---
title: Canal Flats dog leash rules and off-leash areas
question: "Where can dogs be off leash, and what are the leash rules 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/dog-leash-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/dog-leash-rules.json"
---

# Canal Flats dog leash rules and off-leash areas

**Question:** Where can dogs be off leash, and what are the leash rules in Canal Flats?

**Short answer:** In Canal Flats, a dog must not run at large, meaning off its owner's property, except in an off-leash area. A dog is not at large if a competent person has direct and continuous control of it. The bylaw names no off-leash areas.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Canal Flats, https://www.canalflats.ca)  
**Cost:** Dog at large: bylaw notice $50 ($25 if paid within 14 days, $75 after 28 days); municipal ticket $50.  
**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
- Phone: Community Enhancement Officer (Bylaw and Dog Control), 250-420-7121

## Key facts

- **Leash rule:** A dog must not run at large (be on land not owned or occupied by its owner) except in an off-leash area. It is not 'at large' if it is under the direct and continuous control of a competent person, securely confined in an enclosure, or securely fastened so it cannot roam.
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019, s. 8(a); s. 2 definition](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/12029/)
  - Official wording: "shall ensure that such animal does not run at large, other than within an off leash area" … "under the direct and continuous control of a person who is competent to control it" … "securely confined within an enclosure" … "securely fastened so that it is unable to roam"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Maximum leash length:** None set. Canal Flats' Dog Control Bylaw does not set a leash length.
- **Off-leash areas:** Not confirmed. The bylaw mentions an off-leash area but names none, and no Village page read lists one.
- **Places dogs are not allowed:** Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Tilley Memorial Park, but they may join you on your boat. The Dog Control Bylaw bans dogs from no other named places.
  - Source: [Parks and Recreation, Tilley Memorial Park, Recreation & Facilities page (https://www.canalflats.ca/visit/parks-and-recreation/)](https://www.canalflats.ca/visit/parks-and-recreation/)
  - Official wording: "Dogs are not allowed on the beach, but they are welcome to join you on your boat."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Cleaning up:** Away from its owner's property, the person responsible must ensure the dog does not defecate on private property or Village property unless the excrement is immediately removed and put in a trash receptacle. On their own property, excrement must be removed in a sanitary manner on a regular basis, and within 24 hours of being directed to by an officer.
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019, s. 9](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/12029/)
  - Official wording: "unless that owner or person immediately removes the excrement and disposes of it in a trash receptacle" … "within twenty-four (24) hours of being directed to do so by a Dog Control Officer or Bylaw Enforcement Officer"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine, dog at large or off leash:** Bylaw notice: $50 ($25 if paid within 14 days; $75 after 28 days). Municipal ticket: $50.
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement and Dispute Adjudication System Bylaw No. 242, 2021, Bylaw 242, Schedule A](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/20426/)
  - Official wording: "Dog unlawfully at large" … "$50 $25 $75 No"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 231, 2020, Bylaw 231, Schedule D](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/47771/)
  - Official wording: "Dog unlawfully at large 8(a) $50.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Canal Flats Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019, Citation](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/12029/)
  - Official wording: "Village of Canal Flats Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/12029/) says a dog must not run at large, other than within an off-leash area. "At large" means on land not owned or occupied by the dog's owner. A dog is not at large if it is under the direct and continuous control of a person competent to control it, securely confined in an enclosure, or securely fastened so it cannot roam.

## Steps

1. Keep your dog on your own property, or under your direct and continuous control when you are off it.
2. Away from home, pick up after your dog and put the waste in a trash receptacle straight away.
3. On your own property, remove the waste in a sanitary manner on a regular basis.

## Good to know

- The bylaw has no general rule that a dog must be on a leash. Leashes are required for a dog designated vicious when it is off its owner's property.
- The bylaw does not set a leash length.
- The bylaw mentions an off-leash area but names none, and no Village page we read lists one. Call the Village office at 250-349-5462 to ask.
- Dogs are not allowed on the beach at Tilley Memorial Park, but they may join you on your boat, according to the Village's parks page.
- Dog waste on your own property must be removed within 24 hours of an officer directing you to.
- A dog at large can bring a bylaw notice of $50 ($25 if paid within 14 days, $75 after 28 days) or a municipal ticket of $50.
- To report a problem, call the Community Enhancement Officer (Bylaw and Dog Control) at 250-420-7121.

## Official forms and pages

- [Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019 (PDF)](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/12029/)
- [Parks and Recreation](https://www.canalflats.ca/visit/parks-and-recreation/)

## Related questions

- [Canal Flats dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/dog-licence.md)
- [Canal Flats rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/how-many-pets.md)
- [Canal Flats noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/noise-rules.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Invermere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/invermere/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Radium Hot Springs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/radium-hot-springs/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/dog-leash-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Dog Control Bylaw No. 225, 2019 (PDF), Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/12029/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Parks and Recreation, Village of Canal Flats](https://www.canalflats.ca/visit/parks-and-recreation/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement and Dispute Adjudication System Bylaw No. 242, 2021 (PDF), Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/20426/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 231, 2020 (PDF), Village of Canal Flats](https://canalflats.civicweb.net/document/47771/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Village Office, Village of Canal Flats](https://www.canalflats.ca/village-services/village-office/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set; 1 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/dog-leash-rules/_