# Gov Handbook: Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada

> 23 answers about local government in Grand Forks. Hub page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/ · All answers as JSON: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/index.json · Full text: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/llms-full.txt

## Building, renovating and your property

- [Grand Forks building permits: when you need one and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/building-permit.md): Yes, in most cases. In the City of Grand Forks, Building Bylaw 2070 requires a permit before you build, repair or alter a building or structure (including a pool or retaining wall), move or demolish one, or change its use. Building Inspection at City Hall issues the permits.
- [Grand Forks fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/fence-rules.md): A fence in the City of Grand Forks needs no building permit, but a retaining wall does. The Zoning Bylaw allows closed fencing up to 1.3 m and open fencing up to 1.85 m anywhere on a lot, including the front yard. Taller fencing is tied to setbacks, and parts of the bylaw are unclear, so confirm first.
- [Grand Forks permits for decks, sheds, carports and garages](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/deck-shed-garage-permit.md): In the City of Grand Forks, a shed or other accessory building under 10 m² (108 ft²) needs no building permit; at 10 m² or more it does. Garages and carports need one. The bylaw names no deck exemption, so a deck needs one too; confirm with Building Inspection. Zoning rules apply either way.
- [Grand Forks building permit fees](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/building-permit-fees.md): In the City of Grand Forks, Building Bylaw 2070 sets the permit fee at 1.0% of construction value ($10 per $1,000) for residential, commercial, industrial and institutional work, and 0.7% for low-occupancy farm buildings. Some permits have flat fees. A $50 minimum applies to single inspections.
- [Grand Forks zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/zoning-lookup.md): In Grand Forks, your zone is shown on Schedule A, the Official Zoning Map of Zoning Bylaw No. 2039. The City's document library has zoning maps, but they may be out of date. Call City Hall at 250-442-8266 to confirm your zone, then read that zone's section of the bylaw.
- [Grand Forks secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/secondary-suite.md): Often yes. In the City of Grand Forks, a secondary suite is allowed on every parcel where a single-family dwelling is allowed, and the R-1 and R-2 zones also allow one detached garden suite (the bylaw's term for a carriage house). You need a building permit.
- [Grand Forks tree removal rules and permits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/tree-removal.md): The City of Grand Forks has no tree protection bylaw, and no general permit for cutting a tree on private land was found. But in an Official Community Plan environmental development permit area, removing trees for development or access needs a development permit. Trees on City land are protected.

## Garbage, recycling and waste

- [Grand Forks garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/garbage-collection.md): In the City of Grand Forks, the garbage bylaw sets garbage collection every two weeks, one container up to 22 kg, with extra bags needing a $3 Tag-A-Bag tag. The fee is $15.25 a month per unit. The collection day is not in the bylaw or on the City's pages; contact the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB).
- [Grand Forks yard waste collection and drop-off](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/yard-waste.md): In the City of Grand Forks, the garbage bylaw sets curbside yard waste collection nine times a year, on dates set by the collector. Put out up to three cans, compostable paper bags or bundles, each up to 22 kg. The dates and any drop-off site are not on the City's pages; contact the RDKB.

## Water, sewer, roads and snow

- [Grand Forks watering restrictions](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/water-restrictions.md): Yes. Grand Forks' Water Regulation Bylaw 2065 has a Normal stage plus Stages 1 to 3. Normal applies year-round unless City staff declare a higher stage. At Normal, lawn sprinkling is allowed up to three set days a week. Check the City's Sprinkling Regulations page for the current stage.

## Pets, animals and wildlife

- [Grand Forks dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/dog-licence.md): In the City of Grand Forks, a dog over four months old needs a licence once its owner has lived in the City for 30 days. The fee is $15 for a spayed or neutered dog and $25 for any other dog. Register online with DocuPet, at City Hall, or by mail.
- [Grand Forks dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/dog-leash-rules.md): In the City of Grand Forks, a dog on a street or in a public place must be on a leash, held by a competent person. The leash may be up to 2.4 metres, or an extendable lead up to 8 metres. Dogs may run loose only in posted or designated off-leash areas, which the bylaws do not list.
- [Grand Forks rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/dangerous-dogs.md): The City of Grand Forks regulates "vicious dogs" under Animal Control Bylaw No. 2116: dogs that have attacked, bitten, tried to attack or bite, or chased a person, animal or wildlife without provocation, as decided by an Animal Control Officer. They must be confined at home and leashed and muzzled in public.
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Grand Forks](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/how-many-pets.md): In the City of Grand Forks, no one may keep more than three dogs on a residential property. The Animal Control Bylaw sets no limit on cats and no combined limit on pets. It states no exception to the three-dog limit.
- [Grand Forks backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/backyard-chickens.md): 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.

## Parking, tickets and driving

- [Grand Forks RV, boat and trailer parking rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/rv-boat-trailer-parking.md): In Grand Forks, no RV, camper, commercial vehicle or trailer may be on a street, boulevard or City land from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. One RV may be parked on a boulevard beside a property you own or are a guest of, in certain residential zones, up to 7 days in 30. No parking over 72 consecutive hours.

## Bylaws, noise and complaints

- [Grand Forks noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/noise-rules.md): Grand Forks' Noise Control Bylaw No. 1963 bans noise that disturbs the neighbourhood, but sets no general quiet hours. It calls animal noise and amplified music or speech audible outside the property objectionable from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Construction noise has separate hours, and the bylaw gives two different limits.
- [Grand Forks unsightly property rules and how to report](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/unsightly-property.md): In Grand Forks, report an unsightly or overgrown property to City Hall (250-442-8266, info@grandforks.ca). Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110 covers rubbish, garbage, graffiti, dust, building materials, and grass or weeds over 18 inches (45 cm). The City gives the owner written notice.
- [Grand Forks backyard fire and burning rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/backyard-fire.md): In the City of Grand Forks, outdoor fires need a permit from the Fire Chief, and no burning is allowed during fire bans. A campfire may be no larger than 0.5 m. Bylaw 2120 allows burning only clean, dry natural vegetation, but the City's campfire page says burning garden waste is prohibited, so check first.
- [Grand Forks fireworks rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/fireworks.md): In the City of Grand Forks, no one may possess, sell or discharge fireworks unless authorized by a display permit from the Fire Chief (Fire and Life Safety Bylaw No. 2120). The bylaw has no separate rule for consumer fireworks and does not say who may apply or what a permit costs.

## Starting and running a business

- [Grand Forks business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/business-licence.md): Yes. Anyone carrying on a business in the City of Grand Forks, including a registered society or a home-based business, needs a City licence for each premises. Apply on the City's form at City Hall. The annual fee is $75 for most businesses. Approvals take about two weeks.
- [Grand Forks home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/home-based-business.md): Yes, in most residential zones in the City of Grand Forks, as a "home occupation" under the Zoning Bylaw, with a City business licence ($75 a year). It must stay inside the home or an accessory building, use no more than 30% of the floor area, and have no outdoor storage.

## Housing and renting

- [Grand Forks short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/short-term-rental.md): In Grand Forks you must register with the Province, and the City's Zoning Bylaw has no short-term rental use. It does allow bed and breakfasts (up to 3 bedrooms, in the owner's principal residence) in R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-4, R-4A and AUC zones. Grand Forks is exempt from the provincial principal-residence rule.

## Zoning

- [All 21 zones in Grand Forks, as JSON](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/zoning/index.json)
- Zone of an address: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/zoning/lookup?address=123+Main+St