Tree Removal Permit Guide for District of North Vancouver, BC

When the District of North Vancouver requires a permit

Tree Protection Bylaw 7671 has two classes of tree, and a permit can turn on either one.

The first class is size-based. A large-diameter tree is one of 75 cm DBH or more that no other rule already protects.

The second class, the protected tree, has no diameter floor at all. Where a tree grows, or what it is, decides the question. The bylaw protects, at any size:

1. any tree on District land;
2. trees in a protected streamside area, on wetland, or within the 30 m waterfront zone;
3. trees on a steep slope, meaning over 20° or 36%;
4. trees inside the Natural Environment, Streamside Protection and Slope Hazard development permit areas;
5. replacement, covenant, heritage, wildlife and old-growth trees;
6. six species: Arbutus, Garry Oak, Oregon Ash, Pacific Yew, Western White Pine and Yellow-cedar.

Screen a lot by category first and by diameter second. A small Pacific Yew near a creek needs a permit, while a maple under 75 cm in a flat backyard, outside every listed area, may not.

What the permit costs

The Fees and Charges Bylaw 6481, amended through Bylaw 8777, sets the District’s current fees. For protected trees, the fee is $116 for up to 4 trees and $581 for five or more. A development that removes 10 or more protected trees on a parcel over 1 ha pays $2,908.

Large-diameter trees are charged per tree. Cutting one costs $116, and removing one costs $581. If the work already happened, a retroactive permit costs double.

Replacement trees and cash in lieu

The replacement rule is short but conditional, and the next section walks through it. When replacement is owed, each large-diameter tree removed needs 1 new tree on a lot under 420 m², or 3 on a lot of 420 m² or more.

The District holds security of 125% of the estimated cost of the work, capped at $50,000.

The fees bylaw also sets a compensation fee of $1,164 per large-diameter tree, or $2,326 for Douglas fir or western red cedar. Confirm the fee name and amount with the District of North Vancouver.

Unlawful removal costs more. The owner owes the replacements the bylaw requires plus at least 2 more, plus 250% of that compensation fee.

How to apply

The District takes tree permit applications on a paper form, available from its tree permit page. Planning, Properties and Permits handles the file, and its email is building@dnv.org. Confirm the review timeline with the District of North Vancouver.

What the arborist report covers

DBH is measured at 1.3 m on the uphill side of the trunk. For a multi-stem tree the report takes the largest stem at 100% and adds 60% of each additional stem, up to 6 stems. Each stem is rounded up to the nearest cm before the sum, so a reading just under 75 cm can round into the large-diameter class.

For trees that stay, the bylaw sets the protected area around the roots at 10 times the DBH, with room to adjust it for site and species. The barrier goes at the outside edge of that area and carries “Tree Protection Zone” signs. The Environmental Protection Officer inspects it before work starts, and each failure is ticketable at $300.

Replacement depends on canopy cover

Most of the replacement question in the District turns on one number: 20% canopy cover on the lot after removal.

If the lot keeps 20% canopy or more once the tree is gone, the bylaw asks for no replacement tree. If canopy would drop below 20%, replacement applies, and lot size sets the count. A lot under 420 m² owes 1 tree for each large-diameter tree removed. A lot of 420 m² or more owes 3.

So the same removal can cost nothing in new planting on a heavily treed lot and 3 trees on a sparse one. A report for a District permit therefore typically sets out the lot area and the canopy cover after removal, so the District can see which side of the line the lot falls on.

What we do and do not do

We prepare tree removal permit reports. Ask us before you order a District of North Vancouver report. We tell you whether we can take your file. 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.