---
title: Parksville backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules
question: "Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock?"
place: Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/parksville
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Parksville
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/backyard-chickens/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/backyard-chickens.json"
---

# Parksville backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules

**Question:** Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock?

**Short answer:** In the City of Parksville you may keep up to four hens (no roosters) on a single-family parcel of at least 1,000 square metres, in a registered coop. Bees are allowed; the old ban was repealed in 2017. Livestock is allowed only in the A-1 zone, and swine and fur-bearing animals are banned citywide.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Parksville, https://www.parksville.ca)  
**Where:**
- Phone: Planning, 250-954-4697
- Email: Planning, planning@parksville.ca
- Phone: Bylaw compliance, 250-954-4650

## Key facts

- **Hens allowed:** Yes, as an accessory use of a single family dwelling, on a parcel with one single family dwelling (plus at most one carriage house or one secondary suite) and a parcel area of at least 1,000 m².
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 350, s. 351 (1) to (3)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "Must be accessory to a permitted Single Family Dwelling use;" … "Shall only occur on a parcel of land containing one (1) Single Family Dwelling or" … "Shall only occur on a parcel of land with a minimum parcel area of 1000 m2 or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Most hens:** Four hens per parcel, and only hens over six months old.
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 350, s. 351 (4) and (5)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "not exceed four (4) hens per parcel;" … "Shall be limited to the keeping of hens over six (6) months in age only;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Roosters:** No. Roosters are not permitted.
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 350, s. 351 (6)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "No roosters shall be permitted;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Coop rules:** One fully roofed coop, behind the house, at most 2.0 m high, floor area at least 1.5 m² per hen up to 10 m². Setbacks: 10.5 m front, 4.5 m rear, 7.5 m exterior side, 4.5 m interior side. At least 3.0 m from your dwelling and 10.0 m from a neighbour's dwelling. Hens must be kept in the coop or its enclosed run.
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 350, s. 351 (7) to (9), (20) to (23)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "The accessory building for housing an Accessory Household Hen Keeping use" … "must be fully roofed;" … "Maximum Height not to exceed 2.0 m;" … "Must be sited to the rear of the principal Single Family Dwelling;" … "10.5 m 4.5 m 7.5 m 4.5 m" … "must be a minimum of 3.0 m as measured horizontally from the closest point of each" … "must be a minimum of 10.0 m as measured horizontally from the closest point of"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permit or registration:** The coop must be registered with the City on its registration form. No fee found.
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 350, s. 351 (19)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "must be registered with the City on a registration form provided by the City for"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bees:** The Animal Control Bylaw's former ban on keeping bees (outside the Agricultural Land Reserve) was repealed by Bylaw 1524.1 on October 16, 2017. No current residential beekeeping rule found.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1), s. 1 and Part I](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814)
  - Official wording: "Bylaw 1524.1 adopted October 16, 2017, repealed section 4, under Part I in its" … "Bylaw 1524.1 adopted October 16, 2017, repealed the definition of "BEE" in its"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other livestock:** No residential zone lists livestock or agriculture as a use. Keeping swine or fur-bearing animals is prohibited. Agriculture, which includes housing livestock, is permitted in the A-1 zone (minimum lot 4 ha). The zoning definition of household animal excludes livestock, poultry, ducks, geese and bees.
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 600, s. 604(d); Div. 100 "household animal"](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "an agricultural use involving mushroom growing, or the keeping of swine, or fur bearing animals;" … "excludes livestock, guinea fowl, poultry, pigeons, geese, ducks, or bees, and no horse," … "agricultural use means the producing, growing, rearing, or harvesting of agricultural products, including the growing of crops, grazing, fruit and berry production, growing trees and shrubs, housing livestock, poultry" … "The minimum lot size shall be no less than 4.0 hectares."
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 200, s. 202.1 (RS-1 permitted uses)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "Permitted Use Maximum Number of Dwelling Units (DU) Single Family Dwellings 4 dwelling units per lot Duplex 4 dwelling units per lot" … "Multiple Family Residential Accessory Uses: Secondary Suites (a) Home Based Business (b) (a) Secondary Suites must be in accordance with Section 613 of this Bylaw."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning and Development Bylaw, 1994, No. 2000, Division 350 (Accessory Household Hen Keeping)
  - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000, Div. 350](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
  - Official wording: "ACCESSORY HOUSEHOLD HEN KEEPING"
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1), s. 2](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814)
  - Official wording: "except for the keeping of household hens which shall be subject to the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Hens are allowed as an accessory use of a single-family dwelling under Division 350 of the [Zoning and Development Bylaw](<https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161>). The parcel must have one single-family dwelling (plus at most one carriage house or one secondary suite) and be at least 1,000 square metres. The bylaw does not list zones, so whether your zone permits a single-family dwelling decides it.

## Steps

1. Check that your parcel qualifies (see above).
2. Build one fully roofed coop behind the house, at most 2.0 m high, with at least 1.5 square metres of floor per hen, up to 10 square metres.
3. Register the coop with the City on its registration form. No fee was found.
4. Keep no more than four hens, each over six months old, in the coop or its enclosed run.

## Good to know

- No roosters.
- Setbacks: 10.5 m front, 4.5 m rear, 7.5 m exterior side, 4.5 m interior side. The coop must be at least 3.0 m from your dwelling and 10.0 m from a neighbour's dwelling.
- Hens are for personal use only: eggs for the household, no slaughtering, and no sale of eggs, meat or manure. Manure is limited to 0.05 cubic metres in a secured bin.
- Bees: the Animal Control Bylaw's ban on keeping bees was repealed in 2017. No other residential beekeeping rule was found, so confirm with Bylaw Compliance.
- Other livestock: no residential zone lists livestock or agriculture as a use. Agriculture, which includes housing livestock, is permitted in the A-1 zone (minimum lot 4 ha). Swine and fur-bearing animals are prohibited.
- Zoning questions: Planning, 250-954-4697.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning and Development Bylaw 2000, including Division 350 Accessory Household Hen Keeping (PDF)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161)
- [Animal Control Bylaw 1524, 2016 (PDF)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814)

## Related questions

- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Parksville](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/how-many-pets.md)
- [Parksville fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/fence-rules.md)
- [Parksville zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Qualicum Beach](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/qualicum-beach/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Lantzville](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lantzville/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Nanaimo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nanaimo/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Port Alberni](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Sechelt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sechelt/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Ladysmith](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ladysmith/backyard-chickens.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000 (PDF)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1)](https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Community Planning, City of Parksville](https://www.parksville.ca/cms.asp?wpID=30) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 8 of 8 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Parksville. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/backyard-chickens/_