---
title: Kimberley dog leash rules and off-leash areas
question: "Where can dogs be off leash, and what are the leash rules?"
place: Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/kimberley
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Kimberley
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/dog-leash-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/dog-leash-rules.json"
---

# Kimberley dog leash rules and off-leash areas

**Question:** Where can dogs be off leash, and what are the leash rules?

**Short answer:** In the City of Kimberley a dog off its owner's property must be on a leash, except in a designated off-leash area. The City lists the Lois Creek Trails and the Kimberley Nature Park. Dogs there must be under voice control and wear a collar with a valid licence tag.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Kimberley, https://www.kimberley.ca)  
**Cost:** Dog at large municipal ticket $75 first offence, $150 each later one.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement Officer, 250-427-9663
- Email: Bylaw Enforcement Officer, bylaw@kimberley.ca

## Key facts

- **Leash rule:** Any dog that is not on its owner's property must be on a leash at all times, except in a designated off-leash area. A dog must never run at large outside an off-leash area. Vicious dogs off their owner's property must also be muzzled.
  - Source: [Animal Control, Leash & Off-Leash Areas](https://www.kimberley.ca/services/bylaws/animal-control)
  - Official wording: "Any dog not on the property of its owner must be on a leash at all times, unless the dog is in one of the three designated off-leash areas."
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016, City of Kimberley (consolidated for convenience, March 10, 2017), s. 20](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220)
  - Official wording: "shall ensure that such animal does not run at large, other" … "than within an off leash area"
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016, City of Kimberley (consolidated for convenience, March 10, 2017), s. 38(a)](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220)
  - Official wording: "when off the property of the owner , the dog is on leash, muzzled"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Maximum leash length:** None set. The bylaw and the City's pages set no maximum leash length.
- **Off-leash areas:** Lois Creek Trails (Townsite) and Kimberley Nature Park. In them a dog must be under its owner's verbal control and within view, wear a collar with a valid licence tag, not act aggressively, and not chase wildlife; the owner must carry a leash. Vicious and dangerous dogs are not allowed. (Sources differ: The Animal Control page says "three designated off-leash areas" but lists two; the Off-leash Dog Areas page says two. The bylaw defines off-leash areas by Schedules C-1, C-2 and C-3 (maps, no text), so the count could not be checked. Maps are at kimberley.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentDisplay.aspx?ID=1715 and ID=1716.)
  - Source: [Off-leash Dog Areas, Page text](https://www.kimberley.ca/community/recreation/playfields-public-spaces/leash-dog-areas)
  - Official wording: "Kimberley has two large off-leash areas to explore, in the Kimberley Nature Park and the Lois Creek Trails."
  - Source: [Animal Control, Leash & Off-Leash Areas](https://www.kimberley.ca/services/bylaws/animal-control)
  - Official wording: "Lois Creek Trails, located in Townsite" … "Kimberley Nature Park, accessible by several entrances"
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016, City of Kimberley (consolidated for convenience, March 10, 2017), ss. 27, 28](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220)
  - Official wording: "at all times, be in possession of a leash to control the dog;" … "keep the dog within view and within voice control;" … "must not allow that dog to run at large" … "in an off-leash area."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Places dogs are not allowed:** None set. No bylaw read bans dogs from particular parks, beaches or sports fields.
- **Cleaning up:** A dog's owner must immediately remove its excrement on a highway, park or other public place and put it in a trash receptacle, and must not let the dog foul private property unless the owner there removes it at once. In an off-leash area the waste must at least be moved off the trail.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016, City of Kimberley (consolidated for convenience, March 10, 2017), ss. 29, 31, 27(e)](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220)
  - Official wording: "immediately remove or cause to be removed any excrement deposited" … "dog and dispose of the excrement in a trash receptacle." … "ensure excrement deposited by the dog is moved off the trail"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine, dog at large or off leash:** Municipal ticket: animal at large $75 first offence, $150 each later offence. An uncontrolled animal in an off-leash area is also $75 and $150.
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2540, 2016, Schedule 2](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/37089)
  - Official wording: "Animal at large 20 75 150" … "Uncontrolled animal in off-leash area"
  - Source: [Animal Control, Licencing & Fines](https://www.kimberley.ca/services/bylaws/animal-control)
  - Official wording: "| Animal at large | 20 | $75 | $150"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** City of Kimberley Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016, City of Kimberley (consolidated for convenience, March 10, 2017), s. 1](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220)
  - Official wording: "City of Kimberley Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under the [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016](<https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220>), a dog that is not on its owner's property must be on a leash at all times, except in a designated off-leash area. A dog must never run at large outside an off-leash area. A vicious dog off its owner's property must also be muzzled.

The City lists two off-leash areas: the Lois Creek Trails (Townsite) and the Kimberley Nature Park.

## Good to know

- In an off-leash area the dog must be under its owner's verbal control and within view, wear a collar with a valid licence tag, not act aggressively, and not chase wildlife. The owner must carry a leash.
- Vicious and dangerous dogs are not allowed in off-leash areas.
- The bylaw and the City's pages set no maximum leash length.
- No bylaw we read bans dogs from particular parks, beaches or sports fields, but the Good Neighbour Bylaw bans letting any animal roam at large in a park.
- Pick up after your dog right away on a highway, park or other public place and put the waste in a trash receptacle. Do not let your dog foul private property unless the owner there removes it at once. In an off-leash area the waste must at least be moved off the trail.
- A municipal ticket for a dog at large is $75 for a first offence and $150 for each later one. An uncontrolled dog in an off-leash area is the same.
- The City's Animal Control page says "three" off-leash areas but names only two, and its Off-leash Dog Areas page says two. Confirm with the City before you rely on a third.

## Official forms and pages

- [Off-leash Dog Areas, City of Kimberley](https://www.kimberley.ca/community/recreation/playfields-public-spaces/leash-dog-areas)
- [Lois Creek Trails off-leash area map](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentDisplay.aspx?ID=1715)
- [Kimberley Nature Park off-leash area map](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentDisplay.aspx?ID=1716)
- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016 (PDF)](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220)

## Related questions

- [Kimberley dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/dog-licence.md)
- [Kimberley rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/dangerous-dogs.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Cranbrook](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Fernie](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Creston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Sparwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sparwood/dog-leash-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Off-leash Dog Areas, City of Kimberley](https://www.kimberley.ca/community/recreation/playfields-public-spaces/leash-dog-areas) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Animal Control, City of Kimberley](https://www.kimberley.ca/services/bylaws/animal-control) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2544, 2016 (PDF), City of Kimberley (consolidated for convenience, March 10, 2017)](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/41220) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2540, 2016 (PDF), City of Kimberley](https://kimberley.civicweb.net/document/37089) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 2 are recorded as not set. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Kimberley. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/dog-leash-rules/_