Burnaby tree rules for homeowners and property managers
Everything behind the permit checker, in plain English. Each rule cites the City of Burnaby document it comes from.
What is a protected tree in Burnaby?
You need a tree cutting permit to remove or damage a protected tree. Which trees are protected depends on their size, their type, and whether the property has a development application.
Conifers
30.5 cm
(12 in) trunk diameter and up. Conifers have needles or scales and bear cones, like Douglas fir and western red cedar.
Broadleaf trees
45.7 cm
(18 in) trunk diameter and up. Broadleaf means any tree that isn't a conifer, like maples and oaks.
During development
20.3 cm
(8 in) and up, any type, once a demolition, building, rezoning, subdivision or preliminary plan application has been made.
Protected at any size
- Replacement trees planted for an earlier tree permit
- Trees shown as kept on an approved tree plan (retained trees)
- Trees that must be kept or planted under a covenant on title
- Trees planted under an approved development landscape plan or as a condition of subdivision
- Trees in a streamside protection and enhancement area
- Trees on land zoned Cemetery District (P4)
How to measure your tree
Measure the trunk 1.3 m (about 4 ft 3 in) above the ground. Wrap a tape measure around it and divide by 3.14 to get the diameter. A trunk 96 cm around is about 30.5 cm across.
For a tree with several trunks, measure the three largest and add their diameters together.
Hedges get no special exemption. Most hedge plants are too small to be protected, but an old hedge that has grown into separate trees can qualify.
Read the official Tree Bylaw (PDF) Fees bylaw, Schedule E11 (PDF) City of Burnaby trees page
When you don't need a tree permit in Burnaby
A permit isn't needed for a tree below the protected sizes that isn't in one of the special categories. For protected trees, two things are also exempt.
Pruning done properly
Pruning a protected tree to accepted arboricultural practice needs no permit. Topping a tree, stripping branches badly or cutting roots inside the dripline (the ground under the outer edge of the branches) all count as damaging it, and damaging a protected tree without a permit is an offence.
A genuine storm emergency
If wind, snow or other severe weather has left a protected tree so damaged or unstable that it could fall and hurt someone or damage property, it can come down without a permit. Whoever removes it must tell the City right away. Keep people clear and have a qualified tree crew deal with it.
Tree Bylaw s.2(f), s.3, s.4(a) and (b); FAQ Q24 and Q46.Will the City approve removing my tree?
Burnaby aims to keep healthy protected trees while allowing removal of trees that are hazardous, in serious conflict with how the property is used, or in the way of development.
Usually approved
- The tree is unhealthy or structurally unsound
- It's dangerous
- Roots are interfering with underground utilities
- It's damaging structures on the property and that can't be fixed another way
- It blocks sight lines on a road
- The species isn't suited to the site, or there isn't room for it when mature
- It has less than 10 years of healthy life left
- Removing one of several trees will help the health and safety of the rest
- Keeping it would cause the owner undue hardship
Usually refused
- It shades the house or yard
- It drops normal amounts of leaves, needles or cones
- It blocks a view
- You'd like to landscape the yard differently
- It attracts normal amounts of bugs, unless because of poor health
- It attracts birds or wildlife, unless they're damaging structures and removal is the only fix
FAQ Q19; Information Guide: Tree Permits (with Development), revised 1 July 2026, p.2–3. Aphids alone are unlikely to justify removal (FAQ Q43).
How to get a tree cutting permit in Burnaby
This is the City's process for a property that isn't being developed.
Check whether the tree is protected
Use the permit checker, or ask the City. Staff may visit the site. If it isn't protected, no permit is needed.
City staff check the removal criteria
If the tree qualifies for removal, staff decide whether replacement trees are needed and how many.
If staff say no, get an arborist's assessment
A certified arborist can assess the tree's health and risk. If they recommend removal and staff agree the report follows good practice, a permit is issued.
Apply and pay
Submit the application and the non-refundable fee. If you aren't the owner, include the owner's signed consent. Pay any replacement tree security or cash-in-lieu.
The permit is issued
The permit to cut is valid for six months from the date it's issued.
Plant and keep the replacement trees
Plant within one year of the permit being issued. The City inspects after planting and again a year later, then returns the security.
When Burnaby asks for an arborist report
For a tree on a property that isn't being developed, a report isn't automatic, but it's often what decides the outcome.
- The City can require one. The report comes from an ISA Certified Arborist and covers the tree's health, hazard potential and whether it can be kept.
- Dangerous trees need one. To remove a tree as dangerous, the removal must follow the written recommendations of a certified arborist you hire.
- It's how you challenge a refusal. If staff won't approve removal, an arborist's report recommending it is the next step.
