Tree Removal Permit Guide for White Rock, BC

When White Rock requires a permit

The White Rock Tree Protection Bylaw, 2021, No. 2407 is consolidated to October 2025. Part 1, section 3 protects a tree with a DBH of 20 cm or more. The bylaw measures DBH above the highest point of natural grade.

Several groups of trees are protected at any size. Anything growing on City-owned property counts, including trees, hedges and shrubs on road rights-of-way. Replacement trees count. So does any tree with nesting evidence from raptors, eagles, peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, ospreys, herons or burrowing owls. Arbutus, Garry Oak and Pacific Dogwood are protected at every size.

A tree within 4 m of the lot boundary is an off-site tree under the bylaw, so a neighbour’s tree can enter your application.

What the permit costs

White Rock sorts permits into three types. The 2026 Fees and Charges Bylaw 2554, Schedule A, sets each fee. The confirmed amounts:

Amount	Applies to
$558	Type 2 (unwanted tree)
$1,163	Type 3 (demolition or building permit)

Permit type	Covers
Type 1	No replacement tree required
Type 2	Other removals not tied to construction
Type 3	Removal tied to a demolition or building permit

A Type 1 permit carries no replacement. Fines reach $10,000 or six months per tree per day.

Replacement trees and cash in lieu

The number of replacement trees depends on the size of the tree removed. Replacement stock is at least 6 cm caliper for deciduous trees, measured 15 cm above grade, or at least 3 m tall for conifers.

The City holds a security per replacement tree, and cash-in-lieu applies to City trees removed for Type 3 construction. Confirm with White Rock for the security and cash-in-lieu amounts.

Retained trees carry their own security, held for one year, set by the size of the tree. A lower-value tree carries a lower security. Confirm with White Rock for those amounts.

How to apply

Applications are in person only, at Planning and Development Services. There is no online portal. Questions go to the Arboricultural Technician in that department at treebylaw@whiterockcity.ca.

What the arborist report covers

The report measures each tree at the height the bylaw sets, above the highest natural grade. For multi-trunk trees, two trunks count as the total of both, and three or more count as the total of the three largest. The report also flags any lower-value tree, meaning a tree that is structurally compromised or severely diseased, because that tree needs less replacement and less security.

For retained trees, the bylaw treats the CRZ and the tree protection zone as the same area. Its radius is six times the DBH, or 1 m beyond the dripline, whichever is greater. The barrier follows the same rule. The fence stands at least 1200 mm high on wood posts set 450 mm deep, no more than 2 m apart, with top and bottom rails and plastic mesh.

Confirm with the City of White Rock whether your Type 1 or Type 2 application needs an arborist report.

Replacement count by tree size

Part 7, section 8 ties the replacement count to the DBH of the tree removed:

DBH of removed tree (cm)	Replacement trees
Under 50	2
51 to 65	3
66 to 75	4
76 to 85	5
Over 85	6

A lower-value tree drops to a flat 2 whatever its size. On a small White Rock lot, one large cedar can call for six new trees, and the security follows the count. The report records exact diameters rather than size classes.

Who can sign the report

White Rock’s bylaw definitions call for an ISA Certified Arborist with a current TRAQ credential. The report shows the ISA certification number and the TRAQ. 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.