---
title: Salt Spring Island tree removal rules and permits
question: "Do I need permission to cut down trees on my property?"
place: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/salt-spring-island
category: Building, renovating and your property
owner: other
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/tree-removal/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/tree-removal.json"
---

# Salt Spring Island tree removal rules and permits

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

**Short answer:** Salt Spring Island has no tree bylaw. But the Islands Trust requires a development permit to cut trees in mapped areas near the sea, lakes and streams, and on high slope-hazard land. The permit fee is $1,299. Trees in Capital Regional District (CRD) community parks need written authorization.

**Who handles it:** Another public body  
**Cost:** Islands Trust development permit: $1,299, with a 20% surcharge if applied for after the work is done. Riparian permits also need a Qualified Environmental Professional report at the owner's expense.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Islands Trust Salt Spring office, 250-537-9144 (Unit 4, 121 McPhillips Avenue, V8K 2T6.)
- Email: Islands Trust Salt Spring office, ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca

## Key facts

- **When a permit is needed:** No tree bylaw. Islands Trust OCP 434 requires a development permit to remove: trees over 20 cm across within 10 m of the sea (mapped sensitive areas only); trees within 10 m of a lake or stream (300 m of Maxwell Lake); trees over 20 cm on mapped high slope-hazard land; vegetation in mapped riparian areas.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.3.1.2(j) (DPA 3, shoreline)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "Removal of trees with a trunk diameter greater than 20 cm (measured 1.5 m above the ground) or the" … "in areas where the marine environment has been identified as being particularly sensitive to development impacts."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.4.1.2(a) (DPA 4)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "Removal of trees within 10 m of the natural boundary of a lake or a stream (or within 300 m"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.6.1.2(a) (DPA 6)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "on areas that have been identified as having a high hazard for slope instability."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.7.4.1(b) (DPA 7)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "Removal, alteration, or destruction of vegetation."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Exemptions:** Emergency removal of a hazardous tree is exempt in DPAs 3 to 6; in the riparian area (DPA 7) a tree examined by an arborist and certified as an immediate threat to life or property is exempt, as is gardening within an existing landscaped area. Farming on agricultural land (beyond set distances of water) and forest management are also exempt.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.3.1.3(d)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "the emergency removal of a hazardous tree."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.7.5.1(b)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "The removal of trees that have been examined by an arborist and certified to pose an" … "immediate threat to life or property."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.7.5.1(d)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "Gardening and yard maintenance activities within an existing landscaped area, including"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.4.1.3(a)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "land alteration and vegetation removal on agricultural land that is more than 3 m from the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fee:** Development permit to protect the natural environment, or to protect development from hazardous conditions: $1,299 each (Islands Trust, consolidated April 2026). A permit applied for after the work is done carries a 20% surcharge.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee Fees Bylaw No. 527, Table 2 - Permits](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-ltc-fees-bylaw-no-527)
  - Official wording: "Protection of Natural Environment, Ecosystems and Biological $1,299" … "Protection of Development from Hazardous Conditions $1,299"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee Fees Bylaw No. 527, s. 4.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-ltc-fees-bylaw-no-527)
  - Official wording: "will be subject to a 20% surcharge."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Replacement trees:** Riparian areas (DPA 7): the Local Trust Committee must require security for developments clearing more than 280 m², and may require trees or vegetation to be planted or retained. Other areas: guidelines say native vegetation and trees are to be retained or replaced to control erosion and protect banks.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.7.6.3](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "The Local Trust Committee shall require a security for developments clearing greater than 280m"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.7.6.2(d)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "Require protection measures, including that vegetation or trees be planted or retained in order"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.3.4.3](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "Native vegetation and trees are to be retained or replaced to control erosion, protect banks and"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **City trees:** In CRD community parks and trails on Salt Spring, no one may cut, prune or remove any tree or part of a tree without written CRD authorization. Ticket: $500 (CRD Bylaw 1857, Schedule 23, s. 7(9)); court fines start at $50. Trees on public road allowances were not covered in the documents read.
  - Source: [CRD Bylaw No. 3795, Community Parks Regulations, s. 7(9)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/3795-community-parks-regulations-juan-de-fuca-and-salt-spring-island-electoral-areas)
  - Official wording: "A person must not cut down, prune or remove any tree or any part of a tree in a" … "community park without the written authorization of the CRD"
  - Source: [CRD Ticket Information Authorization Bylaw No. 1857, Schedule 23, Schedule 23 to Bylaw No. 1857](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1857-consolidated-capital-regional-district-ticket-information-authorization-bylaw-1990b)
  - Official wording: "COMMUNITY PARKS REGULATIONS (JUAN DE FUCA AND SALT SPRING ISLAND" … "16. Cut or Remove Tree 7(9) $500.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bylaw:** Salt Spring Island Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 434, 2008, Volume 2 (development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7); Fees Bylaw No. 527.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, title](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "Bylaw No. 434, 2008"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7, E.7.4.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)
  - Official wording: "The following residential, commercial, and/or general employment activities shall require a"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Salt Spring Island has no tree bylaw. The Islands Trust controls tree removal through [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 434](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/), Volume 2. Trees outside every development permit area are not covered by it. Inside the mapped areas, a development permit is required to remove:

