---
title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Burnaby
question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep?"
place: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/burnaby
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Burnaby
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/how-many-pets/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/how-many-pets.json"
---

# How many dogs or cats you can keep in Burnaby

**Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep?

**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.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Burnaby, https://www.burnaby.ca)  
**Cost:** A bylaw notice for keeping too many animals is $100 ($80 if paid within 15 days).  
**Where:**
- Phone: Licensing, 604-294-7320
- Phone: Animal Control Office, 604-294-7944 (7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Dogs allowed:** No more than 3 dogs over four months old per dwelling unit (the dwelling unit includes its lot).
  - Source: [Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated, s. 6(2)(a); s. 2(1)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf)
  - Official wording: "more than three dogs over the age of four months, or" … "“dwelling unit” has the meaning assigned to it in Burnaby Zoning Bylaw and"
  - Source: [Dog Licences, Dog Licences page](https://www.burnaby.ca/services-and-payments/pets-and-animals/dog-licences)
  - Official wording: "Burnaby has a limit of 3 dogs per household."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Cats allowed:** No more than 4 cats over four months old per dwelling unit.
  - Source: [Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated, s. 6(2)(b)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf)
  - Official wording: "more than four cats over the age of four months."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other animal limits:** 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.
  - Source: [Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated, s. 6(3), 6(4), 6B, Schedule D](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Exceptions:** 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.
  - Source: [Burnaby Kennel Regulation Bylaw 1960 (No. 4174), consolidated, ss. 2, 9, 13](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4174CC.pdf)
  - Official wording: "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."
  - Source: [Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated, s. 6(1); s. 2(2)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf)
  - Official wording: "an animal that is fed or sheltered for 72" … "This Bylaw does not apply to"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** 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).
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 12657, Schedule A, Schedule A, Animal Control Bylaw s. 6](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/12657CC.pdf)
  - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (Bylaw No. 9609), s. 6.
  - Source: [Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated, title](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BURNABY ANIMAL CONTROL BYLAW 1991"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [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.

## Other limits

- Snakes: no more than 2 per dwelling unit. If they are fed live rodents, no more than 4 rodents at a time.
- Poisonous or venomous animals are banned.
- 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.

## Good to know

- 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.
- Guide dogs, certified assistance dogs and police dogs are outside the Animal Control Bylaw.
- 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.

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Control Bylaw 9609 (consolidated PDF)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf)
- [Kennel Regulation Bylaw 4174 (consolidated PDF)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4174CC.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Burnaby dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/dog-licence.md)
- [Burnaby backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/backyard-chickens.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md)
- [New Westminster](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/how-many-pets.md)
- [Richmond](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/richmond/how-many-pets.md)
- [Port Moody](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/how-many-pets.md)
- [Belcarra](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/how-many-pets.md)
- [Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/how-many-pets.md)
- [Port Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-coquitlam/how-many-pets.md)

## Sources

- [Burnaby Animal Control Bylaw 1991 (No. 9609), consolidated (PDF)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/9609CC.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Dog Licences, City of Burnaby](https://www.burnaby.ca/services-and-payments/pets-and-animals/dog-licences) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 12657, Schedule A (PDF)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/12657CC.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Burnaby Kennel Regulation Bylaw 1960 (No. 4174), consolidated (PDF)](https://bylaws.burnaby.ca/media/Consolidated/4174CC.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Burnaby. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/how-many-pets/_