It comes down to trunk size.
Surrey's Tree Protection Bylaw, 2006, No. 16100 applies to protected trees and no other trees. The main test is size: any tree, of any species, with a trunk diameter of 30 cm or more measured 1.4 metres above the natural grade. The bylaw has no separate category for hedges, so a hedge is judged tree by tree. Shearing a hedge whose stems are all under that size is not something the bylaw regulates. Cutting down a hedge tree that meets it needs a Tree Cutting Permit — and even protected trees can be maintenance-pruned without a permit, within limits.
| Protected by size | A trunk diameter (D.B.H.) of 30 cm or more, measured 1.4 m above the highest point of natural grade. For a multi-stemmed tree, the three largest stems are measured and added together. Where D.B.H. cannot be measured, a stump of 35 cm or more at grade. |
|---|---|
| Protected at any size | Replacement trees; trees kept as a condition of a subdivision, development, building or demolition permit; trees in a riparian area; specimen and significant trees; trees with evidence of nesting by raptors, osprey or a heron colony; any tree on City property. Arbutus, Garry oak, the three redwoods and ginkgo are protected once they reach 3 m tall (conifers) or 5 cm caliper (deciduous). |
| Cutting or removing | Needs a Tree Cutting Permit. The City says you may be required to plant 2 replacement trees for every tree removed. |
| Pruning a protected tree without a permit | Maintenance pruning only: no branches from the top half of the tree, and less than ¼ of its branches, ¼ of its live foliage and ¼ of its crown. Topping counts as damage. |
| Significant trees | Trees listed in the bylaw's schedules need a permit even to prune (no fee for that permit). |
| Penalties | $50 to $20,000 per offence, and each tree and each day is a separate offence. |
Trimming, reducing and removing are three different jobs.
Trimming and shaping. Cutting back the outer face of a hedge to a clean line is the routine work most hedges need. Where the stems are under the 30 cm size line, the bylaw does not regulate it. Where they are over it, ordinary maintenance pruning inside the limits above is still allowed without a permit.
Reducing the height. This is the one to be careful with. The bylaw defines topping as removing all or a substantial part of a tree's crown by cutting horizontally through the central or major stem, and treats it as damage. Taking a hedge of 30 cm-plus trees down by several feet can meet that definition. If the trunks are that size, talk to the City before a big height reduction — not after.
Removing it. Each hedge tree at or over the size line needs a Tree Cutting Permit to cut down. Smaller hedge plants are outside the bylaw — unless they fall into one of the any-size categories, such as a hedge on City property or one kept as a condition of a permit.
Measure first. Wrap a tape around the trunk at 1.4 m above the ground and divide the circumference by 3.14 to get the diameter. For a stem that splits low, the bylaw adds the three largest stems together — which is how a hedge of modest-looking stems can cross the line.
What a trim usually looks like.
From an Ironwood Grounds hedge job on the Peninsula: overgrown, shapeless hedges brought back to clean lines. Shaping the outer face like this is the routine trimming most hedges need.
A real Ironwood Grounds hedge trim — shaped by hand, clippings hauled away.
Not sure where your hedge falls?
We look at trunk sizes, nests and what you want the hedge to become during the quote, and tell you plainly if a job is permit territory before any cutting starts. Trimming, shaping and staged reductions are our work; where a permit or an arborist report is needed, we say so.
White Rock draws the line lower.
White Rock is its own city with its own bylaw — the White Rock Tree Protection Bylaw, 2021, No. 2407 (consolidated as of October 2025).
| Protected by size | A trunk diameter (DBH) of 20 cm or more, measured 1.4 m above natural grade. Two trunks are added together; for more, the three largest are added together. |
|---|---|
| Protected at any size | Replacement trees planted under a permit; any tree, hedge or shrub on City-owned property; trees with raptor nests or the nest of an eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, osprey, heron or burrowing owl; Arbutus, Garry oak and Pacific dogwood. |
| Hedges | The bylaw defines a hedge as four or more trees or shrubs 6 m high or less, planted 1 m or less apart, forming a continuous screen. It protects hedges of any size on City-owned property; on private land, the 20 cm tree test applies. |
| Pruning without a permit | Allowed for a protected tree if done to sound arboricultural practice — but not crown raising below a 65% live crown ratio, not more than 25% of the crown in one season, and not structural roots in the critical root zone. |
| Cutting or removing | Needs a Tree Management Permit. |
| Penalties | On summary conviction, a fine of up to $10,000 or up to six months' imprisonment; each tree and each day is a separate offence. |
Delta counts hedges by the metre.
