---
title: Kamloops backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules
question: "Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock?"
place: Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/kamloops
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Kamloops
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/backyard-chickens/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/backyard-chickens.json"
---

# Kamloops backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules

**Question:** Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock?

**Short answer:** Yes, with limits. In the City of Kamloops, single-family and two-family residential lots of 370 m2 to 1 acre can keep 2 to 5 hens (no roosters or chicks) after a free online registration and a coop inspection. Bees need a permitted zone; farm animals need at least one acre.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Kamloops, https://www.kamloops.ca)  
**Cost:** Hen registration is free.  
**How long:** A Community Services Officer inspects the coop within two weeks of registering.  
**Where:**
- Online: Backyard hens registration form, https://www.kamloops.ca/form/backyard-hens-registration-form
- Phone: Community Services (animal control), 250-828-3409
- Email: Community Services (animal control), communityservices@kamloops.ca

## Key facts

- **Hens allowed:** Yes, hens only, on residential-zoned lots of 370 m² up to 4,000 m² (1 acre) with a single-family or two-family permitted use. The owner must live on the property as their principal residence. Two-family (duplex) lots also need a fully fenced rear yard with the hen owner's part fenced off.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, Table 9.1.1; ss. 9.1.5, 9.2.2, 9.5.1](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "Hens only, no" … "Residential zoned" … "unless that person resides upon and uses that property as their principal residence" … "unless the rear yard of the two-family property is fully fenced"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Most hens:** Minimum two, maximum five hens on a residential lot under 1 acre.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, Table 9.1.1](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "Permitted Minimum 370 m2 Residential zoned Hens only, no Minimum two (2) (.037 ha) up to property with a roosters and no hens to a" … "4,000 m2 permitted use of chicks maximum of (0.4047 ha or single-family or five (5) hens 1 ac.) two-family"
  - Source: [Urban Hens, page](https://www.kamloops.ca/our-community/community-initiatives/food-urban-agriculture/urban-hens)
  - Official wording: "minimum two, maximum five hens"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Roosters:** No. Roosters and chicks (chickens under three months old) are not allowed on residential-zoned property.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, s. 9.1.2; s. 1.2](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "shall suffer or permit the keeping of any rooster or any chick(s) upon any residential-zoned property" … "“Chick” means a chicken less than three (3) months of age"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coop rules:** Coop in the rear yard only, at least 1 m from side and rear lot lines and 3 m from any door or window of a dwelling; fenced rear yard 1.2 m to 2 m high; at least 0.5 m² indoors and 1 m² covered outdoor run per hen; a nesting box and roost for each hen; total no more than 10 m² and 2 m high. Hens must be inside the indoor part from dusk to dawn.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, ss. 9.2.1, 9.3.1, 9.3.4](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "wholly in the rear yard of the property;" … "at least 3 m from any door or window of any dwelling containing human habitation" … "provides at least 0.5 m2 of fully enclosed indoor floor area per hen" … "is not greater than 10 m2 in overall floor area for both indoor and outdoor enclosed areas combined" … "during night time hours (between dusk and dawn)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permit or registration:** Registration with the City is required before keeping hens (online form); no fee. A Community Services Officer inspects the coop within two weeks of registering.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, ss. 9.4.1, 9.4.6](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "must prior to any such owning, keeping, or harbouring, register with the City" … "No fee shall be payable to register hens upon a residential zoned parcel."
  - Source: [Urban Hens, page](https://www.kamloops.ca/our-community/community-initiatives/food-urban-agriculture/urban-hens)
  - Official wording: "Self-registration is required and free of charge." … "will arrange a time with you to inspect your coop and confirm your information within two weeks of registering your hens"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bees:** Allowed with limits: zones A-1, FD, CR-1 to CR-3, RS-1 to RS-5 and RT-1 to RT-3 (and some P zones for community gardens) on parcels of at least 370 m². On residential lots hives must be in the rear yard. Hive limits: 2 hives on parcels under 929 m², 4 under 1,858 m², 6 under 0.8 ha, 10 under 2.0 ha, unlimited at 2.0 ha or more. Flight-path setbacks and a water supply are required.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, ss. 12.1, 12.2, 12.3](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "The parcel of land is equal to or greater than 370 m2." … "any beehive is located in the rear yard of the property" … "Two (2) beehives/colonies and two (2) nucleus colonies on any parcel of land that is less than 929 m2." … "Provide a water supply to prevent the bees from seeking water from other"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other livestock:** Farm animals (horses, goats, sheep, cattle and others) only on parcels of at least one acre (0.4047 ha), no more than two per acre, and not in commercial or industrial zones. Swine need 8 ha or A-1 zoning (Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs may be kept as pets with certification). Ducks, geese and other poultry are not allowed on residential lots under one acre; only hens are.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, ss. 3.1-3.4A, 9.1.5](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "unless the said parcel has an area of not less than 0.4047 ha (one acre)" … "No person shall keep or harbour more than two farm animals per 0.4047 ha (one acre) on any parcel of land within the City." … "No person shall keep or harbour swine on any parcel of land in the City unless such lands are a minimum size of 8 ha. (19.768 acres) or are zoned A 1." … "except the permitted number of hens identified in Table 9.1.1, on any residential-zoned parcel under 4,000 m2"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, 1981 (hens, bees, farm animals); beehive and coop siting also depends on the Zoning Bylaw No. 55 yard setbacks
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, s. 23](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as "City of Kamloops Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11, 1981.""
  - Source: [Urban Hens, page](https://www.kamloops.ca/our-community/community-initiatives/food-urban-agriculture/urban-hens)
  - Official wording: "See Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11 for specific details."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Kamloops allows hens under [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206). The lot must be residential with a single-family or two-family use and be 370 m2 up to 4,000 m2 (1 acre). You must live on the property as your principal residence. On a two-family lot you also need a fully fenced rear yard with your part fenced off. Parcels under 370 m2 may not have poultry.

