{"title":"Gold River backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules","question":"Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Gold River?","slug":"backyard-chickens","place":{"path":"ca/bc/gold-river","name":"Gold River","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"pets-and-wildlife","name":"Pets, animals and wildlife"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Village of Gold River","url":"https://goldriver.ca"},"short_answer":"In Gold River, poultry counts as livestock. Livestock is allowed in residential zones only on lots of at least 0.81 hectares (2.0 acres), with no more than twelve head of poultry per 0.40 hectare (1 acre). The bylaws do not mention roosters or bees.","aliases":["backyard chickens gold river","keep hens gold river","livestock bylaw gold river","beekeeping gold river"],"cost":"No permit, licence or fee for hens is stated.","how_long":null,"where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Village Hall","value":"(250) 283-2202"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF)","url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf"},{"title":"Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 (PDF)","url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf"}],"related":[{"slug":"how-many-pets","title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Gold River","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/how-many-pets/"},{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Gold River zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"noise-rules","title":"Gold River noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/noise-rules/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/tahsis","name":"Tahsis","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/campbell-river","name":"Campbell River","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/tofino","name":"Tofino","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/cumberland","name":"Cumberland","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/courtenay","name":"Courtenay","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/comox","name":"Comox","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/backyard-chickens/"}],"topic":{"title":"Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens/"},"facts":{"hens_allowed":{"label":"Hens allowed","value":"Poultry counts as livestock. Livestock is allowed in residential zones only if the lot is at least 0.81 ha (2.0 acres) and the keeping follows the Animal Control Bylaw. The Rural Residential (R-R) zone lists the keeping of livestock as a permitted use.","short":"Only on lots of at least 0.81 ha (2.0 acres)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 4.5.1","quotes":["The keeping of livestock in accordance with the Village Animal Control Bylaw shall be permitted in residential zones provided that:","the lot is a minimum of 0.81 ha (2.0 acres) in area."]},{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 2.0 \"Livestock\"","quotes":["sold and includes any horse, cow, goat, sheep, pig, poultry or rabbit. \"Lot\" means the smallest unit in which land is designated as"]},{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 7.1.6","quotes":["agricultural uses and the keeping of livestock subject to the requirements of"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"max_hens":{"label":"Most hens","value":"Not more than twelve head of poultry for each 0.40 ha (1 acre) of lot area, and only on residential lots of at least 0.81 ha (2.0 acres).","short":"Twelve per 0.40 ha, on lots of 0.81 ha or more","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 4.5.1(2)","quotes":["not more than twelve (12) head of poultry for each 0.40 ha (1 acre) of lot area.","the lot is a minimum of 0.81 ha (2.0 acres) in area.","head of poultry for each 0.40 ha (1 acre) of lot area."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"roosters":{"label":"Roosters","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"The bylaws read do not mention roosters.","sources":[]},"coop_rules":{"label":"Coop rules","value":"Structures for livestock must be at least 6.1 m (20 feet) from side and rear lot lines and at least 7.6 m (25 feet) from the principal building. Enclosures for livestock may not be built or used in the front yard.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 4.5.1(3)","quotes":["structures for the accommodation of livestock shall be located a minimum","distance of 6.1 m (20 feet) from the side and rear lot lines, nor less than 7.6","m (25 feet) from the principal building on the lot."]},{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 4.5.1(4)","quotes":["enclosures for the keeping of livestock shall not be constructed or utilized"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"registration":{"label":"Permit or registration","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"No permit or registration for hens is stated in the bylaws read.","sources":[]},"bees":{"label":"Bees","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"Beekeeping is not mentioned in the bylaws searched.","sources":[]},"other_livestock":{"label":"Other livestock","value":"Livestock is limited to a total of not more than two of the following: horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and rabbits (plus poultry as above), on lots of at least 0.81 ha (2.0 acres) in residential zones.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 4.5.1(2)","quotes":["livestock is limited to a total of not more than two (2) of the following:","horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, rabbits"]},{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 4.5.1(1)","quotes":["the lot is a minimum of 0.81 ha (2.0 acres) in area."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Village of Gold River Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (s. 4.5), with the Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"Title","quotes":["VILLAGE OF GOLD RIVER ZONING BYLAW NO. 761, 2025"]},{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 (PDF), Village of Gold River","section":"s. 1.1","quotes":["Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":8,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":0,"unknown":3},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nUnder section 4.5 of the [Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf), poultry counts as livestock. Livestock is allowed in residential zones only if the lot is at least 0.81 hectares (2.0 acres) and the keeping follows the [Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022](https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf). The Rural Residential (R-R) zone lists keeping livestock as a permitted use; the permitted-use list for the R-L zone does not mention it.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- Poultry: no more than twelve head per 0.40 hectare (1 acre) of lot area.\n- Other livestock: a total of no more than two horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or rabbits, in addition to poultry.\n- Livestock structures must be at least 6.1 metres (20 feet) from side and rear lot lines and at least 7.6 metres (25 feet) from the principal building. Livestock enclosures may not be built or used in the front yard.\n- Keeping must also meet the local Medical Health Officer's requirements.\n- Roosters are not mentioned. The animal bylaw bans a habitually noisy dog and keeping animals to the extent of a nuisance.\n- Beekeeping is not mentioned in the bylaws searched, and no permit or registration for hens is stated. Call Village Hall at (250) 283-2202 to check.","sources":[{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bylaw-No-761-2025-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 761, 2025 (PDF), Village of Gold River","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://goldriver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Bylaw-No-736-2022-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 (PDF), Village of Gold River","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 3 could not be confirmed."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/backyard-chickens/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/backyard-chickens.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/backyard-chickens.json"}}