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

# Valemount tree removal rules and permits

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

**Short answer:** Valemount has no tree bylaw and no stand-alone tree-cutting permit for private land that we could find. In a Development Permit Area, removing trees and vegetation for development needs a development permit first. Dead or dying trees are exempt.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Valemount, https://valemount.ca)  
**Cost:** A development permit costs $200, where one is required. No tree-cutting fee was found.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Email: Land Use Planner, planner@valemount.ca
- Phone: Village Office, 250.566.4435

## Key facts

- **When a permit is needed:** No stand-alone tree-cutting permit for private land was found. In a Development Permit Area, a development permit is needed before stripping and grading, which includes removing trees and vegetation for development. The Environmental DPA (Map 6) covers land within 30 m of streams and slopes over 20%.
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843, 2021, s. 7.2.1(c)](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/95014/)
  - Official wording: "Stripping and Grading, which includes" … "removal of trees, vegetation, stripping" … "7.3.4. All lands within 30 meters from the natural" … "7.3.9. Steep slopes, understood to be lands with a"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Exemptions:** No development permit is needed for the removal of dead or dying trees, pruning of undergrowth, or supplementing or maintaining natural existing vegetation. Accessory buildings under 47 m² (500 ft²) are also exempt from a development permit.
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843, 2021, s. 7.2.2(g), (b)](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/95014/)
  - Official wording: "The removal of dead or dying trees, pruning of undergrowth, supplementing or maintaining natural existing vegetation." … "Accessory buildings less than 47"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee:** $200 for a development permit, where one is required.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 869, 2023, Schedule F](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/96759/)
  - Official wording: "Planning and Development Fees Planning and Development Fee: Development Permit $200 Development Variance Permit $450 Temporary Use Permit $650"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Replacement trees:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **City trees:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Fine:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bylaw:** No tree bylaw. Rules come through the Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843, 2021, section 7 (Development Permit Areas)
  - Source: [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843, 2021, s. 7.2](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/95014/)
  - Official wording: "7.2. DPA REQUIREMENTS & EXEMPTIONS"
  - Source: [Valemount - Document Center, Bylaw directory](https://valemount.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/108/)
  - Official wording: "Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843_CONSOLIDATED 2026 2026-02-09"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Village of Valemount has no tree bylaw. Its rules come through section 7 (Development Permit Areas) of the [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/95014/). In a Development Permit Area, a development permit is needed before stripping and grading, which includes removing trees and vegetation for development. The Environmental Development Permit Area covers land within 30 m of streams and slopes over 20%.

## Steps

1. Ask the Land Use Planner (planner@valemount.ca or 250.566.4435) whether your lot is in a Development Permit Area.
2. If it is, apply for a development permit before removing trees.
3. If it is not, no tree-cutting permit was found, but ask before you cut.

## Good to know

- No development permit is needed to remove dead or dying trees, prune undergrowth, or supplement or maintain natural existing vegetation. Accessory buildings under 47 m² (500 ft²) are also exempt from a development permit.
- The Village's Good Neighbour Bylaw requires owners to remove trees that create a safety hazard.
- No replacement planting rule, rule for trees on Village land or boulevards, or fine for cutting trees without a permit was found. Ask the Village Office.
- The Official Community Plan copy on the Village site is marked as a draft on its map pages. Confirm the current version with the Village.

## Official forms and pages

- [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843, 2021 (PDF)](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/95014/)
- [Development Permit Application (PDF)](https://valemount.ca//wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Development_permit_application.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Tree removal permits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tree-removal.md)
- [Clearwater](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/tree-removal.md)
- [Wells](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/tree-removal.md)
- [100 Mile House](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/tree-removal.md)
- [Barriere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/barriere/tree-removal.md)
- [Williams Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/tree-removal.md)
- [Quesnel](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/quesnel/tree-removal.md)

## Sources

- [Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 843, 2021 (PDF), Village of Valemount](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/95014/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 869, 2023 (PDF), Village of Valemount](https://valemount.civicweb.net/document/96759/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Community Planning, Development and Subdivision, Village of Valemount](https://valemount.ca/services/community-planning-development-subdivision/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Valemount - Document Center](https://valemount.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/108/) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Valemount. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/valemount/tree-removal/_