Renovating a West Vancouver home near trees: what the Tree Bylaw asks before and during the work

West Vancouver protects many trees by bylaw. A renovation that stays inside the house does not touch them. An addition, a new deck, a driveway, a drain line or a crane on the lawn can. West Vancouver's Tree Bylaw sets what has to happen before that work starts and while it goes on.

We are a renovation company working in North and West Vancouver. This article reads the Tree Bylaw No. 4892, 2016, as consolidated with its amendments up to Bylaw 5373, 2025, which took effect on December 15, 2025, and the District's Building Bylaw No. 5340, 2025.

Which trees are protected

The bylaw measures a tree's diameter 1.4 metres above the highest ground next to it. It calls a tree protected when it is any of these:

• 75 centimetres or more in diameter, or several stems that add up to 75 centimetres
• a replacement tree planted under the bylaw, or a tree that must be kept under a covenant, a development permit or a building permit
• a heritage tree
• within 15 metres of the top of a watercourse bank, or 5 metres for a stream that runs only part of the year, or within 15 metres of the ocean
• an arbutus, Garry oak, Pacific yew, Pacific dogwood or yellow cedar over 20 centimetres, or a shore pine in the protected shoreline area
• a tree with an active bird nest, or with the nest of an eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, heron, osprey or burrowing owl, active or not
• habitat of a protected wildlife species
• on land the District owns, including roads and boulevards

There is one more line for new homes. On a lot being developed with at least one new house or commercial building, or subdivided for a new house, every tree 20 centimetres or more across is protected. A renovation of the house that is already there is held to the other lines, such as the 75 centimetre rule.

The barrier comes first

The bylaw forbids any tree cutting, site preparation, demolition, excavation or construction until a tree protection barrier is in place. The barrier must protect:

• protected trees outside the Permitted Building Envelope, the part of the lot where the Zoning Bylaw allows the house
• the part of a neighbour's tree roots that lies on your building site
• trees on a boulevard next to the site
• District trees within 3 metres of the site

Whoever installs the barrier must have the District Arborist inspect it before work begins, keep the fenced area clear of materials and debris, and keep the barrier in good condition until the District Arborist allows its removal. On a boulevard or in a park, it must come down within 14 days of that approval.

Work inside the barrier is allowed only while an arborist watches it. When it is done, that arborist sends the District a report with photos of the fencing put back and of the trees.

The bylaw also lists ways of damaging a tree that are not allowed: cutting its roots, blasting, packing down the soil, or pouring concrete or other hard surfaces under its drip line, which is the ground below the outer edge of its branches. Spilling something toxic there, cutting a ring around the trunk, burning it, or pruning so much that the tree dies also count.

Cutting or pruning a protected tree

Cutting a protected tree needs a tree cutting permit. The District's Director may issue one for pruning that follows good practice and an arborist's advice, for a tree an arborist certifies as hazardous, for a tree damaging pipes, drains or a structure when nothing else will fix it, and for a tree in the way of a driveway up to 4.5 metres wide or a lane garage shown in a building permit. The Director must issue a permit for a tree inside the Permitted Building Envelope that is shown in a building permit.

Where pruning can deal with the risk, the Director may allow pruning only. A tree that is an immediate danger, as an arborist certifies, can be cut without a permit first, but the cutting must be reported and a permit applied for within one business day, and the wood must stay where it fell until the permit is issued.

Bird nests can delay a permit. The Director may hold a permit until the end of the nesting season when a tree is near the nest of a protected species. Section 34 of BC's Wildlife Act makes it an offence to injure or destroy a bird, its egg or a nest a bird occupies, and protects the nests of eagles, peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, ospreys, herons and burrowing owls at all times.

Replacing what is cut

For each protected tree removed, the permit holder plants one replacement tree, at least 5 centimetres across for a deciduous tree or 3 metres tall for a conifer, from the bylaw's list or a species the Director approves. The District takes a security of $1,000 for each replacement tree, up to $10,000. It keeps the money if the tree is not planted or dies, and returns it no later than one year after planting. When an arborist, landscape architect or licensed landscape contractor confirms there is no room to plant, the owner pays $1,000 for each tree into the District's Environmental Reserve Fund instead.

The building permit and the trees

West Vancouver's Building Bylaw says no construction, alteration or demolition may start without a permit. A permit application includes a site plan that shows the location and species of every tree greater than 10 centimetres across, and the top of bank of any watercourse. For a house, the Building Inspector may waive the site plan in whole or in part when the permit is for the repair or alteration of an existing building.

For older houses there is one more step before demolition starts inside. WorkSafeBC's Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, section 20.112, says that before work begins on the renovation of a building, the employers responsible and the owner must make sure a qualified person inspects it to identify any hazardous materials.

Before you plan

On a treed lot, measure the trees near the work, find any creek or the ocean's edge within 15 metres, and mark where the Zoning Bylaw lets the house sit. Those three facts tell you whether you need a barrier, a permit or a replacement tree, and whether an addition fits where you want it.

This article is general information from a renovation contractor. The Tree Bylaw text is a consolidation for convenience, and the District's staff can confirm what applies to your own lot.