{"title":"Belcarra unsightly property rules and how to report","question":"How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Belcarra?","slug":"unsightly-property","place":{"path":"ca/bc/belcarra","name":"Belcarra","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"bylaws-and-complaints","name":"Bylaws, noise and complaints"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Village of Belcarra","url":"https://belcarra.ca"},"short_answer":"In Belcarra, fill in the Bylaw Enforcement Complaint Form and send it to the Village Office, or use the Report a Concern form on belcarra.ca. Under the Good Neighbour Bylaw an owner can be ordered to fix an unsightly parcel within 14 days.","aliases":["unsightly property belcarra","overgrown lawn belcarra","report messy yard belcarra","good neighbour bylaw belcarra"],"cost":"No bylaw notice or ticket amount is stated for this offence. On conviction, up to $10,000, six months in jail, or both.","how_long":"The owner has 14 days to comply with an Order to Comply (3 days for a nuisance).","where":[{"type":"in_person","label":"Municipal Hall","value":"4084 Bedwell Bay Road, Belcarra, BC V3H 4P8","note":"Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed statutory holidays)."},{"type":"phone","label":"Village Office","value":"604-937-4100"},{"type":"email","label":"Village Office","value":"belcarra@belcarra.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004 (PDF, consolidated), Village of Belcarra","url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2021/05/Bylaw-361-2004-Good-Neighbour-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf"},{"title":"Bylaw Enforcement Complaint Form (PDF), Village of Belcarra","url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2024/08/Bylaw-Enforcement-Complaint-Form-2024-fillable.pdf"},{"title":"Report a Concern, Village of Belcarra","url":"https://belcarra.ca/report-a-concern/"}],"related":[{"slug":"noise-rules","title":"Belcarra noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/noise-rules/"},{"slug":"bylaw-fines","title":"Belcarra bylaw fines and how tickets work","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/bylaw-fines/"},{"slug":"backyard-fire","title":"Belcarra backyard fire and burning rules","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/backyard-fire/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/port-moody","name":"Port Moody","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/anmore","name":"Anmore","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/anmore/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/coquitlam","name":"Coquitlam","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/new-westminster","name":"New Westminster","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/burnaby","name":"Burnaby","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-coquitlam","name":"Port Coquitlam","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-coquitlam/unsightly-property/"}],"topic":{"title":"Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property/"},"facts":{"what_counts":{"label":"What counts","value":"An owner must not let a parcel become or remain unsightly, nor allow a nuisance. Examples: rubbish or discarded materials not in a closed building, graffiti (remove within 15 days), building materials over 15 days without a permit, unlicensed or non-running vehicles, grass over 30 cm, noxious weeds, stagnant water, an unsightly or unsafe fence.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2021/05/Bylaw-361-2004-Good-Neighbour-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004 (PDF, consolidated), Village of Belcarra","section":"ss. 5.1.3, 5.1.4, 5.2.2","quotes":["No Owner may allow a parcel owned by the Owner to become or remain unsightly.","of filth, discarded materials, unwholesome matter, or rubbish of any kind","owners of a parcel shall remove graffiti within 15 days of discovery or when served with an order to comply","the accumulation of building materials on the parcel for more than 15 days","of grass in excess of 30 centimetres in length","a fence to become unsightly, unstable or unsafe"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"how_to_report":{"label":"How to report","value":"Fill in the Bylaw Enforcement Complaint Form and send it to the Village Office, 4084 Bedwell Bay Road, by email to belcarra@belcarra.ca or fax to 604-939-5034. Or use the Report a Concern form on belcarra.ca. Phone 604-937-4100. The Village relies on complaints.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2024/08/Bylaw-Enforcement-Complaint-Form-2024-fillable.pdf","title":"Bylaw Enforcement Complaint Form (PDF), Village of Belcarra","section":"Bylaw Enforcement Complaint Form and procedures","quotes":["FAX: 604-939-5034 OR EMAIL: belcarra@belcarra.ca","it is the general practice of the Village of Belcarra to rely on citizen complaints as a means of alerting bylaw enforcement of violations of its bylaws"]},{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/report-a-concern/","title":"Report a Concern, Village of Belcarra","section":"Report a Concern page","quotes":["The personal information collected on this form is collected for the purpose of processing a concern and for administration and enforcement purposes.","Phone 604-937-4100 or email"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"process":{"label":"What happens next","value":"An officer may serve an Order to Comply: fix it within 14 days (3 days if a nuisance). The owner may appeal to Council in writing at least 72 hours before the deadline. If it is not done, the Village may do the work at the owner's expense; costs unpaid after December 31 are added to property taxes.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2021/05/Bylaw-361-2004-Good-Neighbour-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004 (PDF, consolidated), Village of Belcarra","section":"Parts 7.1-7.3","quotes":["the Bylaw Enforcement Officer may, serve on such person an Order to Comply which requires the person to remove the contravention","three days if the Bylaw Enforcement Officer believes the contravention is a nuisance under this bylaw","at least 72 hours prior to the expiry of the time given in the Order to Comply","the Municipality by its employees and others may enter the parcel and perform the obligations at the expense of the person defaulting","the cost shall be added to and form part of the taxes payable on the parcel as taxes in arrears"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"The Village's current ticket schedules do not state a ticket amount for this bylaw.","sources":[]},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2021/05/Bylaw-361-2004-Good-Neighbour-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004 (PDF, consolidated), Village of Belcarra","section":"Part 1","quotes":["This Bylaw may be cited as Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":5,"stated":4,"matched":4,"none":0,"unknown":1},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004]() says an owner must not let a parcel become or remain unsightly, and must not allow a nuisance. Examples include rubbish or discarded materials not in a closed building, graffiti (remove within 15 days), building materials left over 15 days without a permit, unlicensed or non-running vehicles, grass over 30 cm, noxious weeds, stagnant water, and an unsightly or unsafe fence.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Fill in the [Bylaw Enforcement Complaint Form]().\n2. Send it to the Village Office at 4084 Bedwell Bay Road, by email to belcarra@belcarra.ca, or by fax to 604-939-5034. You can instead use the [Report a Concern]() form on belcarra.ca, or phone 604-937-4100.\n3. An officer may serve the owner an Order to Comply: fix it within 14 days (3 days if it is a nuisance).\n\n## Good to know\n\n- The owner may appeal to Council in writing at least 72 hours before the deadline.\n- If the work is not done, the Village may do it at the owner's expense. Costs unpaid after December 31 are added to property taxes.\n- The Village relies on complaints from residents.\n- No bylaw notice or ticket amount is stated for this bylaw in the Village's current ticket schedules. On conviction in court the bylaw sets a fine of up to $10,000 or six months in jail, or both.","sources":[{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2021/05/Bylaw-361-2004-Good-Neighbour-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 361, 2004 (PDF, consolidated), Village of Belcarra","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2024/08/Bylaw-Enforcement-Complaint-Form-2024-fillable.pdf","title":"Bylaw Enforcement Complaint Form (PDF), Village of Belcarra","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/report-a-concern/","title":"Report a Concern, Village of Belcarra","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/contact-us/","title":"Contact Us, Village of Belcarra","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2024/09/Bylaw-520-2018-Bylaw-Notice-Enforcement-Bylaw-Consolidated.pdf","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 520, 2018 (PDF, consolidated), Village of Belcarra","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://belcarra.ca/assets/media/2019/05/vob-bylaw-256_municipal_ticketing.pdf","title":"Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 256, 1997 (PDF), Village of Belcarra","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 5 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/unsightly-property/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/unsightly-property.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/unsightly-property.json"}}