The City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver each run trees differently, and the rules change again once a building or demolition permit is in play. Pick who you are and check where you stand.
Who's asking?The City and the District share a name but have separate councils and very different tree bylaws. Getting this wrong decides whether a mid-sized tree needs a permit at all.
Lower, Central and Upper Lonsdale, Moodyville, Cedar Village and the Shipyards.
Lynn Valley, Edgemont, Deep Cove, Capilano, Blueridge, Canyon Heights and Seymour.
You need a permit to cut, remove or damage a protected tree. Each municipality decides what counts, and the differences are big.
20 cm
and up, but only on apartment, townhouse, strata, commercial and other non-exempt land.
75 cm
and up is a large-diameter tree needing a permit. Many smaller trees are protected at any size.
75 cm
and up, dropping to 20 cm on a property being developed with a new house or commercial building.
Plenty of tree work needs no permit at all, but the rules on pruning and emergencies differ more than most people expect.
A permit isn't a formality. Each bylaw lists the reasons it can approve, and a healthy protected tree with no development usually stays.
| Reason | City of North Van | District of North Van | West Vancouver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dead, dying or hazardous | Yes, confirmed in writing by a certified arborist. "Hazardous" needs a certified tree risk assessor | Yes, based on a TRAQ tree risk assessor's report or other evidence | Yes, certified hazardous by an arborist using tree risk assessment methods |
| Damaging wires, drains or structures | Wires: if pruning can't fix it (arborist). Sewers and drains: certified by a plumber or civil engineer | Yes, if it can't be fixed any other way | Yes, if it can't be fixed any other way. Leaves and needles don't count |
| A large healthy tree | No, unless it's in the way of approved development | Large-diameter trees can usually be removed, with replacement trees if under 20% canopy is left | Not on its own. The District can approve pruning instead where pruning fixes the problem |
| Building a new house | Most house lots are exempt. Where the bylaw applies: inside the building envelope, blocking permitted density, or needed for construction access | Through a tree permit with protection for kept trees | Must be approved if it's inside the building envelope shown on the building permit; a driveway corridor up to 4.5 m wide can be approved |
Use the checker above, then confirm with the municipality.
All three municipalities want a report from an ISA Certified Arborist with most applications. West Vancouver also wants a tree risk assessment with a risk rating, and an explanation of why pruning can't solve the problem.
The owner's written consent, every owner's consent for a tree on a property line, and confirmation from the strata where that applies.
Fees are set in each municipality's fees bylaw.
Replacement trees, securities, and in West Vancouver posting the permit where it can be seen from the street. Give your crew a copy before they start.
Permits expire after a year in the District and West Vancouver. The City of North Vancouver wants replacement trees in within 6 months of the permit unless it says otherwise.
On the North Shore, the answer is almost always yes for a permitted removal. What goes in it differs.
| What the report must cover | |
|---|---|
| City of North Vancouver | Photos of all trees on the site; location, size and health of trees to be removed; health of nearby trees; disturbed soil on private and public land. Plus a site plan, tree protection plan and replacement plan. |
| District of North Vancouver | The purpose and rationale, a site plan, an inventory of protected and large trees, cutting methods and protection measures, a replanting plan, and a TRAQ report if the tree is to be declared hazardous. Steep slopes also need a report from an engineer, geoscientist or forester. |
| West Vancouver | The arborist's ISA and TRAQ numbers and business licence, a site plan from a survey with species, tag numbers, DBH, height, live crown ratio and critical root zone, a tree risk assessment with a risk rating, methods, protection, impacts, replanting, and why pruning won't work. Dead trees need a shorter report. |
We write them. Reports are prepared and signed by an ISA Certified Arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), for a fixed fee agreed before the site visit.
CNV Bylaw 8888 s.5.A; DNV Bylaw 7671 s.12; West Vancouver Bylaw 4892 s.8.2.| Replacement trees | Security | |
|---|---|---|
| City of North Vancouver | 3 for each healthy tree removed, 1 for each dead, dying or hazardous tree. At least one conifer, 5 cm caliper minimum, planted within 6 months and kept alive for 2 years | Per replacement tree, plus an inspection fee, set in the City's fees bylaw. Cash-in-lieu if the lot can't take the trees |
| District of North Vancouver | Set as a permit condition. For large-diameter trees: none if over 20% canopy is left; otherwise 1 per tree on lots under 420 m², 3 per tree on larger lots, or a compensation fee | Can be up to 125% of the cost of the work, or the tree's appraised value, to a maximum of $50,000 |
| West Vancouver | 1 for each protected tree removed: 5 cm caliper deciduous or 3 m tall conifer, from the District's species list | $1,000 per tree, up to $10,000, refunded within a year of planting. $1,000 per tree if it can't be planted |
A dangerous tree is the most common reason for an approved removal, but you still need the paperwork.
