Tree rules in Regina: permits, protected trees and fees
What the City of Regina's Forestry Bylaw 2002-48 says about public trees, trees on private property, the removal charge and the fines, and what the City says about the provincial ban on pruning elms.
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 the Regina Forestry Bylaw, Bylaw No. 2002-48, in the office consolidation that includes amendments to December 8, 2021, as read on October 9, 2026, with the City's bylaw page and its Dutch elm disease page. The consolidation carries a disclaimer that it is for research convenience and that the City Clerk's official bylaw must be consulted for interpretation. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in Canadian cities.
What the bylaw covers
The City describes the bylaw as set up to regulate, protect, plant and maintain trees within Regina. It defines a tree as a living woody plant with one or more stems, a caliper of at least 2.5 centimetres and a height of at least 1.5 metres. A public tree is a tree on public land, which includes land the City holds under a tree planting easement and any street. Its private-property sections deal with elm disease, planting distances and overhanging branches.
Public trees
Section 4 says no person other than the Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services may plant a public tree, or damage, disturb, prune or remove one. It also bars attaching signs, wires, ropes or nails to a public tree, changing grade or drainage in a way that blocks water, air or nutrients, and work that harms the roots or upper structure. No walkway, driveway or paving may be built within 0.5 metres of the base for every 10 centimetres of trunk diameter, measured 100 centimetres off the ground. Work around a public tree needs a substantial protective barrier first, built to the City's Urban Forestry Management Strategy.
Section 3 says no person may remove an established tree on public land except as the section allows. The Director may authorize removal of a dangerous, nuisance or structurally damaged tree. For an established tree, the Director may authorize removal on a written request, after weighing the reason, options that avoid removal, the chance of relocating the tree and its historic or environmental value. A person dissatisfied with that decision may appeal in writing to the Executive Director through the City Clerk's Office within 14 days of the notice. When removal is ordered at someone's request, the section makes that party pay the cost of removal and relocation, plus the greater of CA$500 or 20 per cent of the tree's inventory cost, set by the Director under standards of the International Society of Arboriculture.
Sections 5 and 6 say no one may apply a pesticide to a public tree without the Director's written approval, and no one may do so in the course of employment or for money without first attending an orientation seminar the Director sets.
Trees on private property
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| 7 | An Officer may order removal of a hazard tree or infected tree on private property. These are elms identified in writing and by a marking on the tree |
| 9 and 10 | No tree may be planted on private property within 5 metres of a street intersection or within 3 metres of a property line next to a street. The Director may order such a tree removed, or cut back in height or width to keep sight lines clear |
| 11 | Every owner must see that branches overhanging a street are at least 6 metres from the ground. The Director may give written notice, with 20 days to comply, and if the owner does not, the City may do the work and add the cost to the property taxes |
Elms and the pruning ban
The City's Dutch elm disease page says provincial legislation prohibits pruning elms between April 1 and August 31, because the scent of a fresh cut attracts the elm bark beetle. It says provincial regulations bar storing, using, marketing or transporting any elm for any purpose, and that the City leaves a letter where it finds elm wood on private property and collects and destroys the wood if it is not removed.
Penalties
Section 13 makes contravening any provision of the bylaw an offence on summary conviction, with a fine of up to CA$2,000 for an individual and up to CA$5,000 for a corporation, or for an individual in default of payment up to 90 days in prison.