---
title: Hope unsightly property rules and how to report
question: "How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Hope?"
place: Hope, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/hope
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Hope
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/unsightly-property/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/unsightly-property.json"
---

# Hope unsightly property rules and how to report

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

**Short answer:** In Hope, call Bylaw Services at 604-869-5671 or email bylaw@hope.ca with your name, address and phone number. The Good Neighbour Bylaw bars rubbish build-up, dead landscaping, noxious weeds and inoperable vehicles. A bylaw notice is $200; a municipal ticket is $1,000.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Hope, https://www.hope.ca)  
**Cost:** No fee to complain. A bylaw notice is $200 ($150 if paid within 14 days); a municipal ticket is $1,000. In court the bylaw sets a maximum of $10,000, and each day is a separate offence.  
**How long:** Voluntary compliance may be one to twenty-one days. The pages do not give a set investigation time.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Services, 604-869-5671 (Weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
- Email: Bylaw Services, bylaw@hope.ca

## Key facts

- **What counts:** Owners and occupiers must not allow rubbish or unwholesome matter to build up, rubbish to overflow containers, the property to become or stay unsightly, dead landscaping or noxious weeds to accumulate, pest infestations, construction waste (where a building permit is issued), or unlicensed or inoperable vehicles or vehicle parts. Also covered: graffiti, and weeds and rubbish within one metre of a boulevard or lane. Does not apply to normal farm operations or to outdoor storage the Zoning Bylaw permits.
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008, consolidated to December 2023, s. 6.3](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023)
  - Official wording: "allow the real property to become or remain unsightly;" … "the accumulation of dead landscaping, vegetation, noxious weeds or other"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008, consolidated to December 2023, s. 6.3(g)](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023)
  - Official wording: "not:" … "(i) registered and licenced in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Act; or"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008, consolidated to December 2023, s. 6.2](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023)
  - Official wording: "Part VI of this Bylaw does not apply to farm operations conducted in accordance with normal farm practices"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to report:** Call Bylaw Services at 604-869-5671 or email bylaw@hope.ca. Complaints may be made by fax, in person, in writing, by phone or by email, weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Include your name, address and phone number or the complaint will not be investigated. The District also uses a Bylaw Complaint Form.
  - Source: [Bylaw Directory](https://hope.ca/bylaws-directory)
  - Official wording: "Bylaw Services at 604-869-5671 or bylaw@hope.ca."
  - Source: [Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control, Enforcement of Bylaws](https://hope.ca/bylaw-animal-control)
  - Official wording: "Complaints may be filed by fax, in person, in writing, by telephone or by email." … "Complaints without this information will not be investigated."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What happens next:** The District encourages voluntary compliance, which may be one to twenty-one days. The Director may issue a compliance order; if it is not met in the time given, the District may do the work and charge the owner. If the cost is unpaid 30 days after a demand, the District can sue for it or add it to the property tax roll.
  - Source: [Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control, Enforcement of Bylaws](https://hope.ca/bylaw-animal-control)
  - Official wording: "voluntary compliance which may be between one to twenty-one days"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008, consolidated to December 2023, s. 6.11-6.13](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023)
  - Official wording: "the Director may issue an order requiring that the owner or other responsible person bring the real property into" … "may at all reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, enter the real property and bring about such compliance at the cost of the" … "added to the real property tax roll"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Bylaw notice: $200 ($150 if paid within 14 days; $50 surcharge after 28 days). Municipal ticket: $1,000.
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1627, 2026, Schedule A (BNE Bylaw No. 1627, 2026)](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136112/1627%20-%20Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20Bylaw%20%28website%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Good Neighbour Bylaw 1240, 2008" … "$200.00 $150.00 $50.00 Yes"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1628, 2026, Schedule A (MTI Bylaw No. 1628, 2026)](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136113/1628%20-%20Municipal%20Ticket%20Information%20Bylaw%20%28website%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Good Neighbour Bylaw 1240, 2008 $1,000.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008 (consolidated to December 2023), Part VI Property Maintenance
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008, consolidated to December 2023, s. 1.1](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023)
  - Official wording: "Good Neighbour Bylaw Number 1240, 2008"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240](<https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023>), Part VI, says owners and occupiers in Hope must not allow:

- rubbish or unwholesome matter to build up, or rubbish to overflow containers;
- the property to become or stay unsightly;
- dead landscaping or noxious weeds to accumulate;
- pest infestations;
- construction waste (where a building permit is issued);
- unlicensed or inoperable vehicles or vehicle parts.

Graffiti is covered too, and so are weeds and rubbish within one metre of a boulevard or lane. "Unsightly" includes visible filth, rubbish or discarded materials, untidy building materials where no construction is under way, and dead or overgrown vegetation. The bylaw does not apply to normal farm operations or to outdoor storage the Zoning Bylaw permits.

## Steps

1. Call Bylaw Services at 604-869-5671 or email bylaw@hope.ca. You can also complain in person, in writing, by fax, or with the District's Bylaw Complaint Form. Hours are weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
2. Give your name, address and phone number. Complaints without them are not investigated.
3. The District encourages voluntary compliance, which may be one to twenty-one days. The Director may then issue a compliance order.

## Good to know

- If the order is not met in the time given, the District may do the work and charge the owner. If the cost is unpaid 30 days after a demand, the District can sue for it or add it to the property tax roll.
- A bylaw notice is $200 ($150 if paid within 14 days); a municipal ticket is $1,000.

## Official forms and pages

- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023)
- [Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control](https://hope.ca/bylaw-animal-control)

## Related questions

- [Hope noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/noise-rules.md)
- [Hope bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/bylaw-fines.md)
- [Hope backyard fire and burning rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/backyard-fire.md)
- [Hope garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/garbage-collection.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property.md)
- [Kent](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kent/unsightly-property.md)
- [Harrison Hot Springs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/harrison-hot-springs/unsightly-property.md)
- [Chilliwack](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chilliwack/unsightly-property.md)
- [Princeton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/princeton/unsightly-property.md)
- [Abbotsford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/abbotsford/unsightly-property.md)
- [Mission](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mission/unsightly-property.md)

## Sources

- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1240, 2008, consolidated to December 2023, District of Hope](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/86976/Good_Neighbour_Bylaw_consolidated_to_Dec._2023) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control, District of Hope](https://hope.ca/bylaw-animal-control) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1627, 2026 (PDF), District of Hope](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136112/1627%20-%20Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20Bylaw%20%28website%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1628, 2026 (PDF), District of Hope](https://hope.ca/uploads/dm/136113/1628%20-%20Municipal%20Ticket%20Information%20Bylaw%20%28website%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Directory, District of Hope](https://hope.ca/bylaws-directory) (read 2026-11-06)

_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 District of Hope. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hope/unsightly-property/_