All three municipalities rely on a written assessment from a certified arborist, and for a tree called hazardous, a tree risk assessor (TRAQ). A dead tree in West Vancouver needs a shorter report.
Keep everyone clear of a tree that could fall. Never climb or cut it yourself. In a genuine emergency, the City of North Vancouver and West Vancouver let it be cut first, with strict reporting the next business day. The District's bylaw has no emergency exemption, so call the District.
CNV Bylaw 8888 s.3, s.4.B(2) and s.6; DNV Bylaw 7671 s.4 and s.19; West Vancouver Bylaw 4892 s.6.2–6.3 and s.8.2.Multi-family sites are where North Shore tree rules bite hardest, especially in the City of North Vancouver.
Each tree, and each day, is a separate offence in all three municipalities.
| Court fine | On top of that | |
|---|---|---|
| City of North Vancouver | Up to $50,000 or 6 months | 250% of the ecological compensation fee per tree, plus the usual replacement trees and at least 2 more |
| District of North Vancouver | $1,000 to $50,000, plus prosecution costs | Removing a large tree without a permit: its appraised value up to $50,000. Tickets from $300 to $1,000. 250% of the ecological compensation fee and extra replacement trees |
| West Vancouver | Up to $10,000 | Replacement trees ordered by the Director, and an order to make cut trees safe |
Big North Shore trees do best with regular care rather than emergency calls. A tree care plan puts your property on a schedule with one vetted crew, billed monthly.
Ask about a tree care planA few phone photos of the tree, the base of the trunk and what's around it.
An ISA Certified Arborist reviews your photos against the bylaw for your address and tells you whether you need a permit or a report. If you do, we can write it.
A vetted, insured local crew can visit and quote, or you’re free to get your own quotes. Nobody prices work from photos.
We write reports and give advice. We don't do tree work ourselves: the crew you choose is the contractor for your job. Who you're working with.
Within two business days, we'll tell you what the rules mean for your tree and arrange a site visit with a vetted local crew. It costs nothing unless you book the work.
Not on most house, duplex and small multiplex lots: since December 2025 the City's tree bylaw doesn't apply on land zoned GO, RS-1, RS-2, RS-4B, RT-1 or RT-2, or CD zones based on them. On other land, any tree 20 cm or more across at 1.4 m needs a permit, and without development the City can only approve removal of dead, dying or hazardous trees, or trees interfering with wires or drains.
For trees 75 cm or more across, and for protected trees of any size: trees on steep slopes, near creeks, wetlands or the waterfront, on District land, protected species, and heritage, wildlife, old-growth, covenant and replacement trees. Pruning those trees needs a permit too.
For protected trees: 75 cm and up, 20 cm and up on a property being developed with a new building, listed native species over 20 cm, trees near creeks and the ocean, trees with nests, and heritage, retained, replacement and District trees.
In the City of North Vancouver, not if the pruning follows industry standards. In the District, pruning a protected or large-diameter tree needs a permit. In West Vancouver, removing limbs from a protected tree from a ladder, lift or climbing gear needs one.
Yes. Reports are written and signed by an ISA Certified Arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), to the standard each North Shore municipality asks for. The fee is fixed before the site visit and never depends on what the report concludes. Reports recommend work by certified, insured and licensed professionals, and never tell you who to hire.
Every site is different. Access, slope, what's underneath the tree and how it has to come down all change the price. A crew needs to see it to quote accurately, so there are no surprises on the day.
We have a network of vetted, insured local companies who can visit and quote, and you're always free to get your own quotes. If you book one of our crews, you pay the deposit through our payment system and they're the contractor for your job.
Three municipalities, three tree bylaws. The City of North Vancouver exempts most small residential lots, the District protects every tree near a creek or on a slope, and West Vancouver protects every tree from 20 cm the moment you build. Tell us about your project and we'll turn the right bylaw into a roadmap built for it.
Free. Takes about two minutes. Download it as a PDF to share with your team.
Get the North Shore tree playbook: all three bylaws side by side, with every gate, fence spec and security, for any project.
Project managers, operations managers, architects and builders bringing a project to the North Shore for the first time, or who've been caught out by a tree condition before.
An ISA Certified Arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), trained through the ASCA Consulting Academy, who has worked through all three North Shore tree bylaws line by line, including the places where they differ.
