026 schedule lists its per-application fee as "TBD". Its permit page still quotes a $100 administration fee and a $116.50 review fee, which matches 2025's $103.10 plus HST ($103.10 x 1.13 = $116.50).

Replacement trees, and the cash when you can't plant them

This is where the city side gets big. Most towns that issue a permit want new trees planted. When your lot has no room, several charge a set amount for each tree you don't plant.

The count of replacement trees grows with the trunk. Mississauga wants one for every 15 cm removed. Oakville's schedule asks for five for a 45 to 54 cm tree. Richmond Hill's chart asks for three at 41 to 50 cm, and its by-law lets you pay cash even when you could plant. Vaughan's protocol bills trees you can't plant at the "current year's tree replacement fee" from its fees by-law. The 2026 schedule has no line by that name, so we don't price it.

Worked example: one 45 cm tree in Mississauga

Take one healthy tree with a 45 cm trunk, 30 to 60 feet tall, not tied to construction. There's no room on the lot for new trees.

• Removal: The Ontario Arborist, which serves Mississauga, prices a 30 to 60 foot tree "Starting at $800".
• Arborist report: Mississauga's by-law requires one unless the tree is dead or dying. The same company's reports start at $300.
• Permit: $399.77, HST included.
• Replacement: one tree per 15 cm, so 45 / 15 = 3 trees. With no room, that's 3 x $901.67 = $2,705.01.

The City side is $399.77 + $2,705.01 = $3,104.78. The whole job is at least $800 + $300 + $3,104.78 = $4,204.78, plus any HST the company adds. The City's share is 3.9 times the cutting price ($3,104.78 / $800 = 3.9). If you can plant the three trees, the $2,705.01 goes away. You buy and plant them instead, and pay a security deposit the City sets.

A permit for a healthy tree is not automatic, either. Oakville's by-law lets the Town refuse one for any tree over 24 cm. Toronto's form says an application "does not guarantee that a permit will be issued".

Richmond Hill's total may not be the last word. Its 2026 Tariff of Fees also lists a 14.4% Parks Administration Fee, plus HST, on "the cost of Tree Compensation for Tree Permit" inspections. It doesn't say whether that reaches cash-in-lieu.

What an arborist report costs

Mississauga requires a report unless the tree is dead or dying. Vaughan requires one except for dead, hazardous or ash borer trees. Toronto can "waive the requirement for an arborist report in non-commercial applications". Five companies publish a report price.

Toronto Tree Removal Inc. tells its customers to budget "an additional $1,200 for permit-related costs". That covers the report, the fee and a replacement tree it puts at "approximately $600".

How to budget one tree

• Measure the trunk first. Wrap a tape around it about 1.4 metres up and divide by 3.14. That width, not the height, decides the permit.
• Look up your town above. If it's one of the eight with no local by-law, the permit side is usually zero.
• Ask what the quote covers. Stump, cleanup, report, permit help and HST are each separate on some price pages. The Ontario Arborist charges from $75 for permit application help.
• Count your replacement trees. If you can't plant them, that charge can dwarf the permit fee.
• Get the permit before the saw. In Toronto, the fine on conviction is a minimum of $500 per tree.