Main bylaws of the City of Carignan regarding trees

Tree Removal Maintenance Planting

Tree Removal

All tree cutting requires a (free) permit from the City of Carignan. Tree cutting is subject to the following conditions:

• The tree must be dead or affected by an incurable disease;
• The tree must be dangerous to the safety of people;
• The tree must be a nuisance to the growth and well‑being of neighboring trees;
• The tree must cause damage to public or private property;
• The tree must necessarily be cut down as part of public works;
• The tree must necessarily be cut down for the completion of a construction or landscaping project authorized by the City of Carignan.

Minimum fines of $2,500 are provided for offenders, in addition to other fees depending on the nature of the violation.

Cutting or Pruning an Ash Tree

It is prohibited to cut or prune an ash tree (species of the genus Fraxinus) between March 15 and October 1 of the same year, except in the following cases:

• The ash tree poses a threat to the health or safety of people or property;
• The ash tree represents a nuisance or may cause damage to public or private property;
• The ash tree makes it impossible to carry out construction, a use, landscaping, or work authorized by the City.

Disposal of ash tree residues:

Anyone who cuts or prunes an ash tree must dispose of the ash tree residues as follows:

• Branches or trunk pieces with a diameter not exceeding 20 cm must be immediately shredded on site into chips no larger than 2.5 cm on at least two sides;
• Between October 1 and March 15: Branches or trunk pieces with a diameter exceeding 20 cm must be transported to the municipal garage at 2555 Bellevue Road in Carignan before March 15;
  OR
  Between October 1 and March 15: Branches or trunk pieces with a diameter exceeding 20 cm must be transported to a wood‑processing company, or kept on site to be processed using a compliant method before March 15, or kept on site for exclusive use as firewood on the property where the ash tree was cut;
• Between March 15 and October 1: Branches or trunk pieces with a diameter exceeding 20 cm must be processed on site using a compliant method or kept until October 1 to then be transported to an authorized processing location.

It is prohibited to dispose of ash tree residues during regular waste collection, except during a specific branch collection. This collection must take place between October 2 of one year and March 14 of the following year.

Transport of ash tree residues:

Between March 15 and October 1 of the same year, it is prohibited to transport ash tree residues outside the boundaries of the property where the tree targeted by the cutting or pruning work is located. During this period, ash tree residues must be treated on site.

Authorization Certificate (Tree Cutting Permit) for Tree Removal

The authorization certificate is free. The maximum processing time for issuing the tree cutting permit is 30 days.

Required documents for your permit application:

• Complete the form. The requested information will be:
• Full name of the applicant and full address;
• Location of the trees (plan) or a hand‑drawn plan;
• Reasons for cutting;
• Planned date of the cutting work;
• A proxy if the applicant is not the owner of the tree
• Photos of the tree(s) to be cut;
• Any other documents you consider relevant to the processing of the application.

Several methods are available to obtain your permit:

• Submit an online permit request;
• Send all required documents and the completed form by email to: info@carignan.quebec;
• Go in person to the Urban Planning and Sustainable Development Department with all required documents and the completed form at 255 Bellevue Road, Carignan.

If you have questions about the tree cutting permit, you may contact the Urban Planning and Sustainable Development Department at 450‑658‑1066 or by email at info@carignan.quebec.

Maintenance

It is prohibited to harm the integrity of a tree by altering its roots, bark, branches, or trunk.

The following practices are also prohibited:

• Topping;
• Over‑pruning: if more than one‑third of the foliage mass is removed during an intervention;
• Filling or excavating the land in a way that raises or lowers the soil level at the base of a tree.

Tree pruning must be done to preserve the natural shape of the tree as much as possible. Measures must be taken during work to protect trees and avoid any damage.

Planting

Tree planting is mandatory in Carignan. Any dead tree or tree showing decline on 50% or more of its canopy must be replaced by another tree.

Any ash tree that has been cut must be replaced with another native tree species and must be planted on the same property where it was removed.

On the property of any new main construction, there must be at least one (1) tree every ten (10) meters in the front yard.

Planted trees must meet the following minimum dimensions:

• The minimum height of the chosen tree must be two (2) meters;
• The minimum diameter of the chosen tree must be five (5) centimeters or more, measured 30 cm above ground level.

High‑stem trees may be planted more than one (1) meter from any property line.

In Carignan, planting a tree less than two (2) meters from a fire hydrant, service entrance, or public‑property lamppost is prohibited.

The following tree species cannot be planted within ten meters (10 m) of any property line or easement for the passage of water and sewer infrastructure:

Planting any of the following species is prohibited on the territory of Carignan:

Work Near Hydro‑Québec Power Lines

We can undertake tree cutting and pruning work only near telecommunication wires or low‑voltage wires. Please note that we are not authorized by Hydro‑Québec to perform work near medium‑voltage electrical wires or electricity distribution networks. For more information, we suggest consulting our Aerial network section on our website. You will also find the procedure to help you locate a company authorized by Hydro‑Québec for this type of service.

City of Carignan

2555, chemin Bellevue
Carignan, Québec
J3L 6G8
450 658-1066 poste 250
info@carignan.quebec
carignan.quebec

Please note that the information provided on this page is for informational purposes only and has no force of law or legal value. For further information or to verify current regulations, please contact the municipality.