--- title: Lions Bay backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules question: "Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Lions Bay?" place: Lions Bay, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/lions-bay category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: municipal owner_body: Village of Lions Bay sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/backyard-chickens/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/backyard-chickens.json" --- # Lions Bay backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules **Question:** Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Lions Bay? **Short answer:** No. Lions Bay's zoning bans keeping poultry, including chickens and roosters, in all zones, and bans other livestock too. Only household pets other than poultry may be kept. Beekeeping is not named in the zoning bylaw, but beehives must be protected from wildlife. **Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Lions Bay, https://www.lionsbay.ca) **Cost:** Bylaw notice for an unprotected beehive: $150 ($120 if paid within 14 days, $180 after 28 days). **How long:** Not applicable **Where:** - Phone: Bylaw Services, 604-834-3404 - Email: Bylaw Services (complaints in writing), bylaw@lionsbay.ca - In person: Village Office, 400 Centre Road, Lions Bay, BC V0N 2E0 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ## Key facts - **Hens allowed:** No. Zoning prohibits, in all zones, animal husbandry including the keeping of poultry; only household pets other than poultry may be kept. - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017, s. 4.3.3](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "The following uses are expressly prohibited in all zones:" … "animal husbandry including the keeping of poultry, fish farming, the boarding of animals" … "and the keeping of animals, except that household pets, other than poultry, may be kept;" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Most hens:** None: keeping poultry is prohibited in all zones. - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017, s. 4.3.3](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "animal husbandry including the keeping of poultry, fish farming, the boarding of animals" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Roosters:** No. Roosters are poultry, and keeping poultry is prohibited in all zones. - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017, s. 4.3.3](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "animal husbandry including the keeping of poultry, fish farming, the boarding of animals" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Coop rules:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. - **Permit or registration:** None set. The bylaws offer no permit or exception for keeping hens. - **Bees:** Beekeeping is not named in the Zoning Bylaw. The only rule found: beehives must be protected by an electric fence or otherwise made inaccessible to wildlife. Ticket for an unprotected beehive: $150 ($120 if paid within 14 days, $180 after 28 days). - Source: [Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Bylaw No. 455, 2013, consolidated to Bylaw 657, s. 28](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-02/Bylaw%20455%20-%20Garbage%20%20%28Consolidation%20657%29_0.pdf) - Official wording: "Beehives must be protected by an electric fence or otherwise be made inaccessible" - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 385, 2006, Schedule A, Schedule A, Waste Collection Bylaw No. 455](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-06/Bylaw%20385%20-Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20Bylaw%20%28Consolidation%20640%29.pdf) - Official wording: "Beehives unprotected from dangerous wildlife $150 $120 $180" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Other livestock:** Not allowed. Livestock (cattle, goats, horses, sheep, swine) may not run at large, and zoning prohibits animal husbandry and keeping animals other than household pets. The Animal Control Bylaw bars keeping any animal other than a pet, apart from parades, shows and passing through. - Source: [Animal Control and Licencing Bylaw No. 461, 2014, s. 6.2, 10.1, 10.2](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2022-01/bylaw_461_-_animal_control_licencing_consolidation_1.pdf) - Official wording: "No person shall permit any livestock to be running at large in the Village." … "other than a pet unless permitted under sections 10.2 of this Bylaw;" … "an animal participating in or forming part of any lawful parade, circus, show or" - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017, s. 4.3.3](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "and the keeping of animals, except that household pets, other than poultry, may be kept;" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Bylaw:** Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (s. 4.3.3); Animal Control and Licencing Bylaw No 461, 2014 (Parts 6 and 10); Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Bylaw No. 455, 2013 (s. 28, beehives). - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017, s. 1.1](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “Zoning and Development Bylaw No.520, 2017"." - Source: [Animal Control and Licencing Bylaw No. 461, 2014, s. 1.1](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2022-01/bylaw_461_-_animal_control_licencing_consolidation_1.pdf) - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Animal Control and Licencing Bylaw No 461, 2014”" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works The [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520]() (s. 4.3.3) prohibits, in all zones, animal husbandry, including the keeping of poultry. Only household pets other than poultry may be kept. That means no hens and no roosters, and the bylaws offer no permit or exception. Ducks are not named, and the bylaws do not define poultry, so ask the Village before assuming they are allowed. ## Good to know - Other livestock: not allowed. Cattle, goats, horses, sheep and swine may not run at large, and the [Animal Control and Licencing Bylaw No. 461]() bars keeping any animal other than a pet, apart from parades, shows and passing through. - Bees: the zoning bylaw does not name beekeeping, and it does not say whether bees count as animal husbandry. The one rule found is in the [Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Bylaw No. 455]() (s. 28): beehives must be protected by an electric fence or otherwise made inaccessible to wildlife. - An unprotected beehive is a $150 bylaw notice ($120 if paid within 14 days, $180 after 28 days). - To ask about bees or ducks, call Bylaw Services at 604-834-3404 or email bylaw@lionsbay.ca. ## Official forms and pages - [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - [Animal Control and Licencing Bylaw No. 461, 2014 (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2022-01/bylaw_461_-_animal_control_licencing_consolidation_1.pdf) - [Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Bylaw No. 455, 2013, consolidated to Bylaw 657 (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-02/Bylaw%20455%20-%20Garbage%20%20%28Consolidation%20657%29_0.pdf) ## Related questions - [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Lions Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/how-many-pets.md) - [Lions Bay noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/noise-rules.md) - [Lions Bay garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/garbage-collection.md) - [Lions Bay bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/bylaw-fines.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens.md) - [West Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-vancouver/backyard-chickens.md) - [Bowen Island](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/bowen-island/backyard-chickens.md) - [District of North Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/backyard-chickens.md) - [North Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver/backyard-chickens.md) - [Gibsons](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gibsons/backyard-chickens.md) - [Squamish](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/squamish/backyard-chickens.md) ## Sources - [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Animal Control and Licencing Bylaw No. 461, 2014 (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2022-01/bylaw_461_-_animal_control_licencing_consolidation_1.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Bylaw No. 455, 2013, consolidated to Bylaw 657 (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-02/Bylaw%20455%20-%20Garbage%20%20%28Consolidation%20657%29_0.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 385, 2006, Schedule A (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-06/Bylaw%20385%20-Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20Bylaw%20%28Consolidation%20640%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Bylaw Enforcement, Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement) (read 2026-11-08) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set; 1 could not be confirmed. 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