# Gov Handbook: Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

> 23 answers about local government in Coquitlam. Hub page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/ · All answers as JSON: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/index.json · Full text: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/llms-full.txt

## Building, renovating and your property

- [Coquitlam building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/building-permit.md): In Coquitlam, a building permit is generally needed for any work on a building: new buildings, additions, suites, decks, retaining walls over 1.2 m, pools and demolition. A storage or garden shed of 10 m² or less is exempt. Apply online through Coquitlam QFile or at the City Hall counter.
- [Coquitlam fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/fence-rules.md): No. The City of Coquitlam does not require a permit to build a fence. In residential zones a fence can be 1.3 m high in front of the front face of the building and 1.8 m behind it, and 1 m within 6 m of an exterior lot corner. Other zones allow 3.1 m.
- [Coquitlam permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/deck-shed-garage-permit.md): In Coquitlam, decks and accessory buildings such as garages and carports generally need a building permit. The one listed exemption is a storage or garden shed of 10 m² or less that meets the Building Code and all bylaws, including Zoning Bylaw setbacks. Call Building Permits at 604-927-3441 if unsure.
- [Coquitlam building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/building-permit-fees.md): In Coquitlam, a building permit fee is a base amount plus a rate per $1,000 of estimated construction value, set in Schedule D of the Fees and Charges Bylaw. A separate application fee of $106.70 or 50% of the issuance fee is due first, and $679.70 for a new house. Confirm with the City.
- [Coquitlam zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/zoning-lookup.md): Look up your lot on QtheMap, the City of Coquitlam's interactive map, using the Designated Land Use and Zoning layer. Then read your zone in Zoning Bylaw 3000. Development Planning, 604-927-3430, can answer questions.
- [Coquitlam secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/secondary-suite.md): Yes, in many zones. Coquitlam's Zoning Bylaw treats a secondary suite, carriage house or garden cottage as an accessory dwelling unit, counted toward the zone's limit on units per lot (R-1 up to four; RS-2 one, inside the house). A suite needs a building permit. Call Building Permits at 604-927-3441.
- [Coquitlam tree removal rules and permits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/tree-removal.md): In Coquitlam, you can remove up to two protected trees per 12-month period without a permit. Protected means 20 cm or more across at 1.4 m high. More than two, or any removal on a lot with a creek, steep slope or covenant, needs a Tree Cutting Permit, starting at $71.50. Confirm with the City.

## Garbage, recycling and waste

- [Coquitlam garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/garbage-collection.md): The City of Coquitlam collects the Garbage Cart every other week and the Green Cart weekly at houses and some small multi-plexes. Find your day by entering your address on the City's Collection Calendar page or in the Coquitlam Curbside Collection app. Put carts out between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.
- [Coquitlam yard waste collection and drop-off](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/yard-waste.md): In Coquitlam, put yard trimmings in your Green Cart, collected weekly. For six weeks each spring and fall the City collects extra trimmings on your regular collection day. Residents can also drop off yard trimmings free, year-round, at the United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre.

## Water, sewer, roads and snow

- [Coquitlam watering restrictions](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/water-restrictions.md): Yes. In Coquitlam, Stage 1 watering restrictions start automatically on May 1 each year and last until October 15, unless Metro Vancouver's Commissioner declares otherwise. At Stage 1, residential lawns can be watered on Saturdays (even addresses) or Sundays (odd) in set morning hours.

## Pets, animals and wildlife

- [Coquitlam dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/dog-licence.md): Every dog over six months old in Coquitlam needs a City of Coquitlam licence each year. If the City receives payment on or before February 1, the fee is $32.50 for a spayed or neutered dog and $66.10 for one that is not. An $18 late charge applies after that.
- [Coquitlam dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/dog-leash-rules.md): In the City of Coquitlam, a dog must be on a leash in any public place, including parks, streets and lanes, except in a posted off-leash area. There are off-leash areas at Bramble, Glen, Leigh, Miller, Mundy and Ridge Parks. Owners must carry a leash and keep the dog in sight and under control.
- [Coquitlam rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/dangerous-dogs.md): In Coquitlam, the City's Animal Control Manager can designate a dog "aggressive" or "vicious" under the Animal Care and Control Bylaw 4240. The owner must keep an aggressive dog leashed and never at large; a vicious dog must also be muzzled in public and locked up at home with warning signs.
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/how-many-pets.md): In the City of Coquitlam, the Animal Care and Control Bylaw allows no more than three animals in total in any dwelling unit, with no separate limit for dogs or cats, unless the Zoning Bylaw or another enactment expressly allows more. Poultry and livestock may not be kept in a dwelling unit.

## Parking, tickets and driving

- [Coquitlam RV, boat and trailer parking rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/rv-boat-trailer-parking.md): In Coquitlam, a trailer cannot be parked on a street unless it is attached to a vehicle able to tow it, and a vehicle longer than 6.5 m cannot park on a street from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. On a residential lot, zoning allows no more than two RV or boat trailers combined in accessory parking.

## Bylaws, noise and complaints

- [Coquitlam noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/noise-rules.md): Coquitlam's Noise Regulation Bylaw 1233 bans noise that disturbs the neighbourhood at any hour; it sets no fixed quiet hours. Construction is allowed 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with limits. Report noise to Bylaw Services at 604-927-3580.
- [Coquitlam unsightly property rules and how to report](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/unsightly-property.md): To report an unsightly or overgrown property in Coquitlam, call Bylaw Enforcement at 604-927-3580 or email Bylaw Services with the exact address and your contact details. The Unsightly Premises Bylaw covers rubbish, overgrown grass, stored furniture, inoperable vehicles and graffiti.
- [Coquitlam backyard fire and burning rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/backyard-fire.md): No. In Coquitlam, fires of any kind in the open air are banned at all times, including campfires, fire pits and burning yard waste. The exception is a fire in a portable appliance made and used solely for cooking food (propane, natural gas or charcoal). Only Agricultural Land Reserve land can get a permit.
- [Coquitlam fireworks rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/fireworks.md): No. In Coquitlam, no one may set off fireworks, firecrackers or pyrotechnics without a permit from the Fire Chief, and buying or selling them is banned. The distance rules for a permit effectively rule out most residential lots, so permits suit organized displays, not backyards.
- [Coquitlam bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/bylaw-fines.md): Coquitlam has two ticket systems side by side. A bylaw notice has a set amount per offence, reduced if paid within 14 days. A municipal ticket is $1,000 per offence for the bylaws checked. Dispute a bylaw notice online within 14 days.

## Starting and running a business

- [Coquitlam business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/business-licence.md): Yes. Every person carrying on a profession, business, trade or occupation in Coquitlam needs a City business licence, including home-based, mobile and non-resident businesses. Choose the application for your type of business and email it with supporting documents, or deliver it to City Hall. Confirm zoning first.
- [Coquitlam home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/home-based-business.md): Yes, in Coquitlam you can run an accessory home occupation in residential zones if it is validly licensed and meets Zoning Bylaw conditions, such as using no more than 40% of the dwelling's floor area and employing at most one non-resident. The licence is $100.80 a year for most home businesses.

## Housing and renting

- [Coquitlam short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/short-term-rental.md): In Coquitlam, the City licenses short-term rentals only as a sleeping unit in the host's own dwelling, and the host must live there. You need a home-based business licence ($100.80 a year), an inspection, and a provincial registration. The City does not address whole-home rentals.

## Zoning

- [All 41 zones in Coquitlam, as JSON](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/zoning/index.json)
- Zone of an address: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/zoning/lookup?address=123+Main+St