Ashcroft tree removal rules and permits

Do I need permission to cut down a tree on my property?

Ashcroft, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

How it works

The Village has no tree-cutting permit bylaw that we found in the Good Neighbour Bylaw, the Zoning Bylaw or the Official Community Plan. The Plan's Development Permit Areas may apply. In Area 1 (streamside, riparian areas) and Area 2 (hazardous slopes and soils), a development permit is required for subdivision, construction or alteration of a building or structure, or "alteration of land". The Plan does not say whether cutting a tree counts as alteration of land.

Area 1 does not apply to repair of a permanent structure on its existing foundation, or to agricultural, mining or forestry development. Area 2 does not apply to, among others, new buildings under 10 m² and the erection of a sign or fence.

Steps

1. Ask the Village office whether your property is in a Development Permit Area and whether cutting a tree there needs a permit.
2. If a development permit is required, the fee is $500 (Fees and Charges Bylaw, Schedule L).

Good to know

• Under the Good Neighbour Bylaw (s. 3.7), owners must keep trees and hedges tidy, trimmed back from sidewalks and roads, and free of dead or dry material. Planting a cedar hedge is banned, and existing cedar hedges must be replaced with FireSmart vegetation when a property is redeveloped.
• The bylaws read set no replanting requirement and no fine for cutting without a permit.
• Owners must keep adjacent boulevards tidy, with grass and weeds under 15 cm, and may not place unauthorized structures, materials or landscaping on them (s. 3.11). No rule on cutting Village-owned trees was found.