If your lot sits on the North Shore, “the tree bylaw changed” covers two separate changes in two municipalities, and they point in opposite directions. West Vancouver added a new permit trigger for development sites. The City of North Vancouver carved a list of zones out of its tree bylaw entirely. Mix the two up and you can order the wrong report, or skip a permit you actually need.
West Vancouver Added a Lower Threshold for Development Sites
West Vancouver’s Tree Bylaw No. 4892 sets a high bar for most trees on private property. Under s.4.3, a tree is protected once its DBH passes the general size, measured above the highest immediately adjacent natural grade. A multi-stem tree counts once its combined stems reach that size. Confirm the sizes with West Vancouver. Two narrower rules sit beside the general one. Six named species (Arbutus, Garry Oak, Pacific yew, Pacific dogwood, Yellow cedar, and Shore pine in the shoreline zone) are protected above a lower DBH, and any tree of any size within a 15 m Watercourse Protection Area or Foreshore Protection Area is protected outright.
Bylaw 5373, 2025 sits on top of that general rule. It doesn’t replace it. Council approved it on November 17, 2025, and it’s been in force since December 15, 2025. The District’s live permit page now states a separate rule for development: a parcel undergoing development with a new residential or commercial building, or a subdivision, needs a permit for trees from a lower DBH.
A tree that’s nowhere near the general threshold can still sit inside a development site’s lower line. Under the 2022 consolidation of the bylaw, s.3.1.6 sent this kind of development-scoped removal to the development permit process instead, and the published consolidation hasn’t caught up to Bylaw 5373 yet. The bylaw PDF and the District’s current permit page don’t fully match each other because of it. If your project involves a new building or a subdivision, settle which track applies with the District before you count trees against either size.
City of North Vancouver Exempted a List of Zones
The City of North Vancouver moved the opposite way. Its Tree Bylaw, 2022, No. 8888 is now consolidated as of December 8, 2025, folding in amendments 9049 and 9143. Before any exemption, the City’s baseline threshold under s.2B is a set DBH, measured above the highest adjacent natural grade. Confirm the size with the City of North Vancouver.
Bylaw 9143 leaves the size alone and shrinks the land it covers. It exempts a tree from the Tree Bylaw altogether when its entire trunk sits on land zoned RS-1, RS-2, RS-4B, RT-1, RT-2 or GO (or an equivalent CD zone).
A trunk that sits partly on land outside those zones doesn’t meet the exemption’s wording.
Check Your Project Type or Your Zone First
If you’re in West Vancouver and your project is a new house, a new commercial building, or a subdivision, don’t assume the general threshold is the number that governs your site. On that kind of site, trees from the lower development size need a permit.
If you’re in the City of North Vancouver, check your zoning first. If your lot is zoned RS-1, RS-2, RS-4B, RT-1, RT-2 or GO (or an equivalent CD zone) and the whole trunk sits on it, Bylaw 9143 exempts the tree and you need no permit at the City’s baseline size.
For the rest of the region’s thresholds side by side, our Metro Vancouver tree bylaw guide covers each municipality’s numbers, and the West Vancouver permit guide has the quick-reference version of that District’s fees and process.
If the removal ground is a hazardous or high-risk tree, ask us first. Some Metro Vancouver bylaws require a report author who also holds the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification.
Reports for North Shore Permits
The Arborist Group prepares ISA Certified Arborist reports for tree permit applications in Metro Vancouver. Construction and development arborist reports are by request and confirmed per project. We confirm availability for your address before we quote. Contact us with your address and the project type, and we’ll confirm scope from there.