Do I need a permit to cut down a tree?

Trees & tree removal — Richmond, British Columbia

In the City of Richmond, British Columbia, permit required: True; applies to private property: True; protected threshold: dbh of at least 20 centimetres and height of at least 4.5 metres; or any size in ESA/City land; replacement required: one (1) or more replacement trees per Schedule A; cash-in-lieu to Tree Compensation Fund if security deposit drawn. Source: Tree Protection Bylaw No. 8057 (Consolidated), verified 2026-08-28.

Tree Protection Bylaw No. 8057 (Consolidated) adopted bylaw

permit required	True	s. 3.1.1
applies to private property	True	s. 1.1(b)
protected threshold	dbh of at least 20 centimetres and height of at least 4.5 metres; or any size in ESA/City land	s. 2.1 TREE
replacement required	one (1) or more replacement trees per Schedule A; cash-in-lieu to Tree Compensation Fund if security deposit drawn	s. 4.3.1; Schedule A; s. 4.4.2
boulevard trees	Applies to City-owned trees; permit required to cut/remove; protection barriers required during adjacent works.	s. 1.1(a); s. 5.2.5
fine range	not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) and not more than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00)	s. 7.3

scout note

Requires a permit to cut/remove trees of 20cm+ DBH generally; defines a 'significant tree' as 92.0cm DBH (36in) or greater, triggering mandatory replacement-tree planting and penalties for unlawful removal.