Do you need a permit?
No permit required for most private trees
Alexandria regulates trees on City property, not trees in your yard. City Code Section 6-2-2 makes it a violation to prune, remove or plant a tree on City property without approval, and the City states plainly that property owners are responsible for trees on private property and that no City ordinance requires an owner to maintain or remove dead trees there. Urban Forestry staff will not inspect a private tree — the City tells you to hire a certified arborist.
What's protected in Alexandria
- Any tree on City of Alexandria-owned property, including road rights-of-way
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Penalties
- For pruning, removing or planting a tree on City property without approval: "a fine not to exceed $500 or imprisonment for up to six (6) months or both."
- Ordinance
- Alexandria City Code Section 6-2-2
Worth knowing
- The City maintains any tree on City-owned land including road rights-of-way. In some neighbourhoods a homeowners association carries that responsibility under a site approval agreement.
- City Arborists decide pruning and removal of public trees case by case. "Trees will not be pruned or removed simply because they block a view, overhang property lines, or shed leaves or fruits."
- You may trim a neighbour's overhanging branches at your own expense, so long as you do not damage the tree's health or create a hazard. No ordinance requires your neighbour to prune them.
- Report City tree problems through Alex311 rather than emailing staff.
What we could not confirm
We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.
- — Whether Alexandria attaches tree conservation or replacement conditions when private property is developed or redeveloped. The City publishes Landscape Guidelines used in plan review, which we did not read.
- — We found no permit or fee for private tree removal anywhere on the City's Urban Forestry pages — where such a requirement would be stated — but that is an absence of evidence, not a stated exemption.