--- title: Creston backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules question: "Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Creston?" place: Creston, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/creston category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: municipal owner_body: Town of Creston sources_read: 2026-11-06 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/backyard-chickens/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/backyard-chickens.json" --- # Creston backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules **Question:** Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Creston? **Short answer:** In Creston, you can keep up to six hens with a Town hen licence on a property in the R1 or R5 zone. The licence is $23 a year. Roosters are not allowed. The bylaws do not mention bees, and cows, goats, sheep, pigs and most birds are prohibited. **Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of Creston, https://www.creston.ca) **Cost:** Hen licence $23 a year under the Fees and Charges Bylaw (the Town's hen page says $20). One licence covers one to six hens. Rooster: $200 bylaw notice. **How long:** The hen licence expires December 31. **Where:** - Online: Backyard Hen Licences page, https://www.creston.ca/backyard-hen-licences - Phone: Town Hall, 250-428-2214 - Email: Town Hall, info@creston.ca ## Key facts - **Hens allowed:** Yes, with a Town hen licence, on properties in the Residential - Low Density (R1) or Residential - Rural (R5) zone. The hen keeper must own the property or have the owner's written permission, and must live there. - Source: [Backyard Hen Licences, Backyard Hen Licences page](https://www.creston.ca/backyard-hen-licences) - Official wording: "Properties located in the R1: Residential - Low Density or R5: Residential – Rural, are permitted to keep a maximum of six hens." - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, s. 13(a), (b)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) - Official wording: "be the registered property owner or obtain written permission from the registered property" … "Zone or Residential – Low Density (R1) Zone as designated in Zoning Bylaw No. 1958, 2022;" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Most hens:** Six hens per parcel. - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, s. 13(b)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) - Official wording: "keep no more than six (6) Hens per parcel of land," - Source: [Backyard Hen Licences, Backyard Hen Licences page](https://www.creston.ca/backyard-hen-licences) - Official wording: "maximum of six hens" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Roosters:** Not allowed. - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, s. 13(c)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) - Official wording: "not keep a rooster;" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Coop rules:** Coop and run in the rear yard, at least 3 m from the front, interior and exterior side lot lines and from any door or window, and not visible from the street. Coop at least 0.37 m² per hen, no more than 4 m² and 2 m high. Run at least 0.92 m² per hen. Hens in the coop from sunset to 7 a.m. or sunrise, whichever is first. - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, s. 13(f), (i)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) - Official wording: "keep Hen(s) in a Coop from sunset to 7am, or sunrise, whichever is first;" … "Coop and Run must be located in a rear yard, and in no case shall it be closer to an exterior" … "interior, or exterior side lot line and no less than 3m from any door or window;" … "Coop size must be no less than 0.37 sq. m. per Hen;" … "Run size must be no less than 0.92 sq. m. per Hen;" … "Coop must not exceed 4 sq. m. floor area or 2m in height; and," … "Coop and Run must not be visible from the street parallel to the front lot line." … "keep Hen(s) in a Coop from sunset to 7am, or sunrise, whichever is first" … "interior, or exterior side lot line and no less than 3m from any door or window" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Permit or registration:** Hen licence required: $23 a year under the Fees and Charges Bylaw (the Town's hen page says $20). One licence covers one to six hens; it expires December 31. A Provincial Premises ID number is also required. (Sources differ: The Town's hen licence page and Hens-Guidelines handout say $20; the Fees and Charges Bylaw consolidated to May 12, 2026 says $23 plus taxes. The bylaw is followed. Licence is not transferable, one hen owner per property, and it can be revoked (ss. 12.3-12.5).) - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1763, Schedule 2, Schedule 2, Hen Licence Fees (consolidated to May 12, 2026)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2026-06/Fees%20and%20Charges-1763.pdf) - Official wording: "Hen Licence $23.00" … "(subject to applicable taxes)" - Source: [Backyard Hen Licences, Backyard Hen Licences page](https://www.creston.ca/backyard-hen-licences) - Official wording: "The licence fee is $20 for the year." … "Only one licence is required, regardless if you have one or six hens." … "Hen owners are required to have a valid Provincial Premises Identification Program Number." - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, s. 12.1](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) - Official wording: "No