---
title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Creston
question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep 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/how-many-pets/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/how-many-pets.json"
---

# How many dogs or cats you can keep in Creston

**Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep in Creston?

**Short answer:** In Creston, no property may have more than four companion animals. Dogs, cats and potbellied pigs count together toward that limit. A bylaw notice for exceeding it is $150.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of Creston, https://www.creston.ca)  
**Cost:** Bylaw notice $150 ($125 if paid within 14 days, $175 if paid late).  
**How long:** The limit applies at all times.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Town Hall, 250-428-2214
- Online: Bylaw Complaint Form (complaints and claims), https://www.creston.ca/complaints-and-claims

## Key facts

- **Dogs allowed:** No more than four companion animals on any property, counting dogs, cats and potbellied pigs together.
  - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, ss. 5.1, 5.2](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person shall keep or allow to be kept on any real property more than four (4) companion animals," … "Section 5.1 of this Bylaw applies to dogs, cats and potbellied pigs."
  - Source: [Pet Licences, Pet Licences page](https://www.creston.ca/pet-licences)
  - Official wording: "There is a maximum of four pets allowed per household."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Cats allowed:** Same combined limit: no more than four dogs, cats and potbellied pigs together on a property.
  - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, ss. 5.1, 5.2](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf)
  - Official wording: "more than four (4) companion animals," … "applies to dogs, cats and potbellied pigs."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other animal limits:** Hens: up to six per parcel in R1 or R5 zones, licensed. Horses: one per parcel zoned R-5 or Agricultural with at least one hectare. Many other animals are prohibited (Schedule A), including most ungulates and most birds.
  - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, ss. 11.1(b), 13(b), Schedule A](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" … "keep no more than six (6) Hens per parcel of land," … "List of Prohibited Animals"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Exceptions:** More than four are allowed at a veterinary clinic, kennel or cattery, PAWS, a PAWS-approved rescue or foster home, an animal daycare or a grooming facility, if the zoning bylaw specifically permits that use.
  - Source: [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, s. 5.1](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf)
  - Official wording: "except in the lawful operation of a veterinary clinic, kennel/cattery (for breeding or boarding), the" … "Creston Pet Adoption and Welfare Society (PAWS), rescue or foster home approved by PAWS," … "providing the use is specifically permitted"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Bylaw notice: $150 ($125 if paid within 14 days; $175 if paid late).
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1760, Schedule A, Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw rows](https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2026-04/Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement.pdf)
  - Official wording: "1826 5.1 Possess more than 4 companion animals $150.00 $125.00 $175.00 YES"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826, 2015
  - 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"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Animal Care and Responsibility Bylaw No. 1826](<https://www.creston.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/Animal%20Care%20and%20Responsibility%20Bylaw%20No.%201826.pdf>) allows no more than four companion animals on any property. Dogs, cats and potbellied pigs are counted together, so there is no separate dog limit or cat limit.

## Steps

1. Count your dogs, cats and potbellied pigs together. Keep the total at four or fewer.
2. Licence each dog. See the dog licence answer.
3. If you want more animals, check whether your use is one of the exceptions below.

## Good to know

- More than four are allowed at a veterinary clinic, kennel or cattery, P.A.W.S., a P.A.W.S.-approved rescue or foster home, an animal daycare or a grooming facility, if the zoning bylaw specifically permits that use.
- A kennel is more than four dogs, or any number kept for breeding or boarding. A cattery is the same for cats.
- The bylaw gives no exception for puppies or kittens.
- Other animals have their own rules: up to six hens in the R1 or R5 zone with a licence, and one horse per parcel zoned R-5 or Agricultural. Many other animals, such as most birds and hoofed animals, are prohibited.
- Exceeding the limit is a bylaw notice of $150 ($125 if paid within 14 days, $175 if paid late).

## Official forms and pages

- [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)

## Related questions

- [Creston dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/dog-licence.md)
- [Creston dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Creston backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Creston bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/how-many-pets.md)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/how-many-pets.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/how-many-pets.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/how-many-pets.md)
- [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/how-many-pets.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/how-many-pets.md)

## Sources

- [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)
- [Pet Licences, Town of Creston](https://www.creston.ca/pet-licences) (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 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Town of Creston. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/how-many-pets/_