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

# Lumby tree removal rules and permits

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

**Short answer:** In Lumby there is no general permit to cut a tree on private land. A development permit is needed to remove vegetation in a mapped watercourse area or beside an unmapped watercourse. Village trees may not be cut without written permission.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Lumby, https://lumby.ca)  
**Cost:** No fee for cutting a tree itself. Where an Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Permit is needed, the application fee is $500.  
**How long:** The Village does not state a processing time.  
**Where:**
- In person: Municipal Hall, 1775 Glencaird Street, Lumby, BC V0E 2G0 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
- Phone: Village office, 250-547-2171
- Phone: RDNO Planning, 250-550-3700

## Key facts

- **When a permit is needed:** No general permit for cutting trees on private land. Under the OCP an Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Permit is needed before removing vegetation in a mapped watercourse area or beside an unmapped watercourse. Tree Policy s. 9 also requires a Tree Cutting Permit, with a Qualified Environmental Professional report, for the four salmon-creek corridors.
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 761, 2014, OCP s. 5.6.3](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7662/)
  - Official wording: "removal, alteration, disruption or destruction of vegetation;" … "Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Permit prior to:" … "alteration of land."
  - Source: [Village of Lumby Tree Policy, Tree Policy s. 9.a](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/671/)
  - Official wording: "this stream corridor identified will require a Tree Cutting Permit for all maintenance performed."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Exemptions:** Exempt from that permit: actions backed by a Qualified Professional's report showing no significant environmental impact; cultivating land in the Agricultural Land Reserve; farm buildings and normal farm practices; an accessory building up to 40 m² (not in a riparian assessment area, no variances); emergency removal of hazardous trees (listed for Village or Crown agency actions).
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 761, 2014, OCP s. 5.6.4](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7662/)
  - Official wording: "the cultivation of lands for agricultural purposes within the Agricultural Land Reserve." … "the emergency removal of dangerous or hazardous trees or limbs by standard arboricultural practices" … "not to exceed 40" … "m2 (430 sq ft) where no variances of the Zoning Bylaw are required"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee:** No fee for tree cutting itself. Where an Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Permit is needed, the application fee is $500.
  - Source: [Planning Procedures and Fees Bylaw No. 656, 2007, Schedule of fees](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/5122/)
  - Official wording: "Development Permit for Environmentally Sensitive Areas 500.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Replacement trees:** Where a Tree Cutting Permit is issued the Village may require replacement: unless waived, two replacement trees for each tree removed, within one growing season (3 m minimum for conifers, 80 mm trunk diameter for deciduous). A development permit may also require security for landscaping or restoration.
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 761, 2014, OCP s. 5.2(d)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7662/)
  - Official wording: "requires security be provided to ensure that conditions of the Development Permit are" … "habitat restoration works, post-"
  - Source: [Village of Lumby Tree Policy, Tree Policy s. 10.a](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/671/)
  - Official wording: "must be replaced within one growing season at a ratio of two replacement trees for each tree removed"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **City trees:** Only Village staff or approved contractors may work on Village trees. No one else may plant, remove, prune or otherwise affect a tree on Village property without written permission or a Tree Cutting Permit from the Public Works and Parks Superintendent. In parks and public places, cutting or injuring any tree is prohibited without Village authorization. A tree whose trunk crosses a property line is joint property.
  - Source: [Village of Lumby Tree Policy, Tree Policy s. B.1.0](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/671/)
  - Official wording: "No other person may plant, remove, prune or otherwise undertake any activity that" … "Trees are considered joint property when any part of the tree trunk crosses a"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw, s. 7.2(a)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/6001/)
  - Official wording: "cut, destroy, damage, climb, break, remove or injure any tree, sapling, shrub, plant,"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** In a park or other public place: $150 first offence, $300 second and later for cutting or destroying vegetation (Bylaw 903 Schedule H); the Good Neighbour Bylaw's reference table shows $500 for a second offence. No ticket for cutting trees on private land was found. (Sources differ: Failing to trim a tree or hedge when directed by the Village (s. 10.3(f)): $150 / $300.)
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice and ticket bylaw, Bylaw No. 903, Schedule H](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7236/)
  - Official wording: "Cut/destroy vegetation 7.2(a) $150.00 $300.00"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw, Bylaw 877 Schedule H (reference only)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/6001/)
  - Official wording: "Cut/Destroy vegetation 7.2(0} $150.00 $500.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** No private-land tree bylaw. Village of Lumby Tree Policy (Village property); Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 761, 2014, s. 5.6 (Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Permits)
  - Source: [Village of Lumby Tree Policy](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/671/)
  - Official wording: "For the Management of Trees on Village Property"
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 761, 2014, OCP s. 5.6](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7662/)
  - Official wording: "5.6 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Permits"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Lumby has no tree bylaw for private land. The rules come from the Official Community Plan ([Bylaw No. 761](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7662/), s. 5.6) and the Village's [Tree Policy](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/671/), which covers Village property.

