Toronto's Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law, Chapter 658, can apply when work is proposed within a designated ravine or natural feature protection area. The important difference is that ravine rules are driven by location, not just tree size. If your property backs onto a ravine, valley, creek corridor, slope, wooded edge, or mapped natural feature in Toronto, removing vegetation, injuring trees, changing grade, placing fill, excavating, or building may require authorization before work begins.
Toronto Ravine By-law - Chapter 658 Key Facts
Most Toronto property owners hear about Chapter 813 first because it protects private trees based on size and protects City trees. Chapter 658 is different. It focuses on ravine and natural feature areas, so the mapped location of the work matters.
Chapter 658 can restrict injury or removal of trees and natural vegetation within a designated ravine or natural feature protection area. It can also apply to land disturbance such as grading, filling, dumping, excavation, and construction activity within the protected area.
A tree can be affected by more than one rule. For example, a private tree may be large enough to fall under Chapter 813 and also be located within a Chapter 658 ravine protection area. In that situation, property owners should confirm the correct process directly with the City of Toronto or an independent arborist where available before arranging work.
Toronto provides online mapping that lets property owners check whether a property falls within a Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law area. The City advises using the map on a computer, entering the address, and selecting the Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law layer from the boundary menu.
Ravine-related properties are common along the Don River valley system, Humber River valley, Rouge River valley, Mimico Creek, Black Creek, Highland Creek, Scarborough Bluffs, and many smaller tributaries and slopes across the city. Neighbourhoods where ravine questions often come up include Rosedale, Moore Park, Forest Hill, Lawrence Park, Leaside, East York, Don Mills, the Beaches, Scarborough, Etobicoke near the Humber, and parts of North York.
If the mapping is unclear, do not rely on a visual guess from the backyard. The protected boundary may extend beyond the obvious slope, treeline, or top-of-bank. Confirm with the City of Toronto, 311, or an independent arborist where available before cutting, clearing, grading, dumping, digging, or building.
Within a designated ravine or natural feature protection area, City authorization may be required before work starts. Activities that can raise concerns include:
Even work that seems minor on ordinary private property may be regulated if it takes place inside a Chapter 658 area. Before doing yard work, landscaping, or construction near a ravine, confirm whether the mapped protection area applies.
Important: The visible ravine edge is not always the legal boundary. Work on apparently flat residential land can still fall within the protected zone. Check the mapping and confirm requirements before starting work.
Some Toronto ravine properties may also fall within a Toronto and Region Conservation Authority regulated area. TRCA says a permit is required if you are filling, changing grade, or building anything on a property within a TRCA Regulated Area. TRCA review can be relevant near valleys, streams, wetlands, shorelines, floodplains, and other regulated natural features.
City of Toronto Chapter 658 authorization and TRCA permits are not the same thing. Depending on the property and proposed work, both may need to be checked. If your project involves a ravine lot, watercourse, slope, retaining wall, pool, deck, addition, excavation, grading, or fill, review both the City and TRCA context before moving forward.
You can start with the City's tree and ravine permit guidance and TRCA's permit application information.
Ravine-related applications can be more complex than routine private-tree questions because the City may need to consider ecological context, slope stability, erosion, drainage, vegetation, restoration, and land disturbance. The exact process depends on the property, proposed work, documents submitted, and whether other permits or reviews are involved.
First, confirm whether Chapter 658 applies, whether Chapter 813 may also apply, and whether TRCA or another authority must be checked. This should happen before plans are finalized and before any contractor begins cutting, digging, grading, or moving material.
Ravine-related files may require supporting documents such as an arborist report, site plan, photos, drawings, proposed work description, restoration information, or other materials requested by the City. An independent arborist or independent professional may discuss these requirements directly with the customer where available.
If City authorization is required, the applicant submits the required materials through the City's process. Toronto Tree Services does not prepare applications, reports, drawings, restoration plans, site plans, municipal submissions, or TRCA applications. Any submission support is handled directly between the customer and the independent professional where offered.
