Houston tree removal rules and permits
Do I need permission to cut down a tree on my property in Houston?
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.
Key facts
| When a permit is needed | None set. Houston's bylaws set no tree permit for removing a tree on private property.Read: Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026; Bylaws & Policies |
|---|---|
| Exemptions | None set. Houston's bylaws set no tree-cutting exemptions, since there is no tree permit.Read: Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026; Bylaws & Policies |
| Fee | None set. Houston's bylaws set no fee for removing a tree.Read: Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026; Bylaws & Policies |
| Replacement trees | None set. Houston's bylaws set no replacement planting for removing a tree.Read: Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026; Bylaws & Policies |
| 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.Parks Regulation Bylaw No. 1034, 2013, s. 3.0; Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1060, 2014, Schedule B8, Traffic Bylaw No. 331, 1982 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingNo person shall cut, break, injure, remove or in any way destroy, damage, mutilate or deface any tree, shrub, plant, turf, Injure or remove vegetation from street or public place |
| 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, 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
- Call the Community Development Department at 250-845-2238 or email ecdev@houston.ca to confirm no rule applies to your tree.
- 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).
- 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). 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
The same question in other places
Telkwa · Smithers · Terrace · Fraser Lake · Fort St James · Vanderhoof
Sources
- Parks Regulation Bylaw No. 1034, 2013 (PDF), District of Houston (read 2026-11-08)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1060, 2014 (PDF), District of Houston (read 2026-11-08)
- Zoning Bylaw No. 1225, 2026 (PDF), District of Houston (read 2026-11-08)
- Bylaws & Policies, District of Houston (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. How answers are checked.