---
title: Canal Flats backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules
question: "Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Canal Flats?"
place: Canal Flats, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/canal-flats
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Canal Flats
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/backyard-chickens/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/backyard-chickens.json"
---

# Canal Flats backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules

**Question:** Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Canal Flats?

**Short answer:** In Canal Flats, hens are not named in the Zoning Bylaw. Agricultural use, which includes rearing fowl and keeping bees, is permitted in the A-1 zone. The R-1 and SH zones list none. Confirm with the Village before buying birds.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Canal Flats, https://www.canalflats.ca)  
**Cost:** No hen permit, licence or fee is listed in the Village's Fees and Charges Bylaw.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office (Columbia Discovery Centre), 8866 Grainger Road, Canal Flats, BC V0B 1B0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12:00 to 1:00))
- Phone: Village Office, 250-349-5462
- Email: Village Office, village@canalflats.ca

## Key facts

- **Hens allowed:** Hens are not named in the Zoning Bylaw. Agricultural use (including rearing fowl) is permitted in the A-1 zone; R-1 and SH list none, and unlisted uses are prohibited. On Agricultural Land Reserve land in A-1 or SH, uses allowed by the ALR regulation also apply. Confirm with the Village.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019, s. 6 definition; s. 5.2; s. 1.5](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "rearing of livestock, fowl, and fur-" … "Agricultural Use" … "A use not specifically permitted in a Zone is prohibited from that Zone." … "For lands designated provincially as Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR) all uses as permitted under the Agricultural Land" … "horticulture, silviculture, dairying, rearing of livestock, fowl, and fur-"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Most hens:** None set. The bylaws read for Canal Flats set no limit on hens, no rooster rule and no coop rules.
- **Roosters:** None set. The bylaws read for Canal Flats set no limit on hens, no rooster rule and no coop rules.
- **Coop rules:** None set. The bylaws read for Canal Flats set no limit on hens, no rooster rule and no coop rules.
- **Permit or registration:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bees:** The Zoning Bylaw defines agricultural use to include apiculture, and agricultural use is a permitted use in the A-1 zone. No bee limits found.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019, s. 6 definition of Agricultural Use](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "AGRICULTURAL USE means the use of a parcel for the growing, rearing, producing or harvesting of agricultural or food products, including: apiculture, horticulture, silviculture, dairying, rearing of livestock, fowl, and fur-"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other livestock:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bylaw:** Village of Canal Flats Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019, s. 1.1](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Village of Canal Flats Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/) does not mention hens or chickens. It defines agricultural use to include rearing of livestock and fowl, and apiculture (beekeeping), and lists agricultural use as permitted in the A-1 zone. The R-1 and SH zones list no agricultural use, and a use not specifically permitted in a zone is prohibited there.

## Steps

1. Find your lot's zone. The Village office can tell you.
2. If your lot is in the A-1 zone, agricultural use is permitted.
3. If it is in R-1 or SH, ask the Village office (250-349-5462) before getting birds, because hens are not listed.
4. If your land is in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) in A-1 or SH, uses allowed by the ALR regulation also apply.

## Good to know

- The bylaws we read set no limit on number of hens, no rule on roosters, and no coop rules. No hen permit or registration was found.
- No bee limits were found either.
- Only the A-1 zone lists rearing of livestock and fowl. SH allows an equestrian centre or riding stable on parcels over 2.0 ha as a conditional use.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (PDF)](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/)

## Related questions

- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/how-many-pets.md)
- [Canal Flats dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/dog-licence.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Invermere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/invermere/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Sparwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sparwood/backyard-chickens.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 215, 2019 (PDF), Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50072/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 300, 2026 (PDF), Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/50057/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Canal Flats](https://www.canalflats.ca/contact-us/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 3 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 3 are recorded as not set; 2 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Canal Flats. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/backyard-chickens/_