Take the roadmap and run with it. If you'd like help, tick one box and we'll quote a fixed fee for your arborist report, tree protection plan or construction monitoring. We'll already know your project. For the tree work itself, we can introduce vetted contractors, and you're free to get your own quotes.
The roadmap is process guidance from the published bylaws. It isn't legal advice, it isn't the arborist report the municipality requires, and the municipality makes every permit decision.
An example for a made-up West Vancouver project. Yours is built from your project check and the stage you're at.
Demolition and new single-family house. Lot about 900 m².
Example only
Not a real project
Trees won't stop this project, but nothing can happen on site, not even demolition, until the protection fences are up and the District Arborist has inspected them.
| Replacement trees (1 per protected tree) | 2 |
|---|---|
| Replacement security, refundable | $2,000 |
| Cash-in-lieu if none fit (worst case) | $2,000 |
| Permit fee | Fees bylaw |
Any work inside a fenced area must be watched by an arborist, who then sends the District a report with photos of the reinstated fence and the tree.
Sources: West Vancouver Tree Bylaw No. 4892, consolidated to Amendment Bylaw No. 5373 (15 December 2025). Example prepared by The Consulting Arborist.
The same project triggers very different tree requirements a few kilometres apart.
| City of North Van | District of North Van | West Vancouver | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bylaw | Tree Bylaw No. 8888, consolidated December 2025 | Tree Protection Bylaw 7671, consolidated to July 2022 | Tree Bylaw No. 4892, consolidated December 2025 |
| Trees caught by development | 20 cm and up on non-exempt zones. Most house, duplex and small multiplex zones are exempt | Protected and large-diameter (75 cm+) trees need permits. Every tree affected by development, on the lot or next door, needs protecting | Every tree 20 cm and up once the lot is being developed with a new residential or commercial building, or subdivided |
| Measured at | 1.4 m above highest natural ground | 1.3 m on the uphill side | 1.4 m above highest natural ground |
| Documents | Site plan or survey, arborist report, tree protection plan, replacement plan with soil volume and irrigation, contractor's insurance | Arborist report with inventory and replanting plan; slope report from an engineer, geoscientist or forester; land survey if asked | Tree survey, arborist report with tree risk assessment and pruning rationale |
| Protection barrier | Around the critical root zone (6 × trunk diameter) of kept trees, as a permit condition | At the edge of the root zone (10 × trunk diameter baseline, adjusted by an arborist), with signs | Schedule A fence at set distances by trunk size, before any site work |
| Inspection before work | Set by permit conditions | Environmental Protection Officer approves the barrier | District Arborist inspects |
| Replacement | 3 per healthy tree, 1 per dead or hazardous tree | Set by permit; large trees 0, 1 or 3 each depending on canopy and lot size | 1 per protected tree |
| Money held | Security per replacement tree, inspection fee, ecological compensation fee per tree removed for development | Security up to 125% of work cost or appraised value, max $50,000; forfeited if a protected tree is damaged during development | $1,000 per replacement tree, max $10,000 |
| Permit expires | Not stated in the bylaw | 1 year | 1 year |
Amendment Bylaw 9143 (December 2025), made to line up with provincial housing legislation, took small-scale residential zones out of the tree bylaw.
Apartments, townhouses, stratas, commercial and other zones: every tree 20 cm and up needs a permit, and the full application, replacement and compensation rules apply.
CNV Bylaw 8888 s.2.A (as amended by Bylaw 9143) and s.4.A.The stages most developments with protected trees go through. The gold stages are gates: site work or tree removal can't go ahead until they're done.
A survey showing all trees on the site and those next door whose roots reach it. West Vancouver wants a land surveyor's tree survey with tag numbers. Steep slopes in the District need a geotechnical or forestry opinion too.
The arborist report, tree protection plan and replacement plan. West Vancouver needs a tree risk assessment with a risk rating for each tree.
With owner consent, consent for any shared tree, and the fee. In the City of North Vancouver, name your tree contractor and show they're qualified and insured.
The City and District can hire an independent arborist to check your reports; in the City you pay if yours were incomplete. The City must also consider a development variance permit before approving removals for building. West Vancouver can ask you to move a driveway.
City of North Vancouver: ecological compensation fee per tree, replacement security and inspection fee before the permit is issued. District: security if required. West Vancouver: $1,000 per replacement tree.
West Vancouver: before any cutting, site preparation, demolition, excavation or construction, inspected by the District Arborist. District: approved by the Environmental Protection Officer before work starts.
West Vancouver: the permit is posted where it can be seen from the street, and the crew gets a copy. The City may require 2 days' public notice on site and paint marks on each tree.
