If you own property in Pitt Meadows, you’ve never had to think about a tree permit before. There wasn’t one. That changed on March 3, 2026, when the Interim Tree Management Bylaw No. 3035, 2026 was adopted, following readings on February 24, 2026. The bylaw adds every stem of a multi-stem tree at full value, so a formula borrowed from a neighbouring city gives the wrong answer.
A Permit Tree Starts at a Set Size
Bylaw s.3.28 defines a “Permit Tree” as any tree with a DBH above a set size, any multi-stem tree with a combined DBH above it, any woody plant of any size growing on City property, or any tree the City has already designated as a replacement, retained, or condition tree from a past permit. Confirm the size with Pitt Meadows.
Pitt Meadows stands apart in how it adds multi-stem trees. Under s.3.17, DBH is taken above natural grade from the Base. For a multi-stem tree, DBH is the cumulative total of each stem’s DBH. Nobody squares the stems and takes a square root here, and there’s no weighting either. Port Coquitlam counts 100% of the largest stem plus 60% of each additional stem. Pitt Meadows adds every stem at full value, so a clump of thin stems can cross the size combined. Our piece on how other Metro Vancouver cities handle multi-stem diameter covers the other formulas, but none of them apply in Pitt Meadows.
The Protection Zone Is a Radius Off the Trunk
Once a tree qualifies, s.3.14 sets its CRZ, the protected circle around the trunk, as a radius equal to six times the DBH, or the Drip Line, whichever is greater. Sections 3.42 to 3.43 then define the Tree Protection Zone as that same CRZ, so a site plan here shows one ring per tree.
Development and Non-Development Fees
Pitt Meadows splits applications into a non-development track and a development track, and the fees and cash-in-lieu differ between them. The development track also requires a per-tree security or cash-in-lieu on top of the permit fee. Confirm the amounts with the City of Pitt Meadows.
Confirm with the City of Pitt Meadows which track applies to your application before you budget for the permit.
A Separate Deposit Applies to Every Retained Tree
Beyond the permit fee and any cash-in-lieu, Pitt Meadows charges a separate protection deposit for every Retained Tree. It’s due before any City Permit issues, tree-related or otherwise, and a building permit for the same project waits on it too.
Replacing a Removed Tree Has Its Own Rules
If your permit requires replacement planting, Bylaw No. 3035 sets the minimum at 1:1, planted within six months, on the same property, and maintained for twelve months after that. The stock itself has to meet a minimum size: 4 cm caliper and 2 m height on the non-development track, or 6 cm caliper and 3 m height on the development track. A smaller nursery tree won’t satisfy the condition, even planted in exactly the right spot.
Nesting Season Blocks Cutting Without a Professional’s Sign-Off
No cutting is permitted between March 1 and August 31 without confirmation from a Qualified Environmental Professional.
The bylaw does carve out broad exemptions: municipal purposes, public utilities, land in the Agricultural Land Reserve, active farming under a Farm Plan, routine pruning, hazard or dead trees, and land held under the Private Managed Forest Land Act or Forest Act tenure. A hazard tree or dead tree is exempt only if a Certified Arborist confirms it in writing in a form the Director accepts, or the Director approves it. The other categories carry no such condition.
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.
Barrier Specification and Interim Status
The City’s own barrier construction specification for protecting a retained tree during work isn’t published in Bylaw No. 3035, so confirm the protection-barrier requirements directly with the City of Pitt Meadows before you build one. This is also an interim bylaw, adopted as a bridge while Pitt Meadows works through public engagement on a permanent version.
The Arborist Group prepares ISA Certified Arborist tree removal and permit application reports for Metro Vancouver properties, including Pitt Meadows. We confirm availability for your address before we quote. The Metro Vancouver tree bylaw comparison sets Pitt Meadows beside its neighbours. To start, send us the address.