# Gov Handbook: Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada

> 24 answers about local government in Cranbrook. Hub page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/ · All answers as JSON: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/index.json · Full text: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/llms-full.txt

## Building, renovating and your property

- [Cranbrook building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/building-permit.md): In Cranbrook you need a City building permit before you build, repair or alter a building, structure or secondary suite, move or demolish one, install a wood-burning appliance or pool, or do plumbing work. Apply in person at Engineering and Development Services, 1212 2nd Street North, with a $50 application fee. Call 250-489-0207 if unsure.
- [Cranbrook fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/fence-rules.md): In Cranbrook, a regular fence does not need a building permit, because the Building Bylaw does not apply to fences. The Zoning Bylaw limits residential fences to 1.0 m in the front yard and 1.8 m in other yards, and bans barbed wire in residential zones.
- [Cranbrook permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/deck-shed-garage-permit.md): In Cranbrook, a new garage or carport, and any new building or structure over 10 m² (the City's guide), needs a building permit. A deck needs one unless it has no roof and is no more than 0.6 m above ground. Call Building Services at 250-489-0207 if unsure.
- [Cranbrook building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/building-permit-fees.md): In Cranbrook, a building permit costs $120 for construction valued up to $10,000, then $12 per $1,000 or part thereof up to $100,000, and $1,200 plus $10 per $1,000 or part thereof over $100,000. A $50 non-refundable application fee is subtracted from the permit fee.
- [Cranbrook zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/zoning-lookup.md): In Cranbrook, zoning is set by Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019. Find your lot on the Official Zoning Maps (Schedule A) on the City's bylaw site, then read that zone's part of the bylaw for permitted uses, setbacks, height and parking. For a firm answer on your lot, call the City.
- [Cranbrook secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/secondary-suite.md): In Cranbrook, a secondary suite is allowed as an accessory use in the RT, R-1, R-3, R-4 and R-7 zones, and a detached accessory dwelling unit (such as a garden suite or carriage house) in the R-1 and R-7 zones. Either one needs a building permit.
- [Cranbrook tree removal rules and permits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/tree-removal.md): In Cranbrook, check whether a private tree lies in a mapped development permit area. In those areas (steep slopes, riparian, wildfire, environmentally sensitive), land alteration needs a development permit ($1,000 fee), and the Official Community Plan does not say outright whether cutting a tree counts. Boulevard trees need a Road Occupancy Permit.

## Garbage, recycling and waste

- [Cranbrook garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/garbage-collection.md): The City of Cranbrook collects household garbage weekly from one City-supplied 240 L cart. The City page says to have it at the curb by 7:30 a.m. (the bylaw says 7:00 a.m.). Extra garbage, bulky items and building waste are not collected; take them to the Cranbrook Transfer Station.
- [Cranbrook yard waste collection and drop-off](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/yard-waste.md): The City of Cranbrook has no curbside yard-waste collection. Take yard and garden waste to the Cranbrook Transfer Station, 2405 22nd St N, run by the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK). Drop-off is free for RDEK residents; branches up to 6 inches across are listed at no charge.

## Water, sewer, roads and snow

- [Cranbrook watering restrictions](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/water-restrictions.md): The City of Cranbrook restricts outdoor watering in stages and announces changes by news notice. The City's notices say that Stage 1 lets even-numbered addresses water Monday, Thursday and Saturday and odd-numbered Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Check the City's page for the current stage.

