---
title: Cranbrook unsightly property rules and how to report
question: "How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property?"
place: Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/cranbrook
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Cranbrook
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/unsightly-property/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/unsightly-property.json"
---

# Cranbrook unsightly property rules and how to report

**Question:** How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property?

**Short answer:** 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.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Cranbrook, https://www.cranbrook.ca)  
**Cost:** Bylaw notice $150 ($100 if paid within 14 days, $200 if paid after 28 days); municipal ticket $150. Court fine $500 to $50,000.  
**How long:** The owner has 21 days after receiving a written notice to fix the problem, unless it is cancelled.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Services, 250-489-9598 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
- Online: Bylaw Services online contact form, https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nnmFTsvY80Cai3yLpgJIq4GRSTTdTWFKhQ9rq4UFW29UMTJONUs0RDRYUkxKNjdFTEQwNTgxNlpORi4u

## Key facts

- **What counts:** An owner or occupier must not let the property become or remain unsightly. This includes garbage, rubbish or discarded materials left outside; vegetation unkempt or over 30 cm high; more than one derelict vehicle visible from an adjacent property; noxious weeds; and graffiti visible from a highway or public place.
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025 (consolidated to July 27, 2026), ss. 3.1, 3.2](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106158)
  - Official wording: "must not cause, suffer, permit or allow the" … "Property to become or remain unsightly." … "Vegetation to be unkempt or to exceed 30 cm in height;" … "more than one Derelict Vehicle to be parked, stored or kept on the Property so" … "Noxious Weeds to grow or accumulate on the Property." … "Graffiti to be placed or to remain on the property"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to report:** Call Bylaw Services at 250-489-9598 or use the online contact form. Give your name, address and phone number, and the address of concern, owner if known, and details.
  - Source: [Request for Service](https://www.cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/bylaw-services/service-requests)
  - Official wording: "nuisance properties" … "General Bylaws Contact: 250-489-9598" … "Contact us online here" … "we will require your name, address, and phone number, and the specifics of your request"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What happens next:** A bylaw officer who sees a contravention may issue a written notice ordering the owner or occupier to fix it. A reconsideration request must be made within 7 days of receipt. Unless cancelled, the work must be done within 21 days of receipt. If not, the City may do it at the owner's expense; unpaid costs after December 31 may be added to property taxes.
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025 (consolidated to July 27, 2026), Part 4, ss. 4.1-4.8](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106158)
  - Official wording: "may issue to the owner or occupier of the" … "If a request for consideration is made within 7 days of receipt" … "within 21 days of receipt" … "at the expense of the owner or occupier, enter onto the Property" … "If costs under Section 4.7 are not paid by December 31"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Bylaw notice: $150 ($100 if paid within 14 days; $200 if paid after 28 days). Municipal ticket: $150. A court conviction carries a fine of $500 to $50,000.
  - Source: [https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106176/, Schedule A7](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106176/)
  - Official wording: "Vegetation to be unkempt or to" … "$150.00 $100.00 $200.00"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticketing Information System Bylaw No. 3856, 2016, Schedule B19](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106172)
  - Official wording: "Vegetation to be unkempt or to exceed 30 cm in height 3.2(b) $150.00"
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025 (consolidated to July 27, 2026), s. 5.5](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106158)
  - Official wording: "not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and not exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025 (consolidated to July 27, 2026), s. 1.1](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106158)
  - Official wording: "Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under the [Unsightly Premises Bylaw](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106158), the owner or occupier must not let a property become or remain unsightly. A bylaw officer who sees a breach can order it fixed in writing.

## Steps

1. Note the address, and the owner if you know it.
2. Call Bylaw Services at 250-489-9598 or use the online contact form. Give your name, address and phone number, the address of concern, the owner if known, and details.
3. If there is a breach, the officer may issue a written notice ordering the owner or occupier to fix it.
4. A reconsideration request must be made within 7 days of receiving the notice. Unless the notice is cancelled, the work must be done within 21 days of receipt.
5. If not, the City may do the work at the owner's expense. Unpaid costs after December 31 may be added to property taxes.

## Good to know

- The bylaw covers garbage, rubbish or discarded materials left outside; vegetation unkempt or over 30 cm high; more than one derelict vehicle visible from an adjacent property; noxious weeds; and graffiti visible from a highway or public place.
- A notice is treated as received when handed over, 7 days after mailing to an owner in BC, 10 days after mailing to an owner outside BC, or 7 days after posting for an occupier.

## Official forms and pages

- [Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025 (consolidated, PDF)](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106158)
- [Request for Service, Bylaw Services](https://www.cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/bylaw-services/service-requests)

## Related questions

- [Cranbrook bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/unsightly-property.md)
- [Fernie](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/unsightly-property.md)
- [Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/unsightly-property.md)
- [Sparwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sparwood/unsightly-property.md)
- [Creston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/unsightly-property.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/unsightly-property.md)

## Sources

- [Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 4206, 2025 (consolidated to July 27, 2026) (PDF)](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106158) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 4049, 2021, Schedule A7 (PDF)](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106176) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticketing Information System Bylaw No. 3856, 2016, Schedule B19 (PDF)](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106172) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Request for Service, City of Cranbrook Bylaw Services](https://www.cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/bylaw-services/service-requests) (read 2026-11-05)
- [https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106176/](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106176/) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Cranbrook. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/unsightly-property/_