---
title: Houston tree removal rules and permits
question: "Do I need permission to cut down a tree on my property in Houston?"
place: Houston, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/houston
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Houston
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/tree-removal/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/tree-removal.json"
---

# Houston tree removal rules and permits

**Question:** Do I need permission to cut down a tree on my property in Houston?

**Short answer:** The District of Houston's bylaws and website do not set a tree-cutting permit, fee or replacement rule for private property. Trees in a park are protected, and injuring or removing vegetation on a street or public place carries a $200 municipal ticket. Call 250-845-2238 to confirm.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Houston, https://houston.ca)  
**Cost:** No tree permit or fee found in the District's bylaws.  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Community Development Department, 250-845-2238
- Email: Community Development email, ecdev@houston.ca
- In person: Municipal Office, 3367 12th Street, Houston, BC V0J 1Z0 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **When a permit is needed:** None set. Houston's bylaws set no tree permit for removing a tree on private property.
- **Exemptions:** None set. Houston's bylaws set no tree-cutting exemptions, since there is no tree permit.
- **Fee:** None set. Houston's bylaws set no fee for removing a tree.
- **Replacement trees:** None set. Houston's bylaws set no replacement planting for removing a tree.
- **City trees:** In a park, no one may cut, remove, damage or deface any tree, shrub or plant (Parks Regulation Bylaw). On streets and public places, injuring or removing vegetation is a ticketable offence under Traffic Bylaw No. 331, 1982: municipal ticket $200. That bylaw is not posted online.
  - Source: [Parks Regulation Bylaw No. 1034, 2013, s. 3.0](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145461/)
  - Official wording: "No person shall cut, break, injure, remove or in any way destroy, damage, mutilate or deface any tree, shrub, plant, turf,"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1060, 2014, Schedule B8, Traffic Bylaw No. 331, 1982](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145104/)
  - Official wording: "Injure or remove vegetation from street or public place"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bylaw:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.

## How it works

We found no tree-cutting rule for private property in Houston. The [Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/149520/), the Official Community Plan, the Fees & Charges Bylaw and the District's bylaw library set no tree permit, fee, exemptions or replacement planting for removing a tree. Required landscaping and trees for new development are covered in section 5.8 of the Zoning Bylaw.

## Steps

1. Call the Community Development Department at 250-845-2238 or email ecdev@houston.ca to confirm no rule applies to your tree.
2. If the tree is in a park, on a street or on other public land, do not cut it. Ask the District first.

## Good to know

- In a park, no one may cut, remove, damage or deface any tree, shrub or plant ([Parks Regulation Bylaw No. 1034, 2013](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145461/)).
- On streets and public places, injuring or removing vegetation is a ticketable offence under Traffic Bylaw No. 331, 1982: the municipal ticket is $200 ([Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1060, 2014](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145104/)). Traffic Bylaw No. 331 is not posted online.
- The Zoning Bylaw lists four development permit areas (Highway Corridor, Downtown, Multifamily, Wildfire). The Wildfire permit applies to a new building needing a building permit, and land alterations are exempt from it.
- We found no rule on boulevard or street trees in the documents read.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026 (PDF), District of Houston](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/149520/)
- [Parks Regulation Bylaw No. 1034, 2013 (PDF), District of Houston](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145461/)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1060, 2014 (PDF), District of Houston](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145104/)
- [Bylaws & Policies, District of Houston](https://houston.ca/our-government/bylaws/)

## Related questions

- [Houston zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Houston building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/building-permit.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Tree removal permits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tree-removal.md)
- [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/tree-removal.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/tree-removal.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/tree-removal.md)
- [Fraser Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fraser-lake/tree-removal.md)
- [Fort St James](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/tree-removal.md)
- [Vanderhoof](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vanderhoof/tree-removal.md)

## Sources

- [Parks Regulation Bylaw No. 1034, 2013 (PDF), District of Houston](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145461/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1060, 2014 (PDF), District of Houston](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/145104/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026 (PDF), District of Houston](https://houston.civicweb.net/document/149520/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws & Policies, District of Houston](https://houston.ca/our-government/bylaws/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 1 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 4 are recorded as not set; 2 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Houston. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/tree-removal/_