--- title: Fort St James rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs question: "What are the rules for dangerous dogs in Fort St James?" place: Fort St James, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/fort-st-james category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: municipal owner_body: District of Fort St James sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/dangerous-dogs/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/dangerous-dogs.json" --- # Fort St James rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs **Question:** What are the rules for dangerous dogs in Fort St James? **Short answer:** In Fort St James, a dangerous dog must be leashed, muzzled and under its owner's control off the owner's property, and securely confined on it. The bylaw has no separate "aggressive" category. Report a dog to the District office. **Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Fort St James, https://www.fortstjames.ca) **Cost:** No separate licence fee for a dangerous dog; ordinary licence fees apply. Impoundment is $250 the first time in a calendar year and $500 after that, plus $10 a day. **How long:** Not applicable. **Where:** - In person: Municipal Hall, 477 Stuart Drive West, Fort St. James, BC V0J 1P0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) - Phone: District Office, 250-996-8233 - Phone: Bylaw Enforcement Officer, 250-996-8670 ext. 3 - Phone: Fort St. James RCMP (vicious dog attacks), 250-996-8269 ## Key facts - **How a dog is declared dangerous or aggressive:** A dangerous dog is one that has killed or injured a person, or killed or injured a companion or farm animal while running at large; one an Animal Control Officer has reasonable grounds to believe is likely to kill or seriously injure a person; one that aggressively harasses or pursues a person or animal while running at large; one kept or trained for dog fighting; or one that records of the SPCA, RCMP or another municipality, or the owner's knowledge, show has killed, injured or aggressively harassed a person or animal. - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 2.14](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "Dangerous Dog means:" … "any dog that an Animal Control Officer has reasonable grounds to believe is likely to kill or seriously injure a person" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Rules for owners:** Off the owner's premises a dangerous dog must be on a leash, muzzled and under an owner's care and control. On the owner's premises it must be kept securely confined at all times, indoors or in an enclosure. A dangerous dog at large may be impounded and quarantined seven days at the owner's cost. - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.2.5(b)](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "(i) on a leash; and" … "(ii) muzzled; and" - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.2.5(c)](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "securely confined at all times, either indoors, or in an enclosure" - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 6.4.1(c)](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "must be kept quarantined at the animal shelter for a period of seven (7)" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Licence fee:** None set. Fort St James's Animal Regulation Bylaw has no separate dangerous-dog fee. - **How to report:** Call the District Office at (250) 996-8233 or the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at (250) 996-8670 ext 3, use the online Comments and Complaints form, or visit the District Office. After hours leave a message for the Bylaw Enforcement Officer; for vicious dog attacks call the RCMP at (250) 996-8269. - Source: [Animal Control and Conservation, Animal Control page](https://www.fortstjames.ca/services/protective-services/animal-control-conservation) - Official wording: "Call the District Office to report an animal at (250) 996-8233" … "Call the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at (250) 996-8670 ext 3" … "For Vicious Dog Attacks contact RCMP at (250) 996-8269" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Fine:** Failure to keep dog securely confined: $25. A dangerous dog's impoundment fee is $250 the first time in a calendar year and $500 after that, plus $10 a day maintenance. - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, Sched. D, s. 4.2.5](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "Failure to keep dog securely confined" - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, Sched. A, s. 1.2](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "First impoundment in any calendar year:" … "$250.00**" … "$500.00**" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Bylaw:** Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006 (office consolidation March 27, 2025, amended by Bylaw No. 1081, 2025) - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 1.1](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "“District of Fort St. James Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006”" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works The District's [Animal Regulation Bylaw 833]() defines a dangerous dog as one that: - has killed or injured a person, or killed or injured a companion or farm animal while running at large; - an Animal Control Officer has reasonable grounds to believe is likely to kill or seriously injure a person; - aggressively harasses or pursues a person or animal while running at large; - is kept or trained for dog fighting; or - is shown by SPCA, RCMP or other municipality records, or the owner's knowledge, to have killed, injured or aggressively harassed a person or animal. ## Good to know - Off the owner's premises, a dangerous dog must be leashed, muzzled and under an owner's care and control. - On the owner's premises it must be kept securely confined at all times, indoors or in an enclosure. Failing to keep a dog securely confined is a $25 fine. - A dangerous dog at large may be impounded and quarantined for seven days at the owner's cost. The impoundment fee is $250 the first time in a calendar year and $500 after that, plus $10 a day. - An Animal Control Officer may seize a dog on reasonable grounds and ask Provincial Court for a destruction order. - The bylaw requires no signs and sets no minimum handler age. - To report a dog, call the District office at 250-996-8233 or the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at 250-996-8670 ext. 3, use the online Comments and Complaints form, or visit the office. After hours, leave a message for the officer. For a vicious dog attack, call the RCMP at 250-996-8269. ## Official forms and pages - [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025 (PDF), District of Fort St James](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - [Animal Control and Conservation, District of Fort St James](https://www.fortstjames.ca/services/protective-services/animal-control-conservation) ## Related questions - [Fort St James dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/dog-leash-rules.md) - [Fort St James dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/dog-licence.md) - [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Fort St James](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/how-many-pets.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Dangerous dog rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dangerous-dogs.md) - [Vanderhoof](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vanderhoof/dangerous-dogs.md) - [Prince George](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/dangerous-dogs.md) - [Mackenzie](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mackenzie/dangerous-dogs.md) - [Granisle](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/dangerous-dogs.md) - [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/dangerous-dogs.md) - [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dangerous-dogs.md) ## Sources - [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025 (PDF), District of Fort St James](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Animal Control and Conservation, District of Fort St James](https://www.fortstjames.ca/services/protective-services/animal-control-conservation) (read 2026-11-08) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Fort St James. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/dangerous-dogs/_