--- title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Montrose question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep in Montrose?" place: Montrose, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/montrose category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: municipal owner_body: Village of Montrose sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/how-many-pets/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/how-many-pets.json" --- # How many dogs or cats you can keep in Montrose **Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep in Montrose? **Short answer:** In Montrose, you can keep no more than two cats, unless you are a new resident who owned more than two before moving. The bylaw sets no dog number, but it bans a "kennel", which includes three or more dogs, so ask the Village Office first. **Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Montrose, https://www.montrose.ca) **Cost:** No fee to keep pets beyond licences; see the dog licence answer. **How long:** Not applicable. **Where:** - In person: Village Office, 565 11th Ave., Montrose, BC V0G 1P0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed statutory holidays)) - Phone: Village Office, 250-367-7234 ## Key facts - **Dogs allowed:** No per-home number is stated, but running a "kennel" is banned, and a kennel is a facility where three or more dogs are kept, trained, cared for, bred or boarded for personal use, for pay or for sale. So three or more dogs may count; ask the Village Office. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706, 2013, s. 3(f), s. 6(4)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/706_2013_Animal_Control.pdf) - Official wording: "“Kennel” shall mean a facility where three (3) or more dogs are kept, trained, cared for," … "No person shall be permitted to run a Kennel within the Village." … "shall mean a facility where three (3) or more dogs are kept, trained, cared for," … "bred, treated, hospitalized or boarded for personal use or for remuneration or for the" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Cats allowed:** No more than two cats, unless the owner is a new Montrose resident who owned more than two cats before moving. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706, 2013, s. 6(5)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/706_2013_Animal_Control.pdf) - Official wording: "No person shall be permitted to own more than two cats in the Village unless:" … "they are new residents to Montrose and prior to moving owned more than" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Other animal limits:** Beekeeping: no more than two beehives or colonies on any parcel. - Source: [Beekeeping Bylaw No. 745, 2018, s. 4(4)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/745-Beekeeping-2018.pdf) - Official wording: "The maximum number of beehives/colonies permitted on any parcel of land is two (2)." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Exceptions:** Cats: a new resident who owned more than two cats before moving to Montrose may keep them. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706, 2013, s. 6(5)(a)](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/706_2013_Animal_Control.pdf) - Official wording: "they are new residents to Montrose and prior to moving owned more than" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Fine:** Not listed by name. Section 6 violations can get a Violation Notice; Schedule C lists "Running At Large", "Unlicenced" and "Other" at $50 (reduced to $20 if paid within seven clear days), $75 ($40) and $100 ($80) for first, second and third offences. Court fine for any violation: $50 to $500. - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706, 2013, s. 6(6); Schedule C; s. 12](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/706_2013_Animal_Control.pdf) - Official wording: "For violation of this section of the Bylaw the Animal Control Officer may issue a Violation Notice." … "Other" … "Everyone who violates any provision of this Bylaw is guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine of not less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) and not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00)." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw (2013), Bylaw #706 (dogs and cats); Beekeeping Bylaw #745 - 2018 (beehives) - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706, 2013, title and number](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/706_2013_Animal_Control.pdf) - Official wording: "BYLAW #706" … "ANIMAL CONTROL BYLAW (2013)" - Source: [Beekeeping Bylaw No. 745, 2018, title](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/745-Beekeeping-2018.pdf) - Official wording: "BEEKEEPING BYLAW #745 - 2018" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works The Village's [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706]() limits cats to two per home. The only exception is a person who has moved to Montrose and owned more than two cats before the move. For dogs, the bylaw gives no number, but a "kennel" is banned. It defines a kennel as a place where three or more dogs are kept, trained, cared for, bred or boarded for personal use, for pay or for sale. The bylaw does not say whether a household with three or more pet dogs counts as a kennel. Ask the Village Office at 250-367-7234. ## Good to know - Bees: no more than two beehives or colonies on any parcel, under the [Beekeeping Bylaw No. 745](). - No combined limit on pets and no limit on other pets was found in the bylaws read. - No fine is named for the cat limit. Violation notices on the schedule are $50, $75 and $100 for first, second and third offences ($20, $40 and $80 if paid within seven clear days). The bylaw also sets a court fine of $50 to $500. ## Official forms and pages - [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706, 2013 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/706_2013_Animal_Control.pdf) - [Beekeeping Bylaw No. 745, 2018 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/745-Beekeeping-2018.pdf) ## Related questions - [Montrose dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/dog-licence.md) - [Montrose dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/dog-leash-rules.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md) - [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/how-many-pets.md) - [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/how-many-pets.md) - [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/how-many-pets.md) - [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/how-many-pets.md) - [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/how-many-pets.md) - [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/how-many-pets.md) ## Sources - [Animal Control Bylaw No. 706, 2013 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/706_2013_Animal_Control.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Beekeeping Bylaw No. 745, 2018 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/745-Beekeeping-2018.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Animal Control, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/animal-control/) (read 2026-11-08) - [Contacts, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/contacts/) (read 2026-11-08) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Montrose. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/how-many-pets/_