{"title":"Osoyoos unsightly property rules and how to report","question":"How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Osoyoos?","slug":"unsightly-property","place":{"path":"ca/bc/osoyoos","name":"Osoyoos","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"bylaws-and-complaints","name":"Bylaws, noise and complaints"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Town of Osoyoos","url":"https://www.osoyoos.ca"},"short_answer":"In Osoyoos, owners must not let rubbish, weeds, dead landscaping, graffiti or derelict vehicles make a property unsightly. Report it by email to bylaw@osoyoos.ca with your name, address and phone number. Owners usually get 7 days to fix it after a notice.","aliases":["messy yard osoyoos","overgrown lot osoyoos","property maintenance osoyoos","junk in yard osoyoos"],"cost":"Bylaw notice: unsightly property $50 ($40 if paid within 14 days, $60 late); rubbish $100; dead vegetation or weeds $100. Municipal ticket: $100 ($80 within 30 days) for each.","how_long":"The owner must comply within 7 days of the notice if living in the Town, or 10 days if living outside it. The Town says most complaints are resolved within a month.","where":[{"type":"in_person","label":"Town Hall, Bylaw Enforcement and Animal Control","value":"8707 Main Street, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0","note":"Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays"},{"type":"phone","label":"Town Hall (Bylaw Enforcement and Animal Control)","value":"250-495-6515"},{"type":"email","label":"Bylaw Enforcement","value":"bylaw@osoyoos.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/83948/"},{"title":"Bylaw Enforcement, Town of Osoyoos","url":"https://www.osoyoos.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement"}],"related":[{"slug":"bylaw-fines","title":"Osoyoos bylaw fines and how tickets work","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/osoyoos/bylaw-fines/"},{"slug":"noise-rules","title":"Osoyoos noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/osoyoos/noise-rules/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/keremeos","name":"Keremeos","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/keremeos/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/midway","name":"Midway","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/midway/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/penticton","name":"Penticton","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/greenwood","name":"Greenwood","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/greenwood/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/summerland","name":"Summerland","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/summerland/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/grand-forks","name":"Grand Forks","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/unsightly-property/"}],"topic":{"title":"Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property/"},"facts":{"what_counts":{"label":"What counts","value":"An owner must not allow rubbish or noxious matter to collect, rubbish to overflow containers, the property to become or stay unsightly, dead landscaping or weeds to build up, graffiti to remain, or derelict vehicles to be stored outside a building. 'Unsightly' includes visible filth, rubbish, discarded materials, untidy building materials, and dead or uncontrolled vegetation.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/83948/","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","section":"s. 3.1","quotes":["No owner of real property shall cause, suffer or permit:","c) the real property to become or remain unsightly;","g) the storage or accumulation of a derelict vehicle or derelict vehicles unless stored in"]},{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/83948/","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","section":"Schedule A (Unsightly)","quotes":["landscaping or vegetation that is dead or characterized by uncontrolled growth or lack","the untidy storage, location or placement of building materials on a site where"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"how_to_report":{"label":"How to report","value":"Email bylaw@osoyoos.ca. The complainant must give their name, address, phone number and relationship to the issue, or no action is taken. Complainant details are kept confidential except under a Provincial Freedom of Information order.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.osoyoos.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement","title":"Bylaw Enforcement, Town of Osoyoos","section":"Bylaw Enforcement","quotes":["Submit a Bylaw concern by emailing bylaw@osoyoos.ca","the Town requires the complainant provide their name, address, and phone number, as well as their relationship to the issue","Complainant information is kept confidential and is not shared with the subject of the"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"process":{"label":"What happens next","value":"The Bylaw Enforcement Officer may serve a written notice or a ticket. The owner must comply within 7 days of the notice if living in the Town, 10 days if living outside it. If not, the Town may do the work at the owner's cost; unpaid costs are added to the property taxes. An owner may appeal to Council in writing at least 72 hours before the deadline.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/83948/","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","section":"s. 3.11, 3.14, 3.16, 3.17","quotes":["serve notice of the violation upon the owner of the real property; or","All owners of real property shall comply within 7 days of the date of such notice for owners","of the Town.","enter the real property and bring about such compliance at a cost of the","the cost shall be added to and form part","at least 72 hours prior to the expiry of the time given in the Notice to remedy"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"Bylaw notice: unsightly property $50 ($40 if paid within 14 days, $60 late); accumulation of rubbish $100; dead vegetation or weeds $100. Municipal ticket: unsightly property $100 ($80 if paid within 30 days); rubbish $100; dead vegetation $100.","short":"Notice $50 ($40 early); ticket $100 ($80 in 30 days)","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/150460/","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1392, 2025, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","section":"Schedule A, Good Neighbour","quotes":["3.1 (c) Unsightly property $50 $40 $60 Yes","3.1 (d) Accumulation of dead $100 $80 $110 Yes"]},{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/82635/","title":"Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1279, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","section":"Schedule 10","quotes":["Unsightly property 3.1 c) $100 $80"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/83948/","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","section":"s. 1.1","quotes":["This Bylaw may be citied as “Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011.”"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":5,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe Town of Osoyoos's [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277](https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/83948/) says an owner must not allow rubbish or noxious matter to collect, rubbish to overflow containers, the property to become or stay unsightly, dead landscaping or weeds to build up, graffiti to remain, or derelict vehicles to be stored outside a building. \"Unsightly\" includes visible filth, rubbish, discarded materials, untidy building materials, and dead or uncontrolled vegetation.\n\nOwners must also keep adjoining boulevards and lanes tidy and clear snow from sidewalks. Farm land of 2 acres or more is exempt for stored materials incidental to farming if kept 75 feet from a highway and screened, and industrial and commercial properties may store materials in a screened area.\n\n## Steps to report\n\n1. Email bylaw@osoyoos.ca (phone: Town Hall, 250-495-6515).\n2. Give your name, address, phone number and your connection to the issue, or the Town takes no action. Your details are kept confidential except under a Provincial Freedom of Information order.\n3. The Bylaw Enforcement Officer may serve the owner a written notice or a ticket.\n4. If the owner does not comply, the Town may do the work at the owner's cost, and unpaid costs are added to the property taxes.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- An owner may appeal to Council in writing at least 72 hours before the deadline.\n- A property that becomes unsightly again within 15 days of compliance is treated as having stayed unsightly.\n- Tree overgrowth and fence disputes between neighbours are treated as civil issues and not handled by the Town.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.osoyoos.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement/animal-control-licensing","title":"Animal Control & Licensing | Osoyoos | Canada's warmest welcome","accessed":"2026-11-06"},{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/83948/","title":"Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 1277, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-06"},{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/150460/","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1392, 2025, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-06"},{"url":"https://osoyoos.civicweb.net/document/82635/","title":"Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1279, 2011, Town of Osoyoos (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-06"},{"url":"https://www.osoyoos.ca/services/bylaw-enforcement","title":"Bylaw Enforcement, Town of Osoyoos","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 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/osoyoos/unsightly-property/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/osoyoos/unsightly-property.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/osoyoos/unsightly-property.json"}}