## Pets, animals and wildlife

- [Cranbrook dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/dog-licence.md): In the City of Cranbrook, every dog two months or older needs a City licence. It costs $30 a year for a spayed or neutered dog and $60 for one that is not. Apply online through DocuPet at cranbrook.docupet.com or in person at City Hall with proof of spay or neuter.
- [Cranbrook dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/dog-leash-rules.md): In the City of Cranbrook a dog must be under its owner's control on a leash anywhere off the owner's premises, except inside an off-leash park. The City's two off-leash dog parks are Moir Park and Muriel Baxter. Dogs are banned from playgrounds, splash pads and sports fields.
- [Cranbrook rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/dangerous-dogs.md): In the City of Cranbrook an animal control officer can designate a dog "vicious" after aggression or a bite. The owner must then keep it muzzled and on a short leash in public, behind a 1.8 m solid fence at home, sterilized and licensed ($225). "Dangerous dogs" go to Provincial Court.
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/how-many-pets.md): In the City of Cranbrook you may keep no more than 6 pets in a dwelling unit or on a residential parcel with one dwelling unit, and no more than 3 of them may be dogs and no more than 3 cats. Only one of the dogs may be a designated vicious dog.
- [Cranbrook backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/backyard-chickens.md): Not on a residential lot in the zones read. The City of Cranbrook's Animal Control Bylaw allows poultry, bees and farm animals only where the Zoning Bylaw permits them, and the residential zones read do not. Some zone parts could not be read, so ask the City before buying birds or hives.

## Parking, tickets and driving

- [Cranbrook RV, boat and trailer parking rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/rv-boat-trailer-parking.md): On City of Cranbrook streets, a detached RV or trailer may not be parked at all, and an RV or attached trailer may not be parked from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nobody may live in one on a street. No rule on keeping an RV, boat or trailer on your own residential lot was found.

## Bylaws, noise and complaints

- [Cranbrook noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/noise-rules.md): Cranbrook's Noise Control Bylaw No. 2612, 1982 bans noise that disturbs neighbours at any hour and sets no fixed quiet hours. Construction that disturbs is banned before 7:00 a.m. and after 10:00 p.m. Report problems to Bylaw Services at 250-489-9598.
- [Cranbrook unsightly property rules and how to report](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/unsightly-property.md): Report an unsightly property in Cranbrook to City of Cranbrook Bylaw Services at 250-489-9598 or through its online form. Under Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025, owners must not let garbage, vegetation over 30 cm, noxious weeds, graffiti or derelict vehicles build up.
- [Cranbrook backyard fire and burning rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/backyard-fire.md): In Cranbrook, burning yard waste or household waste in the open is prohibited under Fire Services Bylaw 3676. Small campfires in a fire pit, chimenea or approved stove are allowed, subject to any provincial fire ban. Only land clearing debris can be burned, with a permit, in winter.
- [Cranbrook fireworks rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/fireworks.md): No. Cranbrook bans storing, selling or setting off consumer fireworks anywhere in the City at any time. Display (professional) fireworks need a permit from the Director of Fire and Emergency Services, and no outdoor display permits are issued from April 1 to October 31.
- [Cranbrook bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/bylaw-fines.md): The City of Cranbrook has two ticket systems: bylaw notices and municipal tickets. For example, an unlicensed dog is a $125 bylaw notice or a $100 municipal ticket. Pay a bylaw notice within 14 days for the lower amount, or dispute it within 14 days.

## Starting and running a business

- [Cranbrook business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/business-licence.md): Yes. Every business operating in the City of Cranbrook, including home-based businesses and businesses based in the city that work mainly elsewhere, needs a City business licence. Fill in the City's application form and deliver, mail or email it to City Hall. Allow about two weeks. The annual licence is $150 plus taxes.
- [Cranbrook home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/home-based-business.md): Often yes. In Cranbrook a home-based business is a permitted accessory use in many residential zones and needs a City business licence ($150 a year plus taxes). It must follow Zoning Bylaw 3977 s. 4.06: run by family members who live in the home, wholly inside the dwelling or an accessory building, no outside signs.

## Housing and renting

- [Cranbrook short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/short-term-rental.md): In Cranbrook, short-term rentals (fewer than 90 consecutive days) are limited to your principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the property, under the Province's rules. You must register with the Province. The City has no short-term rental bylaw, but a bed and breakfast needs a City business licence.

## Zoning

- [All 26 zones in Cranbrook, as JSON](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/zoning/index.json)
- Zone of an address: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/zoning/lookup?address=123+Main+St