West Vancouver: any work inside a barrier is watched by an arborist, who sends the District a post-activity report with photos. Barriers stay until the District Arborist or Environmental Protection Officer says they can come down.
City of North Vancouver: within 6 months of the permit unless the City sets another date, supervised by a certified arborist or landscape architect.
City: replacement trees maintained for 2 years (up to 4). West Vancouver: security back within a year of planting if the trees survive. District: refunded with interest once conditions are met.
What each bylaw says the report and plans must contain. We write and sign them.
| Report | Plans and extras | |
|---|---|---|
| City of North Vancouver | By a Certified Arborist, with photos of all trees on site: location, size and health of trees to remove, health of nearby trees, extent of disturbed soil on private and public land | Tree protection plan (all kept trees, protection zones, fencing, ANSI compliance); replacement plan (location, species, caliper, clearances, soil volume, irrigation); site plan with utilities and easements; removal methods and dates |
| District of North Vancouver | By a certified arborist or tree risk assessor: purpose and rationale, proposed work, inventory of all protected and large trees, topography and watercourses, methods and protection measures | Replanting plan; TRAQ report for hazardous trees; steep slope report signed by an engineer, geoscientist or forester; any federal or provincial approvals; land survey if requested |
| West Vancouver | ISA and TRAQ numbers, business licence, site conditions with photos, tree risk assessment with risk rating, methods, protection measures, impacts, why pruning won't work | Site plan from a survey: trees to cut and keep on and off site, species, tag numbers, DBH to the nearest cm, live crown ratio, height, critical root zone; replanting specifications |
Each municipality sizes the protected area differently, so the same tree gets a different fence in each.
| How far out | Fence and signs | Before work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of North Vancouver | Critical root zone: a radius of 6 × the trunk diameter (a 50 cm tree gets 3 m) | As shown in the tree protection plan | As the permit requires |
| District of North Vancouver | Root zone: 10 × the trunk diameter as a baseline, adjusted by a certified arborist for the site and species | District standard barrier with "Tree Protection Zone" signs | Inspected and approved by the Environmental Protection Officer; stays until written approval to remove |
| West Vancouver | Schedule A table below | 1.2 m high, 2x4 posts and rails with X bracing, continuous snow fence staked to the ground, "protection zone" signs | Inspected by the District Arborist before any cutting, site preparation, demolition, excavation or construction |
| Trunk diameter (DBH) | Fence distance |
|---|---|
| 20 cm | 1.2 m |
| 25 cm | 1.5 m |
| 30 cm | 2.1 m |
| 35 cm | 2.4 m |
| 40 cm | 2.7 m |
| 50 cm | 3.0 m |
| 55 cm | 3.3 m |
| 60 cm | 3.6 m |
| 75 cm | 4.5 m |
| 90 cm | 5.4 m |
| 100 cm | 6.0 m |
West Vancouver fences must protect protected trees outside the building envelope, the part of a neighbour's critical root zone on your site, boulevard trees beside the site, and District trees within 3 m. Any work inside a fence needs an arborist on site and a post-activity report.
CNV Bylaw 8888 s.3 and s.8.B(4); DNV Bylaw 7671 s.4 (root zone) and s.9–9A; West Vancouver Bylaw 4892 s.5.2–5.3 and Schedule A.On the North Shore, water and slope protect more trees than size does. These areas protect trees of any size.
| District of North Vancouver | West Vancouver | |
|---|---|---|
| Creeks | 15 m from the top of bank. In a ravine over 60 m wide, 10 m from the top of the ravine bank. 30 m on parcels over 0.5 ha beside the Capilano River, Lynn Creek, Seymour River or Mackay Creek south of Marine Drive | 15 m from the top of bank; 5 m for creeks that hold water less than six months a year |
| Ocean | Waterfront: 30 m inland from the natural boundary | Foreshore: 15 m from the natural boundary of the ocean |
| Wetlands | The wetland and 30 m around it | Not listed separately. Ponds and lakes connected to fish habitat count as watercourses |
| Slopes | Steeper than 20 degrees (36%) over 3 m vertical: every tree protected, and removal needs an engineer, geoscientist or forester's sign-off | Difficult terrain is steeper than 35% over 3 m: removal can be approved if a qualified professional confirms slope stability, when the District asks |
| Development permit areas | Every tree in the Natural Environment, Streamside and Slope Hazard development permit areas is protected | The tree bylaw applies inside development permits unless the permit says otherwise |
In the City of North Vancouver, the City's website points streamside properties to a separate development permit.
