Before you remove a significant tree in the Okanagan, it's worth a quick check on whether you need permission. Tree-protection bylaws vary between municipalities, and the penalties for removing a protected tree without approval can be steep. This guide is a general overview, not legal advice, but it'll help you know when to make a phone call before you cut.
Why municipalities protect trees
Local governments protect trees for a few reasons: managing slope stability and erosion, protecting riparian areas along creeks and the lake, maintaining tree canopy in established neighbourhoods, and controlling clearing in development. The rules are aimed mostly at large trees, trees in sensitive locations, and clearing in areas under development, rather than the average backyard tree.
Common situations where a permit may be required
- Trees on steep slopes or in hillside development areas, where removal affects stability.
- Trees near watercourses, creeks, wetlands, or the lakeshore, which often fall under riparian protection.
- Trees above a certain size or trunk diameter in some municipalities.
- Clearing as part of a development, subdivision, or building permit.
- Trees on city or public land, which you generally can't touch without involving the municipality.
The rules differ across the valley
Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country, Vernon, and the regional districts each have their own approach, and they change over time. Some have specific tree-protection bylaws; others handle it through development permits and slope or watercourse regulations. The practical takeaway is simple: don't assume the rules in one community apply to the next. If you're in any doubt about a significant tree, a quick call to your municipality's planning or development department is the safe move.
Hazardous and dead trees
Many bylaws have provisions for genuinely hazardous or dead trees, sometimes allowing removal with documentation rather than a full permit process. This is where a professional assessment helps: a written evaluation of the tree's condition can support a hazard removal and gives the municipality the information they need.
How we help
We're not the permit office, but after years of working across the valley we know when a removal is likely to need approval and we'll flag it before you're caught out. When you need it, we can provide a written arborist assessment documenting a tree's condition. And we handle the tree removal itself once you're clear to proceed.
Not sure whether your tree is protected? Give us a call. We'll tell you what we know and point you to the right municipal contact for your area, whether that's Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country, or Vernon.