--- title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in McBride question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep in McBride?" place: McBride, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/mcbride category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: municipal owner_body: Village of McBride sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/how-many-pets/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/how-many-pets.json" --- # How many dogs or cats you can keep in McBride **Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep in McBride? **Short answer:** In McBride, no more than three dogs and no more than three cats, each over four months old, may be kept on any parcel of land. Livestock, poultry and rabbits are allowed only where the Village's zoning bylaw permits. **Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of McBride, https://mcbride.ca) **Cost:** No fee for a pet limit. No ticket amount is posted. Court fine up to $2,000 (Animal Control Bylaw). **How long:** Not applicable. **Where:** - In person: Village Office, 100 Robson Centre, 855 SW Frontage Rd., McBride, BC V0J 2E0 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed statutory holidays) - Phone: Village Office, 250-569-2229 ## Key facts - **Dogs allowed:** No more than three dogs over four months old on any parcel of land in the Village. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009, s. 7(2)](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/document/3535/) - Official wording: "No person shall own, possess, or harbour more than three (3) dogs over the age of four (4) months, on any parcel of land within the Village." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Cats allowed:** No more than three cats over four months old on any parcel of land in the Village. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009, s. 9(2)](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/document/3535/) - Official wording: "No person shall own, possess, or harbour more than three (3) cats over the age of four (4) months, on any parcel of land within the Village." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Other animal limits:** Livestock, poultry and rabbits may be kept only as the Village zoning bylaw allows. The Animal Control Bylaw sets no number. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009, s. 10(2), 11(2)](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/document/3535/) - Official wording: "The keeping of livestock is to be in accordance with the provisions of the Zoning Bylaw." … "The keeping of poultry and rabbits is to be in accordance with the provisions of the Village zoning bylaw." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Exceptions:** Bylaw s. 5(1) says more than three dogs and three cats on a parcel needs a kennel licence (a kennel keeps animals for payment or sale; none issued against zoning). But ss. 7(2) and 9(2) cap dogs and cats at three each, and the bylaw does not reconcile them. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009, s. 5(1)](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/document/3535/) - Official wording: "without holding a valid kennel license" … "No person may be issued a kennel license in contravention of the Zoning Bylaw." … "Kennel: means any building or structure in which three (3) or more dogs or cats over the age of four (4) months are kept, harboured trained, cared for or bred, for remuneration or for the purposes of sale." - Source: [Licence Your Dog or Cat, Licence page](https://mcbride.ca/municipal-services/permits-licences/licence-your-dog-or-cat) - Official wording: "without holding a valid kennel license" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Fine:** Not confirmed. The Village has not posted a ticket amount for this offence. - **Bylaw:** Village of McBride Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009 (Village bylaw library lists it as "Bylaw 693 - Animal Control"). - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009, s. 1](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/document/3535/) - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the "Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009"." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works The [Animal Control Bylaw 693]() sets the limits for each parcel of land in the Village: no more than three dogs and no more than three cats, counting only animals over four months old. The bylaw sets no number for livestock, poultry or rabbits. It says they may be kept only as the Village zoning bylaw allows. ## Good to know - Section 5(1) of the bylaw says a kennel licence is needed for more than three dogs and three cats on a parcel. A kennel keeps animals for payment or sale. That sits awkwardly with the three-animal caps in sections 7(2) and 9(2), and the bylaw does not reconcile them. Ask the Village Office before keeping more. - No puppy or kitten exemption is stated other than the four-month age threshold. - Zoning rules for livestock, poultry and rabbits are not summarized here because the zoning bylaw text could not be read. - No ticket amount is posted. The bylaw sets a maximum court fine of $2,000. ## Official forms and pages - [Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009 (PDF), Village of McBride](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/document/3535/) ## Related questions - [McBride dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/dog-licence.md) - [McBride dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/dog-leash-rules.md) - [McBride bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/bylaw-fines.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md) - [Valemount](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/valemount/how-many-pets.md) - [Quesnel](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/quesnel/how-many-pets.md) - [Williams Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/how-many-pets.md) - [Prince George](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/how-many-pets.md) - [Clearwater](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/how-many-pets.md) - [100 Mile House](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/how-many-pets.md) ## Sources - [Animal Control Bylaw No. 693, 2009 (PDF), Village of McBride](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/document/3535/) (read 2026-11-08) - [Licence Your Dog or Cat, Village of McBride](https://mcbride.ca/municipal-services/permits-licences/licence-your-dog-or-cat) (read 2026-11-08) - [Bylaw library, Village of McBride](https://mcbride.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/108/) (read 2026-11-08) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of McBride. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/how-many-pets/_