**Private land:** an Environmentally Sensitive Areas Development Permit is needed before removing vegetation in a mapped watercourse area or beside an unmapped watercourse. The Tree Policy (s. 9) also requires a Tree Cutting Permit, with a Qualified Environmental Professional report, for the four salmon-creek corridors. The OCP maps are Schedules E and F.

**Exempt from that permit:** actions backed by a Qualified Professional's report showing no significant environmental impact; cultivating land in the Agricultural Land Reserve; farm buildings and normal farm practices; an accessory building up to 40 m² (not in a riparian assessment area, no variances); and emergency removal of hazardous trees.

**Replacement:** where a Tree Cutting Permit is issued, the Village may require two replacement trees for each tree removed, within one growing season, unless waived (3 m minimum for conifers, 80 mm trunk diameter for deciduous). A development permit may also require security for landscaping or restoration.

**Village trees:** only Village staff or approved contractors may work on them. No one else may plant, remove, prune or otherwise affect a tree on Village property without written permission or a Tree Cutting Permit from the Public Works and Parks Superintendent. In parks and public places, cutting or injuring any tree is prohibited without Village authorization.

## Steps

1. Check whether your tree is near a watercourse or in a mapped area (OCP Schedules E and F).
2. If it is, call RDNO planning (250-550-3700) about a development permit. The application fee is $500.
3. If the tree is on Village property, ask Public Works first.
4. Cutting a tree on private land elsewhere needs no Village permit.

## Good to know

- A tree whose trunk crosses a property line is joint property.
- The Tree Policy says removal for views, shade or leaf litter is refused.
- Cutting or destroying vegetation in a park or public place is $150 for a first offence and $300 for a second and later (Bylaw 903 Schedule H). The Good Neighbour Bylaw's reference table shows $500 for a second offence, so confirm the amount with the Village.
- Failing to trim a tree or hedge when directed by the Village is also $150 first, $300 later.
- No ticket for cutting trees on private land was found.

## Official forms and pages

- [Tree Policy, Village of Lumby (PDF)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/671/)
- [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 761, 2014 (PDF)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7662/)

## Related questions

- [Lumby zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lumby/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Lumby bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lumby/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Tree removal permits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tree-removal.md)
- [Coldstream](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coldstream/tree-removal.md)
- [Vernon](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vernon/tree-removal.md)
- [Spallumcheen](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/tree-removal.md)
- [Armstrong](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/tree-removal.md)
- [Enderby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/enderby/tree-removal.md)
- [Lake Country](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-country/tree-removal.md)

## Sources

- [Village of Lumby Tree Policy (PDF)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/671/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 761, 2014 (PDF)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7662/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Planning Procedures and Fees Bylaw No. 656, 2007 (PDF)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/5122/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaw Notice and ticket bylaw, Bylaw No. 903 (PDF)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/7236/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Good Neighbour Bylaw (PDF)](https://lumby.civicweb.net/document/6001/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Planning and Building Inspection, Village of Lumby](https://lumby.ca/planning-and-building-inspection/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 7 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Lumby. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lumby/tree-removal/_