The tree in the backyard looks like your decision. In most of Langley and South Surrey it is not. Whether you need a permit depends on which side of a municipal line the lot sits on, and the three rules here are far enough apart that a neighbour's advice from across the boundary can cost you a fine.
Township of Langley: 20 centimetres, measured at chest height
The Township's Tree Protection Bylaw 2019 No. 5478 protects any tree, of any species, with a diameter of 20 centimetres or more at breast height, which the bylaw measures 1.4 metres above the ground. That is a modest tree, not a landmark. The definition also catches a replacement tree planted under the subdivision servicing bylaw, any tree showing nesting or use by raptors, osprey, pileated woodpeckers, a heron colony or hummingbirds, and every tree on Township land regardless of size.
Section 5.1 says a person must not cut or remove a protected tree except under a valid permit. Section 5.3 goes further than most owners expect. Without a permit you may not cut roots inside the critical root zone, run heavy equipment there, store fill or building materials on it, change the soil level, trench irrigation through it, or prune the canopy so hard it loses the form of its species. The landscaping project can be the offence, not just the chainsaw.
When the Township will issue a permit
Section 5.4 lists the grounds. A tree that is dead, dying, damaged, diseased or in decline beyond recovery, with photographs. A tree in imminent failure. A tree in the way of a building permit, where the building envelope or septic field will affect its viability. A tree in the way of a permitted driveway. A tree that is inappropriate for its location because of its size and species, supported by an arborist report. And a tree interfering with utility equipment where nothing short of removal will fix it.
Wanting more light is not on the list. Neither is a view.
The Township collects cash in lieu on permits issued for the building and driveway grounds, at the amount in its fees bylaw, and uses it to plant trees on municipal land. Permits run 12 months from issue, and section 12 caps renewals at two years from the original permit. The Township's own page adds that cutting is not allowed between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., except for trees in imminent failure, and that the permit tag has to be posted at the property during the work.
What the Township does not cover
Section 3 says the bylaw does not apply to land in the Agricultural Land Reserve, to licensed tree farms, nurseries and Christmas tree lots, or to land that is the subject of a development application, which is handled through that application instead. Section 6.1(h) exempts any tree under 20 centimetres, and section 6.2 says a hedge can be pruned without a permit. A hedge in this bylaw is a row of three or more trees 2 metres or less apart, kept as a screen, no more than 10 metres tall. A row of overgrown cedars at 12 metres is not a hedge under that wording.
An owner of an ALR property outside the bylaw is still bound by everything else, including streamside rules. The Township's own permit grounds start with "not including trees in a Streamside Protection and Enhancement Area", and how those setbacks work is in creek setbacks in South Surrey and Langley. For acreage and ALR questions generally, see Fort Langley acreage and the ALR.
The Township is enforcing it
Section 19.3 sets a fine of up to $10,000 on summary conviction, and section 19.2 makes each tree a separate offence. A court can also order compensation to the Township of up to $25,000 under section 19.4. In March 2026 the Township said its unauthorized tree removal files went from 18 in 2024 to 24 in 2025, with 8 more by early March 2026, and that some owners had removed several protected trees at once.
City of Langley: a new bylaw, and a much shorter list
The City of Langley adopted its Tree Protection and Management Bylaw, 2025, No. 3321 on January 19, 2026. It works differently. A protected tree there is a City tree, a tree in an environmentally sensitive area, a tree of at least 20 centimetres on a lot under a development application, a tree planted as a condition of a development approval, a replacement tree, a tree protected by a covenant in favour of the City, or a significant tree, which the bylaw defines as 75 centimetres or more in diameter.
Read together, that means an ordinary backyard tree on a City lot that is not being developed is protected only once it reaches 75 centimetres. Section 3(2) lets anyone prune a protected tree without a permit, and invasive species are exempt.
Where a permit is needed, the replacement table is specific. A protected tree removed is replaced with two medium or large trees or four small ones. A significant tree is three, or six. A hazardous tree needs none. The fine on conviction is not less than $5,000, each tree is a separate offence, and unpaid penalties can be added to the property taxes.
Surrey: 30 centimetres, and a bigger maximum fine
South Surrey lots fall under the Surrey Tree Protection Bylaw, 2006, No. 16100, with amendments through April 2026 in the City's consolidation. A protected tree there is 30 centimetres or more in diameter, or a stump of 35 centimetres or more where the trunk cannot be measured. Size is not the only test. Replacement trees, trees required by a permit, trees in a riparian area, specimen trees, significant trees and trees used for nesting are all protected too.
The grounds in section 29 are close to the Township's: hazardous, dead, damaged or diseased trees, utility conflicts, and trees that stop you from using the lot as zoning permits. Section 29 also names a tree within 2 metres of an existing foundation. Section 57 sets replacement at two trees for every protected tree removed, or one for a red alder or black cottonwood outside a riparian area. Section 10 sets fines of not less than $50 and not more than $20,000 per offence.
Where this comes up in a sale
- Buyers planning a suite, a garage or a pool. A protected tree near the work is a permit and possibly a cost, and the root zone rules apply before any tree comes down. How much a lot can hold is in how many units your Langley lot allows.
- Sellers tidying up before listing. Clearing a corner of the yard for photos is exactly how owners end up with a file. Prune, do not remove, unless you have checked.
- Covenants on title. A tree retention covenant follows the lot to the next owner. What else can be registered against a title is in easements and rights of way on title.
White Rock has its own rules, which I have not covered here. Its website could not be reached for this post, so call the City before cutting there.
If you are buying a lot with mature trees in Langley or South Surrey, ask me before you write the offer and I will tell you which bylaw applies and what to check. If you are selling, the marketing page shows how a house gets brought to market without anyone touching a chainsaw.
Sources
Township of Langley Tree Protection Bylaw 2019 No. 5478, consolidated with amending bylaws 5712, 5838 and 5987, sections 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12 and 19; the Township's tree protection page; and its March 10, 2026 news release on tree enforcement, all from tol.ca. City of Langley Tree Protection and Management Bylaw, 2025, No. 3321, adopted January 19, 2026, sections 2, 3, 9 and 13, from langleycity.ca. Surrey Tree Protection Bylaw, 2006, No. 16100, consolidation including amendments to April 13, 2026, sections 10, 29 and 57 and the protected tree definition, from surrey.ca. Checked November 12, 2026. Not legal advice.