{"title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Burnaby","question":"How many dogs or cats can I keep?","slug":"how-many-pets","place":{"path":"ca/bc/burnaby","name":"Burnaby","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"pets-and-wildlife","name":"Pets, animals and wildlife"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"City of Burnaby","url":"https://www.burnaby.ca"},"short_answer":"In Burnaby, a dwelling unit (including its lot) may have no more than 3 dogs and no more than 4 cats over four months old, under the City of Burnaby's Animal Control Bylaw. Three or more dogs can also count as a kennel under a separate bylaw, so confirm with Licensing.","aliases":["pet limit burnaby","maximum number of dogs","how many cats can I have"],"cost":"A bylaw notice for keeping too many animals is $100 ($80 if paid within 15 days).","how_long":null,"where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Licensing","value":"604-294-7320"},{"type":"phone","label":"Animal Control Office","value":"604-294-7944","note":"7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m."}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Animal Control Bylaw 9609 (consolidated PDF)","url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf"},{"title":"Kennel Regulation Bylaw 4174 (consolidated PDF)","url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4174CC.pdf"}],"related":[{"slug":"dog-licence","title":"Burnaby dog licences: fees and how to get one","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/dog-licence/"},{"slug":"backyard-chickens","title":"Burnaby backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/backyard-chickens/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/new-westminster","name":"New Westminster","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/richmond","name":"Richmond","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/richmond/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-moody","name":"Port Moody","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/belcarra","name":"Belcarra","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/coquitlam","name":"Coquitlam","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-coquitlam","name":"Port Coquitlam","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-coquitlam/how-many-pets/"}],"topic":{"title":"Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets/"},"facts":{"dog_limit":{"label":"Dogs allowed","value":"No more than 3 dogs over four months old per dwelling unit (the dwelling unit includes its lot).","short":"Max 3 dogs per dwelling unit","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated (PDF)","section":"s. 6(2)(a); s. 2(1)","quotes":["more than three dogs over the age of four months, or","“dwelling unit” has the meaning assigned to it in Burnaby Zoning Bylaw and"]},{"url":"https://www.burnaby.ca/services-and-payments/pets-and-animals/dog-licences","title":"Dog Licences, City of Burnaby","section":"Dog Licences page","quotes":["Burnaby has a limit of 3 dogs per household."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"cat_limit":{"label":"Cats allowed","value":"No more than 4 cats over four months old per dwelling unit.","short":"Max 4 cats per dwelling unit","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated (PDF)","section":"s. 6(2)(b)","quotes":["more than four cats over the age of four months."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"other_limits":{"label":"Other animal limits","value":"No more than 2 snakes per dwelling unit; if snakes are fed live rodents, no more than 4 rodents at a time. Poisonous or venomous animals are banned. Animals on Schedule D (for example non-human primates, wild cats, bears, bats, most rabbits other than the domestic rabbit) may not be sold, harboured or kept.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated (PDF)","section":"s. 6(3), 6(4), 6B, Schedule D","quotes":["more than two snakes and, if the snakes are","No person shall harbour or keep a poisonous or venomous animal.","No person shall sell, harbour or keep any of the animals listed in Schedule “D”."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"exceptions":{"label":"Exceptions","value":"A dog or cat kennel is a different case: the Kennel Regulation Bylaw defines a dog kennel as three or more dogs kept for any purpose, allows kennels only in areas designated in the zoning bylaw, and caps a kennel at 30 dogs or cats. Animals are 'harboured' when fed or sheltered for 72 hours or more. Guide dogs, certified assistance dogs and police dogs are outside the Animal Control Bylaw.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4174CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Kennel Regulation Bylaw 1960 (No. 4174), consolidated (PDF)","section":"ss. 2, 9, 13","quotes":["means any building, structure, compound, group of pens or cages or property in which or where three","No person shall have, keep or board more than thirty dogs or cats in any dog kennel or cat kennel."]},{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated (PDF)","section":"s. 6(1); s. 2(2)","quotes":["an animal that is fed or sheltered for 72","This Bylaw does not apply to"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"Bylaw notice: keeping more than 3 dogs $100 ($80 if paid within 15 days); more than 4 cats $100 ($80); more than 2 snakes $100 ($80); more than 4 food rodents $100 ($80); venomous animal $100 ($80).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/12657CC.pdf","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 12657, Schedule A (PDF)","section":"Schedule A, Animal Control Bylaw s. 6","quotes":["6(2)(a) Keeping more than 3 dogs 100 80 YES","6(2)(b) Keeping more than 4 cats 100 80 YES","6(4) Keeping more than 2 snakes 100 80 YES"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (Bylaw No. 9609), s. 6.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated (PDF)","section":"title","quotes":["BURNABY ANIMAL CONTROL BYLAW 1991"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":6,"matched":6,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe [Animal Control Bylaw](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf) says no more than 3 dogs and no more than 4 cats, each over four months old, may be kept per dwelling unit in Burnaby. The dwelling unit includes its lot. An animal is \"harboured\" when it is fed or sheltered for 72 hours or more.\n\n## Other limits\n\n- Snakes: no more than 2 per dwelling unit. If they are fed live rodents, no more than 4 rodents at a time.\n- Poisonous or venomous animals are banned.\n- Animals on the bylaw's Schedule D (for example non-human primates, wild cats, bears, bats and most rabbits other than the domestic rabbit) may not be sold, harboured or kept.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- Kennels are different. The [Kennel Regulation Bylaw](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4174CC.pdf) defines a dog kennel as three or more dogs kept for any purpose, allows kennels only in areas designated in the zoning bylaw, and caps a kennel at 30 dogs or cats. The text is old, so confirm with Licensing (604-294-7320) before relying on it for a home with several dogs.\n- Guide dogs, certified assistance dogs and police dogs are outside the Animal Control Bylaw.\n- Bylaw notices, each $100 ($80 if paid within 15 days): more than 3 dogs, more than 4 cats, more than 2 snakes, more than 4 food rodents, or a venomous animal.","sources":[{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://www.burnaby.ca/services-and-payments/pets-and-animals/dog-licences","title":"Dog Licences, City of Burnaby","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/12657CC.pdf","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 12657, Schedule A (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4174CC.pdf","title":"Burnaby Kennel Regulation Bylaw 1960 (No. 4174), consolidated (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-05","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/how-many-pets/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/how-many-pets.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/how-many-pets.json"}}