Tree rules in Burnaby: permits, protected trees and fees
What the City of Burnaby's pages and tree bylaw brochure say about which trees are protected, when a Tree Cutting Permit is normally issued, the replacement tree ratio and security, the exemptions and the penalty steps.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes three City of Burnaby web pages and the City's tree bylaw brochure as read on October 9, 2026: the trees page, tree removal and replacement, tree maintenance and the Tree Bylaw FAQ brochure. The rule itself is the Burnaby Tree Bylaw. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in Canadian cities.
Which trees are protected
The trees page defines a Protected Tree in several ways. On a property with a development application, it is any tree 20 centimetres (8 inches) or greater in diameter. On a property without one, it is a conifer of 30 centimetres (12 inches) or greater, or a deciduous tree of 45 centimetres (18 inches) or greater. The page also counts as protected a covenanted tree, a tree in a streamside protection and enhancement area under Section 6.23 of the Zoning Bylaw, a tree on a lot zoned Cemetery District (P4), a tree planted under an approved landscaping plan or as a condition of subdivision, a replacement tree and a retained tree. A Tree Cutting Permit is needed to remove a Protected Tree, and the page says one application covers several trees. It says no permit is needed for trees smaller than 30 centimetres unless they are Protected Trees.
When a permit is normally issued
| The page says a permit would normally be issued when | The page says it would not normally be issued when |
|---|---|
| The tree is unhealthy or structurally unsound | The tree shades the yard or house |
| Roots interfere with underground utilities | It drops leaves, needles or other normal material |
| It obstructs sightlines on roadways | It obstructs views or prevents alternative landscaping |
| It damages structures and the damage cannot be mitigated by other means | It attracts bugs, unless due to poor health, or attracts birds or other wildlife |
| It has less than 10 years of healthy lifespan left, or is a species not suited to the site | Not applicable |
| Keeping it would prevent development or servicing of the lot, or cause undue hardship | Not applicable |
Replacement trees and security
Replacement trees are a condition of every Tree Cutting Permit, according to the removal page. The one exception it gives is a single-family or two-family property with no development, where the City may direct replacement depending on the property. The number depends on the diameter of the tree removed: one tree for 20.3 to 30.5 centimetres, two for 30.5 to 61 centimetres and three for 61 centimetres or more. If the trees cannot fit on the property, the page says a cash-in-lieu contribution goes to the Civic Tree Reserve Fund. A security is paid before the permit issues, set as the greater of a per-tree fee, adjusted annually and listed in the Consolidated Fees and Charges Bylaw, or 120 per cent of the cost of the replacement trees. It is held for the first year, and forfeited security goes to the same fund. Conifer replacements must be at least 2 metres high and deciduous replacements at least 5 centimetres in trunk diameter.
Exemptions, bird nesting and enforcement
The brochure lists cases where no permit is needed: trees below the protected size, pruning of protected trees in line with best practice, emergency removal with immediate notice to the City, City work in parks and on boulevards, removal by a public utility or rail company for its works, removal necessary for farm operations as the Right to Farm Act defines them and City removal for roads, pathways and utilities. The removal page adds a bird nesting season from March 15 to August 15.
The brochure sets out progressive enforcement: mitigation planting, withholding a bond, a ticket and prosecution. It gives the ticket for cutting a Protected Tree without a valid permit as CA$500, and a penalty on prosecution under the Offence Act of at least CA$2,000 and at most CA$10,000. The brochure also gives a fee table with a per-tree fee and a cap, but the City's page says the replacement security fee is adjusted annually, so the fee schedule is not reproduced here.
Who handles which trees
The maintenance page says trees on City land, boulevards included, are managed by the Parks Forestry division under the Tree Management Policy for Public Lands. It says Parks Forestry does not inspect or work on trees on private property. Trees on private property go to 604-294-7130 and City trees to the tree service line, 604-297-4500. When a house is built or demolished and rebuilt, the page says tree protection requirements must be complete before the City can issue permits.