person shall own, keep, possess or harbour any Hen in the Town unless a valid and subsisting" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Bees:** Not confirmed. Creston's bylaws do not mention bees. - **Other livestock:** Horses: one per parcel zoned R-5 or Agricultural, lot at least 1 hectare. Cows, goats, sheep, pigs (except potbellied pigs), donkeys, llamas and alpacas are prohibited animals, as are most birds, so ducks are not on the permitted list. - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, s. 11.1(b); Schedule A items 14 and 26](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) - Official wording: "keep no more than one (1) horse per parcel of land zoned either Rural Residential (R-5) or" … "All ungulates, including domestic breeds of cow, goat, sheep, pig, mule, donkey, llama and alpaca," … "All birds, except the budgie, cockatiel, lovebird, finch, parrot, canary, and Hens where permitted in" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Bylaw:** Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, 2015 (Parts 12 and 13); Zoning Bylaw No. 1958, 2022 (zones) - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, title, s. 1.1](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) - Official wording: "Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, 2015" - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1958, s. 1.1](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2026-06/Zoning-1958.pdf) - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as "Zoning Bylaw No. 1958, 2022"." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 ## How it works Hens are allowed under Parts 12 and 13 of the [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826](). You need a Town hen licence and a property in the Residential - Low Density (R1) or Residential - Rural (R5) zone. You must own the property or have the owner's written permission, and you must live there. The limit is six hens per parcel. Roosters are not allowed. ## Steps 1. Confirm your zone in the [Zoning Bylaw No. 1958](). 2. Apply for a hen licence from the Town (fee in Schedule 2 of the [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1763]()). A Provincial Premises ID number is also required. 3. Build the coop and run to the rules below. ## Good to know - Coop and run go in the rear yard, at least 3 m from the front, interior and exterior side lot lines and from any door or window, and not visible from the street. - The coop must be at least 0.37 m² per hen, no more than 4 m² and 2 m high. The run must be at least 0.92 m² per hen. Keep hens in the coop from sunset to 7 a.m. or sunrise, whichever comes first. - Also required: a nest box for every two hens, roost space, predator-proof fencing including over the run, food in closed containers and food scraps removed daily. Selling hen products is not allowed, and slaughtering in town is not allowed except at a vet clinic. - The licence is not transferable and can be revoked. A rooster is a $200 bylaw notice ($175 early, $225 late). - The Town's hen page says the fee is $20; the bylaw says $23. Confirm the amount with Town Hall. - Bees: the Animal Care and Zoning bylaws do not mention beekeeping. Ask the Town. - Horses: one per parcel zoned R-5 or Agricultural, on a lot of at least 1 hectare. Cows, goats, sheep, pigs (except potbellied pigs), donkeys, llamas and alpacas are prohibited, as are most birds, so ducks are not on the permitted list. ## Official forms and pages - [Backyard Hen Licences, Town of Creston](https://www.creston.ca/backyard-hen-licences) - [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, Parts 12 and 13 (PDF)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) ## Related questions - [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Creston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/how-many-pets.md) - [Creston dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/dog-licence.md) - [Creston noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/noise-rules.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens.md) - [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/backyard-chickens.md) - [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/backyard-chickens.md) - [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/backyard-chickens.md) - [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/backyard-chickens.md) - [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/backyard-chickens.md) - [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/backyard-chickens.md) ## Sources - [Backyard Hen Licences, Town of Creston](https://www.creston.ca/backyard-hen-licences) (read 2026-11-06) - [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826 (PDF)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf) (read 2026-11-06) - [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1763, Schedule 2 (PDF)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2026-06/Fees%20and%20Charges-1763.pdf) (read 2026-11-06) - [Zoning Bylaw No. 1958 (PDF)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2026-06/Zoning-1958.pdf) (read 2026-11-06) - [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1760 (PDF)](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2026-04/Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement.pdf) (read 2026-11-06) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. 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