--- title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Fort St James question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep 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/how-many-pets/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/how-many-pets.json" --- # How many dogs or cats you can keep in Fort St James **Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep in Fort St James? **Short answer:** In Fort St James, a house or duplex may keep up to three dogs without a kennel licence, and an apartment up to two. There is no separate cat limit: cats count toward five household pets in a house or duplex, or three in an apartment. **Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Fort St James, https://www.fortstjames.ca) **Cost:** $25 fine for going over the limit. A kennel licence is $50. **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 ## Key facts - **Dogs allowed:** Single-family dwelling or duplex: no more than three dogs on a parcel without a valid kennel licence. Apartment unit: no more than two dogs. - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.2.1](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "A person in a unit of an apartment building must not permit more than" … "may not permit more than" … "three dogs to be kept or harboured on a parcel without having procured" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Cats allowed:** No separate limit for cats. Cats count toward the household-pet total: no more than five in a single-family dwelling or duplex, or three in an apartment unit (litters of kittens not counted). - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.1](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "a maximum of five (5) household pets in a single-family dwelling or duplex; or" … "a maximum of three (3) household pets in a unit of an apartment building." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Other animal limits:** Household pets in total: no more than five in a single-family dwelling or duplex, or three in an apartment unit. Birds: no more than five in a single-family dwelling or duplex, two in an apartment unit. - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.1](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "a maximum of five (5) household pets in a single-family dwelling or duplex" … "a maximum of three (3) household pets in a unit of an apartment building" - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.3.3](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "five (5) birds in a single-family dwelling or duplex" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Exceptions:** The household-pet limits do not include a litter of puppies or kittens. Four or more dogs need a kennel licence. - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.1](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "The limits prescribed in this section do not include any litter of puppies or kittens." - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, s. 4.2.1(b)](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "(b) A person in a single-family dwelling or duplex may not permit more than three dogs to be kept or harboured on a parcel without having procured a valid kennel licence." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Fine:** $25 for exceeding the maximum number of household pets or of dogs. - Source: [Animal Regulation Bylaw No. 833, 2006, office consolidation March 2025, Sched. D](https://www.fortstjames.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/833%20Animal%20Regulation%20Bylaw%20%5BConsolidated%20March%202025%5D.pdf) - Official wording: "Exceed maximum number of household" … "Exceed maximum number of dogs" - 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]() limits pets by type of home. Poultry, farm animals and bees are under a different part of the bylaw. See the backyard-chickens answer. | Home | Dogs | Household pets in total | Birds | |---|---|---|---| | Single-family dwelling or duplex | 3 | 5 | 5 | | Apartment unit | 2 | 3 | 2 | ## Good to know - The bylaw sets no separate limit for cats. Cats count toward the household-pet total. - A litter of puppies or kittens, under six months old, does not count toward the limits. - Four or more dogs need a kennel licence. A kennel is a building for four or more dogs, and the licence costs $50 and needs inspection and building-permit approval. - Exceeding the maximum number of household pets or dogs is a $25 fine. Birds over the limit are also $25. ## 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) ## Related questions - [Fort St James dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/dog-licence.md) - [Fort St James backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/backyard-chickens.md) - [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 rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/dangerous-dogs.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md) - [Vanderhoof](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vanderhoof/how-many-pets.md) - [Prince George](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/how-many-pets.md) - [Mackenzie](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mackenzie/how-many-pets.md) - [Granisle](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/how-many-pets.md) - [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/how-many-pets.md) - [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/how-many-pets.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) _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 District of Fort St James. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/how-many-pets/_