If you’re removing a tree on a Vancouver property, the $1,000 cash election comes with a condition. Immediately after removal, your site must include at least the number of trees set out in Schedule C.
The Permit Threshold Is 20 cm
Vancouver’s Protection of Trees By-law No. 9958 kicks in once a private tree hits 20 cm or more in diameter at breast height (DBH). Below that, you’re exempt, with two exceptions: replacement trees, and trees that are part of a hedge (s.2.2). DBH is taken at 1.4 m above grade. Multi-stem trees get measured differently. DBH there is the combined diameter of the two or three largest stems, so a clump that looks small stem by stem can still cross the line.
The Permit Fee Is Separate From the Replacement Obligation
The permit itself costs $113 for the first tree and $324 for each additional tree removed within a 12-month period. You file online at plposweb.vancouver.ca. Those fees sit apart from the replacement-tree calculation tied to Schedule D.
Schedule D Sets the Replacement Ratio
Replacement planting is 1:1 for a Schedule D Part 1 species and 2:1 for a Schedule D Part 2 species.
Cash-in-Lieu Comes With a Schedule C Condition
Under s.6.2, you can elect to pay cash-in-lieu of $1,000.00 per tree instead of planting and securing the replacement trees the by-law would otherwise require. Below the Schedule C count, the s.6.2 cash election is unavailable.
Before you budget for the cash option, compare the site’s post-removal Schedule C count with the figure for its site area. Schedule C can include retention, relocation, and replacement trees. It can also exclude some trees near proposed buildings.
Schedule C Prints 365 m² in Two Rows
Schedule C sets the required tree count by site area. Smallest tier: 0 m² to 365 m², 2 trees required. Next tier: 365 m² to 450 m², 3 trees required. The printed table lists 365 m² at both ends, the top of the first row and the bottom of the second. A site that measures exactly 365 m² sits in both rows.
The s.6.2 election depends on meeting “the number of trees set out in Schedule C.” At exactly 365 m², the schedule as printed doesn’t tell you cleanly whether that’s 2 trees or 3. If your lot falls on that line, confirm with the City of Vancouver before you count on either number.
Security Money Is a Third, Separate Cost
Plant rather than pay cash, and the by-law also wants security money for the replacement trees. $500 per replacement tree. $750 where the replacement tree itself is 8 cm caliper or more (s.4.10(c)). The higher tier turns on the caliper of the new tree, not the old one. A replacement tree under 8 cm caliper carries the $500 tier, whatever size the tree was that came down.
The Certificate Behind Your Application Has Its Own Rules
Whoever signs the certificate supporting your application has to meet s.3.1. That means a certification, accreditation, or membership referred to in the by-law, plus a licence under the License By-law, both current on the day they sign. The certificate itself can’t be older than 30 days before you file the permit application (s.3.2). If your file needs a second certificate, it must come from a certifier at arm’s length from the first (s.3.3). Order the certificate once the rest of the application is ready.
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 Vancouver Permit Applications
The Arborist Group prepares ISA Certified Arborist reports for tree permit applications in Metro Vancouver. We confirm availability for your address before we quote. The full Schedule C table and how it ties to the cash-in-lieu election are on our Vancouver tree bylaw schedules page. Contact us with your address and we’ll confirm scope from there.