{"title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Northern Rockies","question":"How many dogs or cats can I keep in Northern Rockies?","slug":"how-many-pets","place":{"path":"ca/bc/northern-rockies","name":"Northern Rockies","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"pets-and-wildlife","name":"Pets, animals and wildlife"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","url":"https://www.northernrockies.ca"},"short_answer":"Inside the Animal Control boundary in Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, the bylaw limits an owner to three dogs, three cats or three animals, unless the property is zoned RR-1. The website says three dogs per household. A cat over six months old must be spayed or neutered.","aliases":["how many dogs northern rockies","pet limit fort nelson","how many cats fort nelson","cat breeding permit northern rockies"],"cost":"Bylaw notice for exceeding the limit: $100 ($90 if paid within 21 days, $110 after 32 days). Cat breeding permit: $35 for three years.","how_long":"A cat breeding permit lasts three years.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Animal Control","value":"250.775.0048","note":"Patrol 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday"},{"type":"email","label":"Bylaw Enforcement","value":"Bylaw@NorthernRockies.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF)","url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/"}],"related":[{"slug":"dog-licence","title":"Northern Rockies dog licences: fees and how to get one","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/northern-rockies/dog-licence/"},{"slug":"dog-leash-rules","title":"Northern Rockies dog leash rules and off-leash areas","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/northern-rockies/dog-leash-rules/"},{"slug":"backyard-chickens","title":"Northern Rockies backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/northern-rockies/backyard-chickens/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/new-hazelton","name":"New Hazelton","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/granisle","name":"Granisle","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/mackenzie","name":"Mackenzie","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mackenzie/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/fort-st-john","name":"Fort St. John","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-john/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/chetwynd","name":"Chetwynd","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chetwynd/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/telkwa","name":"Telkwa","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/how-many-pets/"}],"topic":{"title":"Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets/"},"facts":{"dog_limit":{"label":"Dogs allowed","value":"Three dogs per household. The bylaw limits an owner to three dogs, three cats or three animals within the Animal Control boundary (Map 1), unless the property is zoned RR-1.","short":"Three dogs (not in RR-1 zone)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/","title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF, consolidated November 29, 2016), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"s. 10.3","quotes":["No animal owner shall be permitted to possess or harbour more than a total of three (3) dogs, or three (3) cats, or three (3) animals within the geographic area identified in"]},{"url":"https://www.northernrockies.ca/resident-services/dog-licences-animal-control","title":"Dog Licences and Animal Control, Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"Number of dogs","quotes":["You can have a maximum of three (3) dogs per household"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"cat_limit":{"label":"Cats allowed","value":"Three cats, inside the Animal Control boundary (Map 1), unless the property is zoned RR-1. A cat over six months old must be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds a cat breeding permit.","short":"Three cats (not in RR-1 zone)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/","title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF, consolidated November 29, 2016), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"s. 10.3","quotes":["No animal owner shall be permitted to possess or harbour more than a total of three (3) dogs, or three (3) cats, or three (3) animals within the geographic area identified in"]},{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/","title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF, consolidated November 29, 2016), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"s. 9.1","quotes":["No person may be or become an Owner of any cat that is actually or","the person holds a valid cat breeding permit for an unspayed or"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"other_limits":{"label":"Other animal limits","value":"\"Animal\" means a domestic family pet and excludes fish, birds, reptiles and rodents. Cattle (defined to include horses, mules, llamas, swine, sheep, goats and cows) may not be kept in the boundary unless the Zoning Bylaw permits it.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/","title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF, consolidated November 29, 2016), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"s. 5.1, 10.6","quotes":["means a domestic family pet but does not include fish, birds, reptiles, or rodents","No cattle shall be permitted to be kept within the municipal boundaries","any livestock including horse, mule, llama, swine, sheep,"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"exceptions":{"label":"Exceptions","value":"Properties zoned RR-1 under the Zoning Bylaw are exempt from the three-animal limit.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/","title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF, consolidated November 29, 2016), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"s. 10.3","quotes":["unless they are zoned RR-1 as defined by the Municipal Zoning Bylaw."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"Bylaw notice: $100 ($90 if paid within 21 days; $110 after 32 days).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/59372/","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 59, 2011 (PDF, consolidated May 2024), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"Schedule A, Animal Control","quotes":["Possession of more than 3 animals 10.3 $100 $90 $110"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/","title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF, consolidated November 29, 2016), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","section":"cover","quotes":["Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":6,"matched":6,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nUnder s. 10.3 of the [Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009](https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/), an owner inside the Animal Control boundary (Map 1) may keep no more than three dogs, three cats or three animals. Properties zoned RR-1 under the Zoning Bylaw are exempt. \"Animal\" means a domestic family pet and excludes fish, birds, reptiles and rodents.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Check that your property is inside the Animal Control boundary (Map 1 of the bylaw) and whether it is zoned RR-1.\n2. Spay or neuter any cat over six months old, unless you hold a cat breeding permit.\n3. Ask Animal Control if you are unsure how the limit applies to your mix of pets.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- The bylaw wording does not make clear whether the limit is three animals in total or three of each kind. The website says three dogs per household. Confirm with Animal Control.\n- Cattle (including horses, mules, llamas, swine, sheep, goats and cows) may not be kept inside the boundary unless the Zoning Bylaw permits it.\n- No exception for puppies, kittens or kennel licences was found in the bylaw.","sources":[{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/9400/","title":"Animal Control, Pound and License Bylaw No. 09, 2009 (PDF, consolidated November 29, 2016), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.northernrockies.ca/resident-services/dog-licences-animal-control","title":"Dog Licences and Animal Control, Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://nr.civicweb.net/document/59372/","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 59, 2011 (PDF, consolidated May 2024), Northern Rockies Regional Municipality","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/northern-rockies/how-many-pets/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/northern-rockies/how-many-pets.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/northern-rockies/how-many-pets.json"}}