{"title":"Highlands backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules","question":"Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Highlands?","slug":"backyard-chickens","place":{"path":"ca/bc/highlands","name":"Highlands","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":"District of Highlands","url":"https://www.highlands.ca"},"short_answer":"Highlands has no rule on backyard hens that we found: no number, rooster, coop or permit rule. Keeping livestock counts as \"Agriculture\", a permitted use in many rural zones. Beekeeping is allowed where Agriculture is permitted. Check your zone with the District.","aliases":["backyard chickens highlands","keep hens highlands bc","livestock bylaw highlands","beekeeping highlands"],"cost":"No permit or fee for hens is mentioned in the bylaws or on the District's pages.","how_long":"Not applicable.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"District of Highlands Municipal Hall","value":"250-474-1773"},{"type":"email","label":"Municipal Planner","value":"lbeckett@highlands.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 100, 1998 (consolidated) (PDF)","url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1622"},{"title":"Animal Regulation and Impounding By-law No. 1, 1986 (CRD Bylaw 1465) (PDF)","url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1434"}],"related":[{"slug":"how-many-pets","title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Highlands","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/how-many-pets/"},{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Highlands zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"noise-rules","title":"Highlands noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/noise-rules/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/langford","name":"Langford","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/view-royal","name":"View Royal","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/central-saanich","name":"Central Saanich","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/central-saanich/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/colwood","name":"Colwood","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/esquimalt","name":"Esquimalt","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/backyard-chickens/"},{"place":"ca/bc/saanich","name":"Saanich","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/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":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_found","sources":[]},"max_hens":{"label":"Most hens","value":null,"status":"none","note":"Neither the Zoning Bylaw nor the animal bylaw sets rules on this for backyard hens.","sources":[]},"roosters":{"label":"Roosters","value":null,"status":"none","note":"Neither the Zoning Bylaw nor the animal bylaw sets rules on this for backyard hens.","sources":[]},"coop_rules":{"label":"Coop rules","value":null,"status":"none","note":"Neither the Zoning Bylaw nor the animal bylaw sets rules on this for backyard hens.","sources":[]},"registration":{"label":"Permit or registration","value":null,"status":"none","note":"Neither the Zoning Bylaw nor the animal bylaw sets rules on this for backyard hens.","sources":[]},"bees":{"label":"Bees","value":"Beekeeping is allowed where Agriculture is a permitted use: the animal bylaw's list of banned wild or exotic animals excludes bees kept for beekeeping in those zones. No hive limits found.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1434","title":"Animal Regulation and Impounding By-law No. 1, 1986 (CRD Bylaw 1465) (PDF)","section":"Schedule G, item 26","quotes":["venomous or poisonous spiders, insects, fish and scorpions; excludes bees for the purpose of","beekeeping where agriculture is a permitted use;"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"other_livestock":{"label":"Other livestock","value":"Keeping livestock is part of 'Agriculture', which is a permitted use in the Rural Residential zones (RR1 to RR5, RR15, RR16) and Rural zones (R1 to R3D, R5 to R7), among others. Check your zone. In Rural 1, a building used for agriculture must be at least 30 m from the front lot line and 15 m from side and rear lot lines.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1622","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 100, 1998 (consolidated June 2026) (PDF)","section":"s. 1 'Agriculture'; s. 6.1.1; s. 7.1.3","quotes":["AGRICULTURE means a use providing for growing, harvesting and sales of agricultural products and the","keeping and breeding of livestock","c) Agriculture","no building used for Agriculture shall be sited within 15 metres of a side lot line"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Highlands Zoning Bylaw No. 100, 1998 (consolidated); Animal Regulation and Impounding By-law No. 1, 1986 (CRD Bylaw No. 1465).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1622","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 100, 1998 (consolidated June 2026) (PDF)","section":"footer","quotes":["Highlands Zoning Bylaw No. 100, 1998 (consolidated)"]},{"url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1434","title":"Animal Regulation and Impounding By-law No. 1, 1986 (CRD Bylaw 1465) (PDF)","section":"title page","quotes":["CRD Bylaw - 1465 Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw Page 15 CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT ANIMAL REGULATION AND IMPOUNDING BY-LAW NO. 1465, 1986 SCHEDULE \"E\" 1. AYLARD FARM BEACH The sandy beach at the Capital Regional"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":8,"stated":3,"matched":3,"none":4,"unknown":1},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nNeither the [Zoning Bylaw No. 100](https://www.highlands.ca/media/1622) nor the animal bylaw sets rules for backyard hens. They do not say how many, whether roosters are allowed, what a coop must look like, or whether a permit is needed.\n\nKeeping and breeding livestock is part of \"Agriculture\". Agriculture is a permitted use in the Rural Residential zones (RR1 to RR5, RR15, RR16) and Rural zones (R1 to R3D, R5 to R7), among others. Check your zone.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- In Rural 1, a building used for agriculture must be at least 30 m from the front lot line and 15 m from side and rear lot lines.\n- Beekeeping is allowed where Agriculture is a permitted use. The animal bylaw's list of banned wild or exotic animals excludes bees kept for beekeeping in those zones. No hive limits were found.\n- The animal bylaw's ban on animals that disturb the neighbourhood does not apply in an agricultural zone.\n- Intensive Agriculture (confining poultry, livestock or fur-bearing animals as a commercial enterprise) is prohibited except as a home-based business.\n- Ask the District at 250-474-1773 before getting hens.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1622","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 100, 1998 (consolidated June 2026) (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.highlands.ca/media/1434","title":"Animal Regulation and Impounding By-law No. 1, 1986 (CRD Bylaw 1465) (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.highlands.ca/local-government/bylaw/find-bylaw","title":"Find a Bylaw, District of Highlands","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 3 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 4 are recorded as not set; 1 could not be confirmed."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/backyard-chickens/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/backyard-chickens.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/backyard-chickens.json"}}