Colwood unsightly property rules and how to report
How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Colwood?
Short answer
Report an unsightly or overgrown property to the City of Colwood through the Action Request form (choose BYLAW), by email to bylaw@colwood.ca, or by calling Bylaw Services at 250-478-5999 local 146. Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715 covers rubbish, graffiti and untended growth.
Key facts
| What counts | Owners and occupiers must not let rubbish, filth or discarded materials collect on their land, overflow or pile up around containers, or leave graffiti; property must not become unsightly; and they must clear untended brush, trees, noxious weeds and other growth so it is kept to the neighbourhood standard. Unsightly includes building-material piles (unless permitted or enclosed) and vehicle bodies and parts.Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715, 2003 (consolidated to July 21, 2022), s. 3, 4, 5, 6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingcause or permit water, rubbish, noxious, offensive or unwholesome matter to collect or accumulate on cause or permit rubbish to overflow from or accumulate around any container. No owner or occupier of real property or their agents shall allow such property to become or to remain Every owner or occupier of real property or their agents shall clear the property of untended brush, trees, including but not limited to vehicle bodies and parts |
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| How to report | Use the City's online Action Request form and choose BYLAW (it covers unsightly premises), or email bylaw@colwood.ca or call Bylaw Services at 250-478-5999 local 146.Action Request; Bylaw Services; Contact Us · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingChoose BYLAW for: Parking, Noise, Burning, Blasting, Unsightly premises Email: bylaw@colwood.ca Phone: 2504785999 Bylaw Services: 250-478-5999 Local 146 |
| What happens next | The bylaw lets the City enter the property and remove the unsightly material at the owner's or occupier's expense if they do not comply. Unpaid costs on December 31 of that year are added to the property taxes as taxes in arrears. A bylaw officer may also issue a ticket.Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715, 2003 (consolidated to July 21, 2022), s. 7(b), 7(c), 8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingWhere a person fails to comply with a requirement under (a), the City may by its employees or other effect the removal the cost shall be added to and form part of the taxes payable on the property as taxes in arrears. |
| Fine | Bylaw notice: rubbish offences (s. 4), allowing unsightly property and failing to clear unsightly growth $100 ($80 within 14 days, $120 after 28 days); graffiti $500 ($400 / $500). Municipal ticket: $100 and $500.Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1911, 2021 (consolidated to March 9, 2026), Schedule B, Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715; Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1314, 2010 (consolidated to April 8, 2022), Schedule 13 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingAllow Unsightly Property Allow Unsightly Property 5(b) $100.00 $80.00 $120.00 Place graffiti 5(a) $500.00 $400.00 $500.00 Allow unsightly property $1000 per tree Place graffiti 5(a) $500 |
| Bylaw | Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715, 2003Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715, 2003 (consolidated to July 21, 2022), s. 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThis Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715, 2003.” |
How it works
The City's Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715 says owners and occupiers must not let rubbish, filth or discarded materials collect on their land, overflow or pile up around containers, or leave graffiti. They must clear untended brush, trees, noxious weeds and other growth so the property is kept to the neighbourhood standard. Piles of building materials (unless permitted or enclosed) and vehicle bodies and parts count as unsightly, and "refuse" includes unlicensed, unused or stripped vehicles, trailers and boats.
Steps
- Note the address and what you see (photos help).
- Submit an Action Request and choose BYLAW, or email bylaw@colwood.ca, or call Bylaw Services at 250-478-5999 local 146.
Good to know
- The bylaw sets no notice period or time to comply.
- If an owner or occupier does not comply, the City may enter the property, remove the material and charge them. Costs unpaid on December 31 of that year are added to the property taxes. A bylaw officer may also issue a ticket.
- The Nuisance Abatement and Cost Recovery Bylaw No. 2002 separately treats an ongoing unsightly premises as a nuisance. The City can abate it after a direction from Council and invoice the costs (Bylaw Enforcement is $250 per attendance).
- Fines: a bylaw notice is $100 ($80 within 14 days, $120 after 28 days) for rubbish offences, allowing unsightly property or failing to clear growth, and $500 for graffiti ($400 / $500). A municipal ticket is $100 or $500. On conviction the maximum fine is $2,000, and each day is a separate offence.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
View Royal · Esquimalt · Langford · Victoria · Metchosin · Highlands
Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 715, 2003 (consolidated to July 21, 2022) (PDF), City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
- Nuisance Abatement and Cost Recovery Bylaw No. 2002 (PDF), City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
- Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1911, 2021 (consolidated to March 9, 2026) (PDF), City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1314, 2010 (consolidated to April 8, 2022) (PDF), City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
- Action Request, City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
- Bylaw Services, City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
- Contact Us, City of Colwood (read 2026-11-05)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.