{"title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Oak Bay","question":"How many dogs or cats can I keep in Oak Bay?","slug":"how-many-pets","place":{"path":"ca/bc/oak-bay","name":"Oak Bay","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":"District of Oak Bay","url":"https://www.oakbay.ca"},"short_answer":"In Oak Bay you may keep no more than two dogs and no more than five cats over four months old on any one premises. Guide and service dogs are not counted. A ticket is $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days).","aliases":["oak bay pet limit","how many dogs oak bay","how many cats oak bay","oak bay animal control bylaw"],"cost":"No fee for the limit itself. A municipal ticket is $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days) for more than two dogs or more than five cats.","how_long":"The limits apply at all times.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Bylaw Enforcement (Municipal Hall)","value":"250-598-3311"},{"type":"phone","label":"Victoria Animal Control Services (contracted)","value":"250-414-0233"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)","url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf"}],"related":[{"slug":"dog-licence","title":"Oak Bay dog licences: fees and how to get one","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/dog-licence/"},{"slug":"dog-leash-rules","title":"Oak Bay dog leash rules and off-leash areas","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/dog-leash-rules/"},{"slug":"backyard-chickens","title":"Oak Bay backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/backyard-chickens/"},{"slug":"bylaw-fines","title":"Oak Bay bylaw fines and how tickets work","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/bylaw-fines/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/victoria","name":"Victoria","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/saanich","name":"Saanich","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/esquimalt","name":"Esquimalt","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/view-royal","name":"View Royal","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/colwood","name":"Colwood","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/langford","name":"Langford","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/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":"No more than two dogs over four months old on any one premises. Guide dogs and service dogs are not counted.","short":"Max two dogs","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)","section":"s. 44","quotes":["With the exception of Guide Dogs and Service Dogs, no more than two dogs","over the age of four months shall be kept or harboured on any one premises"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"cat_limit":{"label":"Cats allowed","value":"No more than five cats over four months old on any one premises.","short":"Max five cats","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)","section":"s. 31","quotes":["more than five (5) cats over the age of four months on any one premises"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"other_limits":{"label":"Other animal limits","value":"Poultry: 5 on lots up to 1,114 m², 10 on larger lots (residential zones, owner living on the lot). Beehives: 2 on lots up to 930 m², 4 on larger (permit). Farm animals, wild animals, roosters, bantams, pigeons and fur-bearing animals are not allowed.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)","section":"ss. 20, 26, 30.1","quotes":["No person shall keep, harbour, house, or confine within the Municipality any","farm animal, wild animal, rooster, bantam, pigeon, or fur bearing animal.","no more than five (5) poultry may be kept, housed, or confined on any","two (2) for a parcel of area less than or equal to 930 square"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"exceptions":{"label":"Exceptions","value":"Guide dogs and service dogs are not counted toward the two-dog limit. The dog and cat limits count only animals over four months old, so puppies and kittens under four months are not counted. No kennel exception found in the bylaw.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)","section":"s. 44","quotes":["With the exception of Guide Dogs and Service Dogs","over the age of four months shall be kept or harboured on any one premises","more than five (5) cats"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"Municipal ticket: $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days) for more than two dogs; $150 ($100) for more than five cats.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bylaw-4846-Municipal-Ticket-Info-Consolidate.pdf","title":"Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 4846, 2023 (consolidated) (PDF)","section":"Sched. 2","quotes":["More Than Two Dogs 44 $150.00 $100.00","More Than Five Cats 31 $150.00 $100.00"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 31 and 44","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)","section":"title","quotes":["BYLAW NO. 4013","This Bylaw may be cited as the ANIMAL CONTROL BYLAW, 1999."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":6,"matched":6,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe [Animal Control Bylaw](<https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf>) allows no more than two dogs over four months old on any one premises, and no more than five cats over four months old. Guide dogs and service dogs are not counted. Puppies and kittens under four months are not counted either.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Count the dogs and cats over four months old on your premises.\n2. Make sure each dog over four months old is licensed (see the dog-licence answer).\n3. If you are over a limit, contact Bylaw Enforcement on 250-598-3311.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- No kennel exception was found in the bylaw.\n- Poultry: 5 on lots up to 1,114 m², 10 on larger lots, with conditions. Beehives need a permit. Farm animals, wild animals, roosters, bantams, pigeons and fur-bearing animals are not allowed. See the backyard-chickens answer.\n- Rodents and domestic rabbits must be confined to the owner's parcel.\n- A female dog's births must be reported within one month.\n- The ticket is $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days) for more than two dogs, and the same for more than five cats, under [Bylaw No. 4846](<https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bylaw-4846-Municipal-Ticket-Info-Consolidate.pdf>).","sources":[{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-06"},{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bylaw-4846-Municipal-Ticket-Info-Consolidate.pdf","title":"Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 4846, 2023 (consolidated) (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-06"},{"url":"https://www.oakbay.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement/","title":"Bylaw Enforcement, District of Oak Bay","accessed":"2026-11-06"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-06","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/oak-bay/how-many-pets/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/how-many-pets.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/how-many-pets.json"}}