DNV Bylaw 7671 s.4 (protected area, steep slope, waterfront, wetland, protected tree) and s.12(a)(v); West Vancouver Bylaw 4892 s.3.2, s.4.4 and s.6.3.6.| Replacement | Money | Can't fit them? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of North Vancouver | 3 per healthy tree, 1 per dead, dying or hazardous tree; one conifer; 5 cm caliper; within 6 months; maintained 2 to 4 years | Ecological compensation fee per tree removed for building, reduced by $750 for each extra replacement tree you plant. Security per replacement tree and an inspection fee | Cash-in-lieu, if a certified arborist confirms the lot can't take them |
| District of North Vancouver | As the permit sets. Large trees: none if over 20% canopy remains; otherwise 1 each (lots under 420 m²) or 3 each | Security up to 125% of the estimated work and replanting cost, or the trees' appraised value, max $50,000. Construction Bylaw security can be used too | An environmental compensation fee instead of large-tree replacements |
| West Vancouver | 1 per protected tree: 5 cm caliper deciduous or 3 m conifer from Schedule B | $1,000 per tree, max $10,000, refunded within a year of planting | $1,000 per tree to the Environmental Reserve Fund |
Each bylaw treats trees in the way of construction differently.
Each of these comes straight from the bylaws, and each can stop work on site.
Neighbours' trees whose roots reach your site, boulevard trees and District trees within 3 m all need protecting, so they belong on the plan.
West Vancouver reports need a tree risk assessment with a rating and a reason pruning won't work.
Removing trees on a District steep slope needs an engineer, geoscientist or forester's sign-off on flooding, erosion and stability.
West Vancouver and the District both inspect protection barriers before work can start.
The City of North Vancouver won't issue a permit until the compensation fee, security and inspection fee are paid.
West Vancouver can hold a permit until nesting season ends if a tree is near a protected raptor's nest.
Answer the project check at the top: municipality, application type, and the trees you expect to remove or keep.
Your roadmap opens on this page with next steps for where you are, and downloads as a PDF you can forward.
Tick "send me a quote" and we'll come back with a fixed fee for the reports, plans and monitoring your project needs. We'll already have your roadmap, so the first call starts where it should.
We'll combine these details with your project check at the top of the page. Your roadmap opens on this page and downloads as a PDF.
Developers and homeowners ask us who can carry out the work our reports call for. We introduce a small number of vetted North Shore companies.
Example only. Companies agree terms with us before receiving any client details.
Once a parcel is being developed with a new residential or commercial building, every tree 20 cm DBH or more is protected. Before any tree cutting, site preparation, demolition, excavation or construction, Schedule A barriers must protect protected trees outside the building envelope, neighbours' critical root zones, boulevard trees and District trees within 3 m, and the District Arborist must inspect them. Each protected tree removed needs one replacement tree and a $1,000 security, up to $10,000.
Part 3 of Bylaw 7671 applies to all trees affected by development on the lot or next to it. Kept trees need a barrier at the outside edge of the root zone, using a baseline of 10 times the trunk diameter adjusted by a certified arborist, with Tree Protection Zone signs. The Environmental Protection Officer must approve the barrier before work starts.
Usually not. Since Amendment Bylaw 9143 in December 2025, the tree bylaw doesn't apply on land zoned GO, RS-1, RS-2, RS-4B, RT-1 or RT-2, or CD zones based on them. It still applies on other zones, and you still need to avoid harming protected trees on neighbouring non-exempt land.
Where the bylaw applies and there's an active building permit application, yes, if the tree is inside the building envelope, would unreasonably limit development to its permitted density, or is in a construction access area, as well as for dead, dying or hazardous trees and utility or drain conflicts. The City must first consider a development variance permit, and an ecological compensation fee applies per tree.
Yes. The roadmap and the North Shore tree playbook are free. You only pay if you hire us for reports, tree protection plans or construction monitoring, at a fixed fee agreed up front.
No. Where a municipality requires an arborist report or tree protection plan, it has to be written and signed by a certified arborist after a site visit. The roadmap tells you what's needed and when, so the right reports are commissioned in the right order. We can write them.
Yes. Reports, tree protection plans and construction monitoring are prepared and signed by an ISA Certified Arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), for a fixed fee agreed before work starts. Fees are never contingent on the outcome.
We have a network of vetted, insured and licensed tree companies who can quote for removals, pruning and protection work, and you're free to get your own quotes. Our reports recommend work by qualified, insured professionals and never dictate who does it.
An independent consulting arborist, not a tree service. Here's what that means for you.