Tree Removal Permit Guide for New Westminster, BC

When New Westminster requires a permit

Tree Protection and Regulation Bylaw No. 7799, 2016 governs private trees in New Westminster. The consolidation runs to November 2018 and includes Amendment Bylaw 8052. Section 2.1(jj) protects a tree with a DBH of 20 cm or more, measured above the base. It also protects a tree whose two largest trunks combine to that size.

Some trees are protected at any size:

1. any tree or shrub on City land;
2. retained trees and replacement trees;
3. nesting trees.

Hedges count once they reach 5 m in height. A tree with a DBH over 60 cm is a specimen tree, which raises the security the City holds.

Within 4 m of the dripline, you need a barrier plus a permit, or a standalone CRZ work authorization under s.8.1.

Section 5.6 lets an owner cut a tree in imminent danger without a prior permit. The owner then reports to the Director by the next working day and supplies a photo taken before the cut.

What the permit costs

Schedule A of the bylaw sets the fees: an application fee, a permit fee per tree, a hazardous tree permit fee and a barrier inspection fee. The confirmed amounts:

Amount	Applies to
$132	application, non-resident applicant
$81	per tree, resident applicant, trees other than hazardous trees

Confirm with New Westminster for the other fees.

Fines run from $1,000 to $10,000 per tree per offence.

Replacement trees and cash in lieu

Section 7.2 sets replacement by the kind of removal. Most removals owe 2:1. A hazardous tree, or a heavily diseased or declining one, owes 1:1. A hedge owes 1 tree per 4 m of length. After an unlawful removal, s.11.4(b) sets a minimum of 5:1. Where the City waives the arborist report, replacement stock is 3 to 5 cm caliper.

The City holds a security per replacement tree, and a higher one for a non-hazardous specimen tree. A retained tree carries its own security, which is higher when it is a specimen. The confirmed security amounts:

Amount	Applies to
$792	per replacement tree, general, non-resident applicant
$686	per replacement tree, general, resident applicant
$12,933	per replacement tree, non-hazardous specimen tree, non-resident applicant
$6,335	per replacement tree, non-hazardous specimen tree, resident applicant, minimum
$3,959	per retained protected tree, not a specimen tree, non-resident applicant
$2,703	per retained protected tree, not a specimen tree, resident applicant or CRZ resident requestor, minimum
$15,836	per retained specimen tree, non-resident applicant
$10,811	per retained specimen tree, resident applicant or CRZ resident requestor

The confirmed cash-in-lieu amounts:

Amount	Applies to
$792	per replacement tree, general, non-resident applicant
$686	per replacement tree, general, resident applicant
$12,933	per replacement tree, non-hazardous specimen tree, non-resident applicant
$6,335	per replacement tree, non-hazardous specimen tree, resident applicant, minimum
$897	per replacement tree, per City tree removed

How to apply

Applications are online only, through E-Apply, since January 2024. The City Trees Service in Parks and Recreation reviews them.

What the arborist report covers

The report measures DBH at the height the bylaw sets and applies the square-root rule to every multi-stem tree. For each retained tree it maps the CRZ, the protected rooting area defined in s.2.1(m): a circle with a radius of six times the DBH, or 1 m beyond the dripline, whichever is greater. The bylaw treats the CRZ and the tree protection zone as one zone.

Barrier distances come from the Schedule B table. The fence uses wood posts 50 by 100 mm, staked 450 mm deep at no more than 2 m spacing, with plastic mesh and a weatherproof sign.

How New Westminster measures multi-stem trees

Many bylaws add stems together. New Westminster squares each stem, adds the squares and takes the square root, rounded to the nearest cm. The bylaw’s own worked example uses stems of 12, 14 and 17. Their squares sum to 629, and the square root gives a DBH of 25 cm.

A simple sum of those three stems overstates the tree, and an arborist who adds stems can report a tree as larger than the bylaw does. Two separate tests apply, so the report shows both the square-root DBH and the two-largest-trunk check against the protected size.

Who can sign the report

Section 2.1(c) sets three conditions for the report author. The author needs ISA or BC ITA certification. The author also needs the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ). The third condition is a City or intermunicipal business licence held by the individual. Section 5.9 adds a 12-month currency rule for reports. Ask us before you order. We tell you whether we can take your file.

What we do and do not do

We prepare tree removal permit reports. We confirm availability for your address before we quote. 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. We do not offer emergency service. We do not supervise construction.