Excavation in Chilliwack
From Fairfield Island to Promontory, with hillside and riparian development permit areas to plan for.
About Chilliwack
- Chilliwack had an estimated population of 112,500 in 2025, concentrated in a central area from Fairfield Island in the north through to Promontory in the south. Source: City of Chilliwack: Population
- Sixty-seven percent of Chilliwack’s land area lies within the Agricultural Land Reserve (2012 Agricultural Area Plan). Source: City of Chilliwack: Agricultural Area Plan (PDF, 2012)
Local rules that affect excavation
Checked October 2026. Each point below links to Chilliwack’s own bylaw or web page. Bylaws change, so confirm with Chilliwack before work starts. General information, not legal advice.
Soil removal and deposit
- Soil Removal and Deposit Bylaw No. 1313 requires a permit unless exempt, sets no minimum volume, and charges $0.50 per cubic metre whether or not a permit has been issued. Source: Bylaw No. 1313
Trees, erosion and slopes
- Tree Management (Land Development) Bylaw No. 3585 applies to parcels outside the ALR that have a development application (with exemptions, including single-family building permits) and requires protective barriers around retained trees before development. Source: Bylaw No. 3585 (PDF)
- Land Development Bylaw No. 3055 requires erosion and sediment control plans on engineering drawings, and no discharge of silt, dirt or debris into drainage facilities or watercourses. Source: Bylaw No. 3055
- In Development Permit Area 3 (Riparian Areas), applications need a Riparian Areas Protection Regulation assessment report from a qualified professional. DPA 5 Hillside applies to land with slopes of 20% or more. Source: City of Chilliwack: Riparian areas
Provincial and federal rules apply too
Municipal bylaws sit on top of provincial and federal rules: BC 1 Call locates and WorkSafeBC requirements on every dig, the Agricultural Land Commission for fill in the ALR, soil relocation notifications for some commercial and industrial sites, and the Water Sustainability Act and Fisheries Act near streams. Our Excavation permits checklist for BC projects links each one to its source.
PCE in Chilliwack
PCE is based in Langley and works across Langley and the Fraser Valley. Services we take on here:
Got a big job coming up?
Tell us where it is, what needs to come out of the ground and when. We’ll tell you how we would do it.