Montrose tree removal rules and permits
Do I need permission to cut down a tree on my property in Montrose?
No Montrose bylaw we found requires a permit to cut a tree on private land. Boulevard trees and trees in streets, parks and public spaces cannot be cut or damaged without Village permission. The Official Community Plan may require a development permit in some areas; ask the Village Office.
Key facts
| When a permit is needed | No tree-cutting bylaw found. The Village's 2008 Official Community Plan (Bylaw #669) treats cutting down trees or other vegetation as a change needing a development permit inside its development permit areas (steep slope, core commercial, multiple-unit residential). The current OCP #763 could not be read; ask the Village Office.Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 669, 2008, Schedule A, s. 4.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingremoval or soil and fill, and removal or cutting down of trees or other vegetation. In order to |
|---|---|
| Exemptions | Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. |
| Fee | Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. |
| Replacement trees | Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. |
| City trees | No one may damage or alter a boulevard or any tree, shrub, plant, bush or hedge on a boulevard without Village permission, or cut, remove or damage any tree in a street, park or public space. Council may approve pruning public trees to preserve views if a tree service does it at the owner's cost.Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024, ss. 6.2(a), 9.1(h); Tree Pruning Policy 6300, Policy #6300 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingwillfully injure, damage, or alter, any boulevard or any tree, shrub, plant, bush or hedge cut, remove or damage any tree, shrub or flower plant, bush or hedge; To approve the pruning of trees requested by property owners on the condition that the property owner assume the cost of pruning and clean-up. |
| Fine | No tree permit is required on private land, so no ticket for cutting without one. For boulevard and public-space trees the Good Neighbour Bylaw sets no ticket amount: on summary conviction the Offence Act maximum fine applies, with up to 90 days in jail, or both.Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024, s. 13.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingto a maximum fine as identified in the Offence Act, and in the case of a conviction a term of |
| Bylaw | Good Neighbour Bylaw #779, 2024 (boulevard and public-space trees only). No private-land tree bylaw found.Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024, ss. 6.2, 9.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingVillage of Montrose Good Neighbor Bylaw #779 |
How it works
The Village of Montrose has no tree-cutting bylaw for private land that we could find. The Village's 2008 Official Community Plan (Bylaw 669) treats cutting down trees or other vegetation as a change needing a development permit inside its development permit areas (steep slope, core commercial and multiple-unit residential). The current plan, Bylaw 763, could not be read, so check with the Village Office whether your lot is in one of these areas.
Village trees
Under the Good Neighbour Bylaw 779, no one may damage or alter a boulevard, or any tree, shrub, plant, bush or hedge on a boulevard, without Village permission, or cut, remove or damage any tree in a street, park or public space. Council may approve pruning public trees to preserve views if a tree service does it at the owner's cost.
Good to know
- Under the Village's Tree Hazard Management Policy, if dead-looking branches from a private tree reach public space, the Public Works Foreman gives the owner seven days' notice to remove them, then the Village removes them.
- The Good Neighbour Bylaw sets no ticket amount for trees. On summary conviction the Offence Act maximum fine applies, with up to 90 days in jail, or both.
- No replacement planting, fee or exemption list was found.
- Contact the Village Office on 250-367-7234 or admin@montrose.ca.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Fruitvale · Trail · Rossland · Castlegar · Nelson · Grand Forks
Sources
- Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 779, 2024 (PDF), Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
- Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 669, 2008, Schedule A (PDF), Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
- Tree Pruning Policy 6300 (PDF), Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
- Permits and Licenses, Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
- Contacts, Village of Montrose (read 2026-11-08)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 3 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.