We write these reports, with a tree risk assessment where it's needed, for a fixed fee agreed before the site visit. The fee never depends on what the report concludes. Send photos to get started.
Tree Bylaw s.5(1)(d) and s.6(1)(a); FAQ Q21–22.Replacement trees, security and cash-in-lieu
When a protected tree comes down, the owner plants replacement trees on the same property. Bigger trees need more.
| Diameter of tree removed | Replacement trees |
|---|---|
| Up to and including 30.5 cm (12 in) | 1 |
| Over 30.5 cm, up to and including 61 cm (24 in) | 2 |
| Over 61 cm | 3 |
What counts as a replacement
Conifers at least 2 m tall. Broadleaf trees at least 5 cm in trunk diameter, or two fruit trees at least 2.5 cm each. Healthy nursery stock, planted and cared for properly, and not a shrub or low-growing variety.
Houses and duplexes
On a single or two-family lot with no development application, the City may waive replacement trees, depending on the property. On stratas, rental buildings and other sites, expect to plant them.
Security
The City holds a security until the trees are planted and have survived a year: $1,500 or 120% of the replacement cost, whichever is more. It's a cash deposit or a bank letter of credit, and it's forfeited if the trees aren't planted on time or aren't healthy at the one-year inspection.
Cash-in-lieu
If the City agrees the trees can't all fit on the property, it can accept $1,500 per tree instead, paid into the Civic Tree Reserve Fund for planting on City land.
Burnaby tree permit fees (2026)
With no development application on the property, the fee is the same for houses, stratas and every other kind of site.
$97 per tree
up to a maximum of $691 per application. Tree permit fees are non-refundable.
The fee is separate from any replacement tree security or cash-in-lieu, and separate from what an arborist or tree crew charges.
Fees are set in the City's fees bylaw and usually change each year.
Burnaby Consolidated Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 14485, Schedule E11 (in effect 1 January 2026); Tree Bylaw s.5(1)(a). Earlier FAQ figures ($70 per tree) are out of date.Dead, dying or dangerous trees
The bylaw has no automatic exemption for dead trees. A dead tree above the protected size still needs a permit, unless it's an emergency.
Unhealthy and structurally unsound trees are among the reasons the City usually approves. For a tree you believe is dangerous, the bylaw calls for the written recommendation of a certified arborist you hire.
If a storm has left a tree about to fall, it's an emergency: keep people away, have a qualified crew make it safe, and tell the City right away. Never climb or cut a damaged tree yourself.
Tree Bylaw s.2(g), s.4(b) and s.6(1)(a); FAQ Q19.Neighbour trees and the property line
You and your neighbour each have the right to keep the trees on your own property. Neither can make the other plant or remove one.
You can prune branches and roots that cross onto your property, as long as the work doesn't damage, kill or destabilize the tree.
The owner is responsible for making sure their tree isn't a hazard or damaging your property. Leaves, needles and bugs crossing the line don't count as damage.
Stratas, rental buildings and property managers
The same size limits apply, but a few rules land differently on multi-unit and managed properties.
- Applying for the owner. If you apply on the owner's behalf, the application needs the owner's signed written consent naming you as their agent.
- Replacement trees. The City's option to waive replacement trees only covers single and two-family lots. Stratas and rental buildings should budget for replacements and a security of at least $1,500.
- Earlier development conditions. Trees planted under a building's approved landscape plan are protected at any size, which catches many trees on newer complexes.
The City documents we reviewed don't say what approvals a strata council needs internally before applying. Check your strata's bylaws.
Tree Bylaw s.2(o)(vi), s.2(r), s.5(1)(b) and s.12(a).Fines for cutting a tree without a permit in Burnaby
$2,000 to $10,000
per violation on conviction
The City uses a series of steps depending on how serious the offence is:
- requiring replacement trees, or cash-in-lieu if they won't fit
- keeping a bond held for replacement trees
- a bylaw ticket for cutting a protected tree without a permit (listed at $500 in the City's FAQ)
- prosecution, with a fine of $2,000 to $10,000 for each violation
The owner must also get tree permits for the trees removed and pay all fees.
Appealing a refused tree permit
If the City won't allow removal, you have three options.
- Keep the tree.
- Hire a certified arborist to assess it. If they recommend removal and staff find the report consistent with good practice, a permit can be issued.
- Appeal to the Director or directly to Council. A request for Council to reconsider must be in writing, signed, delivered to the City Clerk, and include your contact details, the site address, the decision you object to and your reasons.
Not sure where your tree stands?
Run the permit checker, or send us photos and we'll tell you what Burnaby's rules mean for your tree. If you need an arborist report, we'll quote a fixed fee.
Check my tree