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Grand Forks unsightly property rules and how to report

How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property?

Grand Forks, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

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.

Key facts

What countsAn 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.Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, ss. 3, 3.1-3.8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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
How to reportThe 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.Building Inspections and Bylaw Services, Bylaw Services page; Contact the City, Contact page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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
Sending an email to: info@grandforks.ca
Contact Form
What happens nextA 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.Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, ss. 7-13 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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.
FineMunicipal 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.Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2073, Schedule M; Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, s. 17 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
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
is liable on summary conviction, to a penalty of not more than $50,000.00.
BylawUnsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110.Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1, s. 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110

How it works

Under Bylaw No. 2110, 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

The same question in other places

Greenwood · Midway · Rossland · Warfield · Trail · Montrose

Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Unsightly Premises and Nuisance Properties Bylaw No. 2110, consolidated to 2110-A1 (PDF), City of Grand Forks (read 2026-11-05)
  2. Building Inspections and Bylaw Services, City of Grand Forks (read 2026-11-05)
  3. Contact the City, City of Grand Forks (read 2026-11-05)
  4. Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2073, Schedule M (PDF), City of Grand Forks (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. How answers are checked.