## Steps for hens

1. Build a coop in the rear yard only: at least 0.5 m2 indoors and 1 m2 of covered outdoor run per hen, a nesting box and roost for each hen, no more than 10 m2 and 2 m high in total. Keep it at least 1 m from side and rear lot lines and 3 m from any door or window of a dwelling.
2. Fence the rear yard 1.2 m to 2 m high.
3. Register for free using the online form. An officer inspects the coop within two weeks.
4. Keep 2 to 5 hens. Keep them inside the indoor part of the coop from dusk to dawn.

## Good to know

- No roosters, and no chicks (chickens under three months old).
- Registration does not mean the City says hens are allowed on that property.
- Feed must be in an airtight, wildlife-resistant container, and no more than 180 L of manure may be stored.
- The City's page also says no slaughter on site, no selling eggs, meat or manure, and dead hens go to the landfill, not curbside carts.
- Bees: allowed in zones A-1, FD, CR-1 to CR-3, RS-1 to RS-5 and RT-1 to RT-3 on parcels of at least 370 m2, in the rear yard, with a water supply. Limit: 2 hives on parcels under 929 m2, 4 under 1,858 m2.
- Farm animals (horses, goats, sheep, cattle) only on parcels of at least one acre, no more than two per acre. Pigs need 8 ha or A-1 zoning. Ducks, geese and other poultry are not allowed on residential lots under one acre.

## Official forms and pages

- [Urban Hens, City of Kamloops](https://www.kamloops.ca/our-community/community-initiatives/food-urban-agriculture/urban-hens)
- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11 (PDF)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206)

## Related questions

- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Kamloops](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/how-many-pets.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Chase](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chase/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Barriere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/barriere/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Logan Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/logan-lake/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Ashcroft](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Merritt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Enderby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/enderby/backyard-chickens.md)

## Sources

- [Urban Hens, City of Kamloops](https://www.kamloops.ca/our-community/community-initiatives/food-urban-agriculture/urban-hens) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 34-11 (PDF)](https://kamloops.civicweb.net/document/8206) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 8 of 8 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Kamloops. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/backyard-chickens/_