If the work also falls within a TRCA Regulated Area, a separate TRCA review or permit may be required. TRCA has its own process, fees, review timelines, and document requirements.
If authorization is issued, read the conditions carefully before scheduling work. Conditions may deal with timing, access, restoration, erosion control, vegetation, inspections, or other site requirements. The independent contractor or arborist is responsible for their own work methods, scheduling, pricing, communication, insurance, WSIB, and service-related issues directly with the customer.
Toronto Tree Services is a referral and lead generation service. Where available, your ravine-related tree request may be forwarded to an independent arborist, independent tree care professional, or independent contractor who can discuss the site and possible next steps directly with you.
The independent professional is responsible for assessment, estimates, reports where offered, permit-related documents where offered, scheduling, work performed, cleanup terms, pricing, payment, communication, qualifications, insurance, WSIB, warranties, and service-related issues directly with the customer.
Chapter 658 can affect properties across Toronto wherever the city's ravine, valley, creek, slope, and natural feature systems run close to residential land. Many property owners know they are near a ravine. Others only discover the mapped boundary when planning a deck, retaining wall, addition, pool, fence, grading change, or tree removal.
Neighbourhoods where ravine and natural feature questions often arise include Rosedale and Moore Park near the Rosedale Valley system; Forest Hill, Lawrence Park, and Leaside near tributaries of the Don system; East York and Taylor-Massey Creek areas; Scarborough near Highland Creek, the Bluffs, and Rouge-connected areas; Etobicoke near the Humber River and Mimico Creek; and Don Mills, Thorncliffe Park, and North York properties close to ravine corridors.
Ravine relevance is not based only on what the backyard looks like. The mapped boundary controls whether Chapter 658 may apply, so always check the official map or ask the City for help interpreting the boundary.
Unauthorized work in a ravine or natural feature protection area can create more than a simple replacement planting issue. The City may require restoration of the affected area, and restoration can involve native trees, shrubs, groundcover, erosion control, monitoring, and other site-specific requirements.
The exact restoration scope depends on what was disturbed, where the work happened, and what the City requires. Property owners should not assume that replacing one removed tree with one new tree will satisfy a ravine-related enforcement situation. Ravine restoration is often about ecological function, slope stability, vegetation layers, and long-term establishment.
Unauthorized cutting, clearing, dumping, grading, excavation, or construction in a Chapter 658 area can lead to enforcement, fines, restoration requirements, project delays, stop-work issues, and added professional costs. The risk is higher because ravine areas are environmentally sensitive and may also involve TRCA or other regulatory review.
The practical rule is simple: confirm before you start. It is easier to check the map, ask the City, and speak with an independent arborist where available than to repair damage after unauthorized work has already happened.
What is a ravine tree permit in Toronto?
It refers to City authorization that may be required before injuring or removing trees, vegetation, ravines, or natural features within a designated protection area under Chapter 658. Chapter 658 is location-based, so the mapped boundary matters.
How do I know if my property is in a Toronto ravine area?
Use Toronto's Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law map and turn on the ravine by-law boundary layer. If the boundary is unclear, contact the City of Toronto, 311, or an independent arborist where available before arranging work.
Can Chapter 658 and Chapter 813 both apply to the same tree?
Yes. A tree can be within a Chapter 658 ravine or natural feature protection area and also be a protected private tree under Chapter 813. Confirm the correct process directly with the City before work begins.
What activities are restricted in a Toronto ravine area?
Activities may include tree or vegetation injury/removal, clearing, grading, filling, dumping, excavation, construction, and other disturbance within the mapped protection area. The exact requirements depend on the property and proposed work.
What happens if you remove a tree in a Toronto ravine without authorization?
The City may take enforcement action, including fines, restoration requirements, and other directions. If TRCA-regulated-area rules also apply, additional review or consequences may be relevant.
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