Mackenzie unsightly property rules and how to report
How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Mackenzie?
Short answer
In Mackenzie, send a written complaint to Animal Control & Bylaw Services with your name, phone number and the property address. The Unsightly Properties Bylaw covers rubbish, grass over 15 cm, derelict vehicles and more. A ticket is $150 for most offences.
Key facts
| What counts | An owner or occupier must not allow: accumulation of rubbish, garbage or discarded material; offensive or unwholesome matter in plain sight; stagnant water; grass or weeds over 15 cm or unsightly; dead vegetation or noxious weeds; firewood not in open stacked rows; vehicle parts or derelict vehicles; recreational vehicles or equipment (unless storage is permitted under the Zoning Bylaw); building materials (unless a valid building permit or construction is under way); graffiti visible from a public place (remove within 72 hours); derelict structures; and more.Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394, 2018, amended by No. 1410, s. 6.2.1; Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394, 2018, amended by No. 1410, s. 6.6.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingNo person shall cause, suffer, or permit the accumulation of Rubbish, garbage, or Discarded Material on any Real Property to exceed fifteen (15) cm in length. Owner or Occupier of that Real Property shall within 72 hours remove or cause the removal of the Graffiti. No person shall allow a structure, located on Real Property of which he is the owner or occupier, to become a Derelict Structure. |
|---|---|
| How to report | Send a written complaint to Animal Control & Bylaw Services with your name and phone number (no anonymous complaints), the property address and as much detail as possible; phone 250-997-3882.Tickets & Fines, Report a Concern; Animal Control & Bylaw Services · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingComplaints must be made in writing. You must include your name and phone number, complaints cannot be made anonymously. If it relates to private property (noise, garbage, unsightly property, etc.) please provide the address. - Sidewalk/Snow Removal - Traffic/Parking Enforcement - Unsightly Premises - Zoning While there are certain areas of enforcement that are safety related and require proactive enforcement, the majority of these bylaws are enforced on a complaint only basis. This ensures that the Bylaw Enforcement Officers are serving the needs of the community and that the complaints received are of high importance. |
| What happens next | A Bylaw Enforcement Officer, Manager or the District may serve a written Order on each owner, occupier and responsible person setting out what to fix and a reasonable time to fix it. If not done in time, the District may do the work without further notice at the owner's cost, recoverable as a debt or added to property taxes; the owner must pay a statement of account within 30 days.Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394, 2018, amended by No. 1410, s. 6.8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingmay issue a written Order to each Owner, occupier, and other responsible person requiring that they remedy the District may without further notice fulfill that requirement at the expense of each person in default within 30 days of being served the statement of account |
| Fine | Municipal ticket $150 for most unsightly property offences (rubbish, grass over 15 cm, graffiti, derelict structure, etc.); $250 for obstructing a Bylaw Enforcement Officer.Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1465, 2022, amended by Nos. 1488 and 1502, Schedule 4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingPermit the accumulation of rubbish, garbage, or discarded 6.2.1 (a) $150.00 1. Obstructing a Bylaw Enforcement Officer. 3.1 $250.00 |
| Bylaw | Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394, 2018 (amended by No. 1410).Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394, 2018, amended by No. 1410, s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingThis Bylaw may be cited as "Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394" |
How it works
The District of Mackenzie's Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394 says an owner or occupier must not allow, among other things:
- rubbish, garbage or discarded material to pile up
- offensive matter in plain sight, or stagnant water
- grass or weeds over 15 cm, dead vegetation or noxious weeds
- firewood not in open stacked rows
- vehicle parts or derelict vehicles
- recreational vehicles or equipment, unless storage is permitted under the Zoning Bylaw
- building materials, unless there is a valid building permit or construction is under way
- derelict structures
- graffiti visible from a public place (remove it within 72 hours)
Steps
- Send a written complaint to Animal Control & Bylaw Services with your name, phone number (no anonymous complaints), the property address and as much detail as possible. Phone 250-997-3882.
- The District may serve a written Order on each owner, occupier and responsible person, setting out what to fix and a reasonable time to fix it.
Good to know
- If the work is not done in time, the District may do it without further notice at the owner's cost. The owner must pay the statement of account within 30 days, or it can be added to property taxes.
- The District says most bylaws are enforced on a complaint-only basis, and not every complaint needs action (some are civil matters).
- A municipal ticket is $150 for most offences, and $250 for obstructing an officer.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Chetwynd · Tumbler Ridge · Fort St James · Vanderhoof · Prince George · Fraser Lake
Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Unsightly Properties Bylaw No. 1394, 2018, amended by No. 1410 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1465, 2022, amended by Nos. 1488 and 1502 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
- Animal Control & Bylaw Services, District of Mackenzie (read 2026-11-08)
- Tickets & Fines, District of Mackenzie (read 2026-11-08)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.