How many dogs or cats you can keep in Oak Bay
How many dogs or cats can I keep in Oak Bay?
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).
Key facts
| Dogs allowed | No more than two dogs over four months old on any one premises. Guide dogs and service dogs are not counted.Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), s. 44 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingWith 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 |
|---|---|
| Cats allowed | No more than five cats over four months old on any one premises.Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), s. 31 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingmore than five (5) cats over the age of four months on any one premises |
| Other animal limits | 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.Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 20, 26, 30.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingNo 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 |
| Exceptions | 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.Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), s. 44 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingWith 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 |
| Fine | Municipal ticket: $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days) for more than two dogs; $150 ($100) for more than five cats.Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 4846, 2023 (consolidated), Sched. 2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingMore Than Two Dogs 44 $150.00 $100.00 More Than Five Cats 31 $150.00 $100.00 |
| Bylaw | Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 31 and 44Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), title · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingBYLAW NO. 4013 This Bylaw may be cited as the ANIMAL CONTROL BYLAW, 1999. |
How it works
The Animal Control Bylaw 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.
Steps
- Count the dogs and cats over four months old on your premises.
- Make sure each dog over four months old is licensed (see the dog-licence answer).
- If you are over a limit, contact Bylaw Enforcement on 250-598-3311.
Good to know
- No kennel exception was found in the bylaw.
- 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.
- Rodents and domestic rabbits must be confined to the owner's parcel.
- A female dog's births must be reported within one month.
- 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.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Victoria · Saanich · Esquimalt · View Royal · Colwood · Langford
Sources
- Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF) (read 2026-11-06)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 4846, 2023 (consolidated) (PDF) (read 2026-11-06)
- Bylaw Enforcement, District of Oak Bay (read 2026-11-06)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.