---
title: Grand Forks unsightly property rules and how to report
question: "How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property?"
place: Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/grand-forks
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Grand Forks
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/unsightly-property/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/unsightly-property.json"
---

# Grand Forks unsightly property rules and how to report

**Question:** How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property?

**Short answer:** 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.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Grand Forks, https://www.grandforks.ca)  
**Cost:** Reporting costs nothing. Municipal tickets: $250 for building material, rubbish, graffiti, garbage, grass and weeds and similar; $500 for dust or other matter; $1,000 for obstructing an officer. Court conviction: up to $50,000.  
**How long:** The owner has 14 days after the first written notice before the City may send a second notice.  
**Where:**
- Phone: City Hall (Bylaw Services), 250-442-8266 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Email: City Hall, info@grandforks.ca
- Online: Contact form, https://www.grandforks.ca/contact-the-city/

## Key facts

- **What counts:** An owner must not let a parcel become unsightly or a nuisance: stored building material (unless permitted or hidden in a building), filth or rubbish, unfinished building surfaces without a permit, graffiti, uncovered garbage, disturbing dust, or grass or weeds over 18 inches (45 cm). Dust and grass rules exclude City land, rural residential zones and the ALR.
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, ss. 3, 3.1-3.8](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2110Unsightly-Premises-CONSOLIDATED-through-A1.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No Owner shall cause, allow or permit a parcel to become or to remain unsightly or a nuisance, and specifically:" … "the accumulation on the parcel of filth, discarded materials, unwholesome matter, or rubbish of any kind" … "the presence of graffiti, whether in the form of pictures or words" … "the accumulation on the parcel of garbage not contained in a covered receptacle." … "No Owner of a parcel shall allow excess growth of any grass or weeds to exceed a height of 18 inches (45.2cm)." … "Paragraphs 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8 shall not apply to:" … "areas zoned as rural residential, or lands within the Agricultural Land Reserve"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to report:** The bylaw sets no reporting process. Contact City Hall's Bylaw Services at (250) 442-8266 or info@grandforks.ca, or use the contact form on the City's website.
  - Source: [Building Inspections and Bylaw Services, Bylaw Services page](https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/)
  - Official wording: "Community Safety Officer/Bylaw Enforcement Officer: Jon Wilson Animal Control/Bylaw Enforcement Officer: Shane Gorman (250) 442-8266 info@grandforks.ca Box 220, 7217 4th Street" … "Animal Control/Bylaw Enforcement Officer: Shane Gorman (250) 442-8266 info@grandforks.ca Box 220, 7217 4th Street Grand Forks, B.C. V0H 1H0"
  - Source: [Contact the City, Contact page](https://www.grandforks.ca/contact-the-city/)
  - Official wording: "Sending an email to: info@grandforks.ca" … "Contact Form"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What happens next:** A Bylaw Enforcement Officer may give the owner written notice to remove the items. If not done in 14 days, the City may send a second notice (owner may be heard by Council, at least 10 days later), then a third notice, and then remove the items at the owner's expense. Unpaid costs by December 31 are added to property taxes.
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, ss. 7-13](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2110Unsightly-Premises-CONSOLIDATED-through-A1.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Where a Bylaw Enforcement Officer observes that a parcel is or has become unsightly, the Bylaw Enforcement Officer may deliver written notice to the owner" … "fails within 14 days of delivery of a written notice under paragraph 7" … "the owner may appear before Council to be heard on a date specified in the second notice, being not less than ten days after delivery of the second notice;" … "at the expense of the owner, enter on the parcel and remove any thing or things that render the parcel unsightly." … "the costs will be added to, and form part of, the taxes payable on the property as taxes in arrears."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Municipal ticket: $250 for building material, rubbish, building exterior finish, graffiti, garbage, grass and weeds, or failing to remove rubbish; $500 for dust or other matter; $1,000 for obstructing an officer. Court conviction: up to $50,000.
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2073, Schedule M](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2073Municipal-Ticket-Information-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED-2.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Accumulation of Rubbish $250.00" … "Grass and Weeds $250.00" … "Dust or Other Matter $500.00" … "Obstructing Bylaw Enforcement Officer $1,000.00"
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, s. 17](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2110Unsightly-Premises-CONSOLIDATED-through-A1.pdf)
  - Official wording: "is liable on summary conviction, to a penalty of not more than $50,000.00."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110.
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, s. 1](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2110Unsightly-Premises-CONSOLIDATED-through-A1.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under [Bylaw No. 2110](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2110Unsightly-Premises-CONSOLIDATED-through-A1.pdf), an owner of a parcel in the City of Grand Forks must not let it become or stay unsightly or a nuisance. The bylaw names: building material left out (unless permitted or hidden in a building), filth or rubbish, unfinished building surfaces without a permit, graffiti, uncovered garbage, disturbing dust, and grass or weeds over 18 inches (45 cm).

The dust and grass rules do not apply to City land, areas zoned rural residential, or land in the Agricultural Land Reserve (s. 3.8.2).

## Steps

1. Contact City Hall's Bylaw Services with the address and what you see. The bylaw sets no reporting process, and no dedicated complaint form was found.
2. A Bylaw Enforcement Officer may give the owner written notice to remove the items.
3. If the owner has not complied in 14 days, the City may send a second notice. The owner may be heard by Council at least 10 days later.
4. The City may then send a third notice and remove the items at the owner's expense.

## Good to know

- Costs unpaid by December 31 are added to the property taxes.
- Tickets are $250 for most offences, $500 for dust or other matter, and $1,000 for obstructing an officer. A court conviction can mean a fine of up to $50,000.

## Official forms and pages

- [Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to A1 (PDF)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2110Unsightly-Premises-CONSOLIDATED-through-A1.pdf)
- [Building Inspections and Bylaw Services](https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/)

## Related questions

- [Grand Forks noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/noise-rules.md)
- [Grand Forks garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/garbage-collection.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property.md)
- [Greenwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/greenwood/unsightly-property.md)
- [Midway](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/midway/unsightly-property.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/unsightly-property.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/unsightly-property.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/unsightly-property.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/unsightly-property.md)

## Sources

- [Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1 (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2110Unsightly-Premises-CONSOLIDATED-through-A1.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Building Inspections and Bylaw Services, City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/building-inspections/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Contact the City, City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/contact-the-city/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2073, Schedule M (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2073Municipal-Ticket-Information-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED-2.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Grand Forks. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/unsightly-property/_