- trees over 20 cm across within 10 m of the sea (mapped sensitive areas only)
- trees within 10 m of a lake or stream (300 m of Maxwell Lake)
- trees over 20 cm across on mapped high slope-hazard land
- vegetation in mapped riparian areas

Other triggers include removing vegetation that exposes over 9 m² of bare soil in some areas. Check the development permit area maps on the Trust's Salt Spring bylaws page.

## Steps

1. Ask the Islands Trust (250-537-9144) whether your lot is in a development permit area.
2. If it is, apply for a development permit using the Trust's application guide. The fee is $1,299; a permit applied for after the work is done carries a 20% surcharge.
3. In riparian areas, include a Qualified Environmental Professional report, at your expense.
4. In CRD community parks and trails on Salt Spring, get written CRD authorization before cutting, pruning or removing any tree or part of a tree.

## Good to know

- Emergency removal of a hazardous tree is exempt in development permit areas 3 to 6. In the riparian area, an arborist must examine the tree and certify it is an immediate threat to life or property. In area 6 the arborist's report must be submitted to the Trust.
- Farming on agricultural land (beyond set distances of water) and forest management are also exempt.
- In the riparian area, the Trust must require security for clearing more than 280 m², and may require trees or vegetation to be planted or retained. Elsewhere, guidelines say native vegetation and trees are to be retained or replaced.
- Cutting a tree in a CRD community park or trail without authorization carries a $500 ticket.
- We found no ticket amount for cutting trees without a development permit.

## Official forms and pages

- [Land Use Application Guides & Forms, Islands Trust (Development Permit Application Guide)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/island-planning/salt-spring/land-use-application-guides-forms/)
- [Salt Spring Island Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 434 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/)

## Related questions

- [Salt Spring Island zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Salt Spring Island fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/fence-rules.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Tree removal permits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tree-removal.md)

## Sources

- [Salt Spring Island OCP Bylaw No. 434, Volume 2, development permit areas 3, 4, 6 and 7 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-island-ocp-bylaw-no-434-volumes-1-2/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee Fees Bylaw No. 527 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-ltc-fees-bylaw-no-527) (read 2026-11-05)
- [CRD Bylaw No. 3795, Community Parks Regulations (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/3795-community-parks-regulations-juan-de-fuca-and-salt-spring-island-electoral-areas) (read 2026-11-05)
- [CRD Ticket Information Authorization Bylaw No. 1857, Schedule 23 (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1857-consolidated-capital-regional-district-ticket-information-authorization-bylaw-1990b) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Land Use Application Guides & Forms, Islands Trust](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/island-planning/salt-spring/land-use-application-guides-forms/) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with any government. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/tree-removal/_