Tsawwassen and Ladner are in the City of Delta, under the Delta Tree Protection and Regulation Bylaw No. 7969, 2021 (as amended by Bylaw 8575). It is the only one of the three that writes hedges into the permit rules directly.
| What counts as a tree | Any woody plant with a trunk of 20 cm or more at 1.4 m above its base, or whose three largest stems add up to 20 cm or more at 1.4 m — or, if under 1.4 m tall, 30.5 cm or more at the base. Replacement trees count at any size. |
|---|---|
| Hedges | A row of three or more trees forming a continuous dense screen from ground level. Any 5 m section of hedge is deemed to be one tree for the permit. |
| Cutting or damaging | Cutting a tree needs a permit, and damaging one is prohibited. |
| Pruning without a permit | Exempt only if done to ANSI A300 and ISA pruning practice, with no topping, no excessive pruning or crown lifting, a live crown ratio kept above 65%, and no decline in the tree's health. |
| Replacement for hedges | Outside Sunshine Hills, the bylaw's schedule sets 2 replacement trees for every 5 m section of hedge cut. |
| Nesting season | Permit conditions can delay cutting during bird nesting season in line with the Wildlife Act. |
A permit does not cover an active nest.
Section 34 of BC's Wildlife Act applies everywhere in the province, on top of any city bylaw. It makes it an offence, except as provided by regulation, to possess, take, injure, molest or destroy a bird or its egg; the nest of an eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, osprey, heron or burrowing owl; or the nest of any other bird while it is occupied by a bird or its egg.
Dense hedges are exactly where garden birds nest. Check before you cut — and if a section holds an active nest, leave it until the nest is empty.
What homeowners ask before cutting.
Do I need a permit to trim a hedge in Surrey?
Generally no. Surrey's Tree Protection Bylaw No. 16100 applies only to protected trees, and even those can be maintenance-pruned without a permit as long as no branches come from the top half and less than a quarter of the branches, live foliage and crown is removed. Significant trees are the exception — they need a permit even to prune.
Do I need a permit to remove a hedge in Surrey?
You need a Tree Cutting Permit for every tree in the hedge that is a protected tree — most commonly one with a trunk of 30 cm or more measured 1.4 m above grade. Hedge plants under that size are outside the bylaw unless another category applies, such as a hedge on City property or one kept as a permit condition.
How is trunk size measured for the Surrey bylaw?
At 1.4 metres above the highest point of the natural grade. For a multi-stemmed tree, the three largest stems are measured at that height and added together. Where that is impossible, a stump of 35 cm or more at grade counts.
Can I top a tall cedar hedge to lower it?
If the hedge trees are protected, be careful. Surrey's bylaw treats topping — cutting horizontally through the central stem to remove all or a substantial part of the crown — as damage. Confirm with the City before a large height reduction on 30 cm-plus trees.
Are the rules the same in White Rock and Delta?
No. White Rock protects trees from 20 cm in diameter at 1.4 m, and hedges of any size on City-owned property. Delta counts woody plants from 20 cm at 1.4 m as trees and treats every 5 m section of a hedge as one tree for permits. Check with the city your property is in.
Can I cut a hedge with a bird's nest in it?
Not the part with an active nest. Section 34 of BC's Wildlife Act makes it an offence to destroy the nest of a bird while it is occupied by a bird or its egg, and some nests, such as those of eagles, ospreys and herons, are protected year-round.
Related pages.
Sources, and an honest disclaimer.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Bylaws change, the cities publish consolidations for convenience only, and your property may have its own conditions. Confirm with your city before cutting. Sources:
City of Surrey — Surrey Tree Protection Bylaw, 2006, No. 16100 (consolidated PDF)
City of Surrey — Removing trees
City of Surrey — Pruning trees
City of White Rock — Tree Protection Bylaw, 2021, No. 2407 (consolidated PDF)
City of White Rock — Trees on private property
City of Delta — Tree Protection and Regulation Bylaw No. 7969 (PDF)
City of Delta — Tree Protection and Regulation Bylaw page
BC Laws — Wildlife Act, section 34
Verified 2026-09-29 against the official pages above.
Hedge overgrown? Get a fixed written quote.
Tell us your community and what the hedge needs — a trim, a reshape or a staged reduction. We check trunk sizes and nests during the site visit, then put one clear written price in your hands.