---
title: New Westminster unsightly property rules and how to report
question: "How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in New Westminster?"
place: New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/new-westminster
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of New Westminster
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/unsightly-property/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/unsightly-property.json"
---

# New Westminster unsightly property rules and how to report

**Question:** How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in New Westminster?

**Short answer:** In New Westminster, owners and occupiers must keep property free of rubbish, graffiti and overgrown weeds or grass under the Unsightly Premises Bylaw. The City's Bylaw Enforcement page lists no separate report form; call its general inquiries line at 604-527-4657.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of New Westminster, https://www.newwestcity.ca)  
**Cost:** Free to report. Bylaw notice: $200 first offence ($150 if paid within 14 days), $400 repeat. Municipal ticket: $1,000.  
**How long:** The bylaw gives the owner 10 days from delivery of a written notice to comply.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement general inquiries, 604-527-4657

## Key facts

- **What counts:** An owner or occupier must not let property become or stay untidy or unsightly; must remove accumulations of filth, discarded materials or rubbish; must keep it cleared of brush, noxious weeds, wild grass and other untended growth; must keep waste and rubbish from accumulating around it; and must keep adjacent walls and fences free of graffiti.
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969, 1991 (consolidated March 23, 1999), s. 3-5](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No owner or occupier of real property shall allow that property to become" … "Every owner and occupier of real property shall remove any accumulation" … "brush, noxious weeds, wild grass and other untended growths"
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969, 1991 (consolidated March 23, 1999), s. 7-8](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Every owner and occupier of real property shall maintain any wall," … "No owner or occupier of real property shall cause or permit waste, rubbish"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to report:** The City's Bylaw Enforcement page lists General Inquiries at 604-527-4657. It gives no separate form or email for unsightly property.
  - Source: [Bylaw Enforcement, Bylaw Enforcement page contact](https://www.newwestcity.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement)
  - Official wording: "General Inquiries Phone: 604-527-4657"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What happens next:** If an owner or occupier does not comply with ss. 3, 4, 5 or 7, the Administrative Services Officer or Secondary Suites Co-ordinator may give written notice to comply within 10 days of delivery. If they do not, the City may enter and remove the material at the owner's expense. Unpaid costs on December 31 are added to property taxes.
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969, 1991 (consolidated March 23, 1999), s. 9](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf)
  - Official wording: "may give written notice to that person to comply within 10 days of the" … "the City may, by its employees or contractors, enter the property"
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969, 1991 (consolidated March 23, 1999), s. 11](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf)
  - Official wording: "the charge shall be added to form part of the taxes payable on the property as taxes in"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Bylaw notice: unsightly premises or untended growth $200 first offence ($150 if paid within 14 days; $225 late), $400 repeat. Municipal ticket information: $1,000. Graffiti: placing $200; permitting it $250 by bylaw notice; $1,000 ticket.
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 7318, 2009 (consolidated July 29, 2026), Sch. A Part 24](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/Consolidated_Bylaw_7318__2009_Bylaw_Notice_Enforcement__2026_07_29_consolidation_.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Unsightly premises - first offence 200.00 150.00 225.00 YES" … "- repeat offence 400.00 350.00 425.00 NO" … "Fail to remove untended growth - first offence 200.00 150.00 225.00 YES" … "Unsightly premises – first offence" … "Fail to remove untended growth" … "Permitting graffiti 250.00 200.00 275.00"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw 8077, 2019 (consolidated July 29, 2026), Sch. B Part 24](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/Consolidated_Bylaw_8077__2019_Municipal_Ticket_Information__2026_07_29_consolidation_(1%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No. 5969, 1991 3 Unsightly premises 1,000.00 5969, 1991 5 Fail to remove untended growth 1,000.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 5969, 1991
  - Source: [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969, 1991 (consolidated March 23, 1999), s. 1](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 5969, 1991”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under the City of New Westminster's [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969](<https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf>), an owner or occupier must not let property become or stay untidy or unsightly. They must remove accumulations of filth, discarded materials and rubbish, keep the property cleared of brush, noxious weeds, wild grass and other untended growth, keep waste from accumulating around it, and keep adjacent walls and fences free of graffiti. Depositing bottles, broken glass or rubbish in any open place, and placing graffiti, are also banned.

## Steps

1. Note the address and what the problem is (garbage, overgrowth, graffiti).
2. Call the City's Bylaw Enforcement general inquiries line at 604-527-4657. The City's page gives no separate form or email for this.
3. An officer may give the owner written notice to comply within 10 days of delivery. If the owner does not, the City may enter and remove the material at the owner's expense. Unpaid costs on December 31 are added to the property taxes.

## Good to know

- Bylaw notice: unsightly premises or untended growth is $200 for a first offence ($150 if paid within 14 days) and $400 for a repeat. Graffiti: placing it is $200 and permitting it is $250. A municipal ticket is $1,000.
- The bylaw's officer titles date from 1999 and may be out of date.
- Illegal dumping on City land and boulevard upkeep are separate; see those pages.

## Official forms and pages

- [Bylaw Enforcement, City of New Westminster](https://www.newwestcity.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement)
- [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969, 1991 (PDF)](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf)

## Related questions

- [New Westminster bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property.md)
- [Burnaby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/unsightly-property.md)
- [Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/unsightly-property.md)
- [Port Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-coquitlam/unsightly-property.md)
- [Port Moody](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/unsightly-property.md)
- [Belcarra](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/unsightly-property.md)
- [Surrey](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/surrey/unsightly-property.md)

## Sources

- [Bylaw Enforcement, City of New Westminster](https://www.newwestcity.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Unsightly Premises Bylaw 5969, 1991 (consolidated March 23, 1999) (PDF)](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/5969prem.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 7318, 2009 (consolidated July 29, 2026) (PDF)](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/Consolidated_Bylaw_7318__2009_Bylaw_Notice_Enforcement__2026_07_29_consolidation_.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw 8077, 2019 (consolidated July 29, 2026) (PDF)](https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/Consolidated_Bylaw_8077__2019_Municipal_Ticket_Information__2026_07_29_consolidation_(1%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of New Westminster. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/unsightly-property/_