Updated August 2026
Tree permits and bylaws in the Comox Valley
Four authorities regulate tree cutting across this area and none of them agree. The City of Courtenay permits by lot size and stem diameter, the Town of Comox adopted Tree Protection Bylaw No. 2063 on 15 June 2026, and the Village of Cumberland has no private-property tree bylaw. Outside those three, the Comox Valley Regional District regulates through development permit areas rather than a tree permit.
Updated August 2026
Which rules apply to your tree depends entirely on which side of a municipal boundary it stands on. Two properties a road apart can have completely different answers, and we work out which one is yours before we quote. Every visit starts with the same two measurements regardless of which authority applies: the species, and the trunk diameter at chest height. Almost every rule on this page keys off one or both of those numbers, which is why we take them before saying anything about whether a permit is needed. We record both on the same visit we quote the job, so the paperwork and the price are worked out together rather than as two separate calls.
The permit is paperwork — for what a removal actually involves, see the service page.
What does the City of Courtenay require?
On a lot over 4,000 m², a permit for any removal. On a smaller lot, a permit if the tree is over 20 cm across at chest height, if it is one of six protected species, or if it stands in a riparian area. The protected six are Garry oak, Pacific dogwood, western white pine, western yew, trembling aspen and arbutus, once they pass half a metre tall. A general permit is $100, a large-property permit $500, and a hazardous tree permit costs nothing. Replacement bonds run $300 a tree and protection security $1,000 a tree.
What changed in Comox in 2026?
Comox adopted Tree Protection Bylaw No. 2063 on 15 June 2026 and it works on species and size rather than lot area. Priority native species — Douglas fir and western redcedar among them — need a permit at 20 cm across at chest height. Everything else needs one at 30 cm. Trees at 50 cm and over are Protected Trees and come out only for specific reasons, including dead and hazardous ones. An emergency removal is allowed, with the application filed after the fact within three business days.
Does Cumberland regulate private trees?
Not at present. The Village has been reviewing options for private-property tree protection and has not adopted a bylaw, so a tree on private land in Cumberland comes down without a municipal permit. That is the Village's own published position and it can change, so we check it against the current bylaw directory rather than against last year's answer.
What about Royston, Merville and the rural areas?
Those addresses sit in Comox Valley Regional District electoral areas, and the regional district does not run a general tree-cutting permit for private property the way the City does. Where its rules bite is development permit areas — riparian corridors and environmentally sensitive land — set out in the Rural Comox Valley Official Community Plan. We confirm which apply to your address before any saw comes out.
How the paperwork gets done, whichever authority applies
The process is the same regardless of which of the four applies. We identify the jurisdiction from the property address, confirm which permit or bylaw rule is in play, and prepare the paperwork before any cutting is scheduled. A permit application typically needs the tree's species, diameter and location relative to the property line, plus a photo where the municipality asks for one. A written scope makes the difference legible too — what is covered under the removal itself, and what is separate paperwork, so nothing shows up as a surprise line once the crew is booked. Anyone unsure which rule applies to their address is welcome to ask before assuming either way. That confirmation costs nothing and takes a few minutes on the phone or through the quote form.
Related: Comox · Cumberland · Royston · Merville