{"title":"Grand Forks backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules","question":"Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock?","slug":"backyard-chickens","place":{"path":"ca/bc/grand-forks","name":"Grand Forks","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":"City of Grand Forks","url":"https://www.grandforks.ca"},"short_answer":"No City of Grand Forks bylaw permits backyard hens or bees. The Official Community Plan says only that the City will review zoning to allow small-scale animal husbandry, including backyard chickens and bees, where appropriate. The Zoning Bylaw allows commercial farm operations with animals only in the R-4 Rural Residential zone.","aliases":["backyard hens grand forks","urban chickens grand forks","beekeeping grand forks","livestock grand forks","horses goats grand forks"],"cost":null,"how_long":null,"where":[{"type":"phone","label":"City Hall","value":"250-442-8266","note":"Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m."},{"type":"email","label":"City Hall","value":"info@grandforks.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, consolidated to A40","url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw-no-2039-2018-zoning-bylaw-consolidated-to-a40/"},{"title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 2116 (PDF)","url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2116Animal-Control.pdf"}],"related":[{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Grand Forks zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"how-many-pets","title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Grand Forks","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/how-many-pets/"},{"slug":"dog-leash-rules","title":"Grand Forks dog leash rules and off-leash areas","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/dog-leash-rules/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/greenwood","name":"Greenwood","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/greenwood/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/midway","name":"Midway","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/midway/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/rossland","name":"Rossland","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/warfield","name":"Warfield","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/trail","name":"Trail","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/castlegar","name":"Castlegar","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/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":"No bylaw read permits backyard hens. The Official Community Plan (policy 6.7.3) says only that the City will review zoning to allow, where appropriate, small-scale animal husbandry, including backyard chickens, bees and other small livestock.","short":"No","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw2089-official-community-plan-schedules/","title":"Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2089, Schedules, City of Grand Forks","section":"Section 6.7.3 (Local food production policies)","quotes":["Review zoning and other relevant regulations","to allow, where appropriate, for small-scale","animal husbandry, including backyard","chickens, bees, and other small livestock for"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"max_hens":{"label":"Most hens","value":null,"status":"none","note":"No bylaw read for Grand Forks sets a limit on backyard hens.","sources":[]},"roosters":{"label":"Roosters","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"No bylaw read for Grand Forks mentions this.","sources":[]},"coop_rules":{"label":"Coop rules","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"No bylaw read for Grand Forks mentions this.","sources":[]},"registration":{"label":"Permit or registration","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"No bylaw read for Grand Forks mentions this.","sources":[]},"bees":{"label":"Bees","value":"No bylaw read mentions beekeeping. The Official Community Plan (policy 6.7.3) says only that the City will review zoning to allow, where appropriate, small-scale animal husbandry, including backyard chickens, bees and other small livestock.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw2089-official-community-plan-schedules/","title":"Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2089, Schedules, City of Grand Forks","section":"Section 6.7.3 (Local food production policies)","quotes":["animal husbandry, including backyard","chickens, bees, and other small livestock for"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"other_livestock":{"label":"Other livestock","value":"The Zoning Bylaw permits 'farm operations (crops and/or animals)' in the R-4 Rural Residential zone only; 'farm operation (animal)' means rearing poultry, fowl, livestock or game farm animals for commercial purposes. R-4A allows crop farm operations only.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw-no-2039-2018-zoning-bylaw-consolidated-to-a40/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, consolidated to A40, City of Grand Forks","section":"ss. 42.2, 43.2; Definitions; s. 7.3","quotes":["farm operations (crops and/or animals);","Farm Operation (Animal) means the growing, rearing, producing of poultry, fowl, livestock or game farm animals for commercial purposes.","farm operations (crops);","No land, building or structures may be used for a use that is not specifically listed as a"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018; Animal Control Bylaw No. 2116.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw-no-2039-2018-zoning-bylaw-consolidated-to-a40/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, consolidated to A40, City of Grand Forks","section":"Title","quotes":["Zoning Bylaw No. 2039"]},{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2116Animal-Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 2116 (PDF), City of Grand Forks","section":"s. 1","quotes":["This bylaw may be cited as the “Animal Control Bylaw No. 2116”"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":8,"stated":4,"matched":4,"none":1,"unknown":3},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039](https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw-no-2039-2018-zoning-bylaw-consolidated-to-a40/) says no land may be used for a use not specifically listed as permitted in its zone. It lists \"farm operations (crops and/or animals)\" only in the R-4 Rural Residential zone, where a \"farm operation (animal)\" means rearing poultry, fowl, livestock or game farm animals for commercial purposes. The R-4A zone allows crop farm operations only.\n\nNo bylaw read mentions backyard hens, roosters, coops, hen permits or beekeeping, and none sets a limit on them. Policy 6.7.3 of the Official Community Plan says only that the City will review zoning to allow, where appropriate, small-scale animal husbandry, including backyard chickens, bees and other small livestock.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- Under the [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2116](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2116Animal-Control.pdf), \"animal\" includes livestock, fowl, poultry and rabbits, and an owner must not let one be at large.\n- Land in the Agricultural Land Reserve is governed by the Agricultural Land Commission Act where the zoning bylaw conflicts.\n- Ask City Hall at 250-442-8266 what applies to your lot before buying animals.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw-no-2039-2018-zoning-bylaw-consolidated-to-a40/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, consolidated to A40, City of Grand Forks","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2116Animal-Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 2116 (PDF), City of Grand Forks","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/document/bylaw2089-official-community-plan-schedules/","title":"Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 2089, Schedules, City of Grand Forks","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/","title":"Building Inspections and Bylaw Services, City of Grand Forks","accessed":"2026-11-05"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-05","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set; 3 could not be confirmed."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/backyard-chickens/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/backyard-chickens.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/backyard-chickens.json"}}