{"title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Parksville","question":"How many dogs or cats can I keep?","slug":"how-many-pets","place":{"path":"ca/bc/parksville","name":"Parksville","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":"City of Parksville","url":"https://www.parksville.ca"},"short_answer":"The City of Parksville's Animal Control Bylaw allows no more than three pets of any one species per parcel, and no more than three dogs over four months old per household. The Zoning Bylaw defines a household animal as at most two of any one species, so confirm which applies to you.","aliases":["dog limit parksville","cat limit parksville","pet limit bylaw parksville","how many dogs can I have","bees parksville"],"cost":"Bylaw notice for more than three dogs $100 ($75 if paid within 14 days, $125 if paid late).","how_long":null,"where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Bylaw compliance","value":"250-954-4650"},{"type":"email","label":"Bylaw compliance","value":"bylaw@parksville.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Animal Control Bylaw 1524, 2016 (PDF)","url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814"},{"title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw 2000 (PDF)","url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161"}],"related":[{"slug":"dog-licence","title":"Parksville dog licences: fees and how to get one","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/dog-licence/"},{"slug":"backyard-chickens","title":"Parksville backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/backyard-chickens/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/qualicum-beach","name":"Qualicum Beach","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/qualicum-beach/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/lantzville","name":"Lantzville","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lantzville/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/nanaimo","name":"Nanaimo","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nanaimo/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-alberni","name":"Port Alberni","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/sechelt","name":"Sechelt","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sechelt/how-many-pets/"},{"place":"ca/bc/gibsons","name":"Gibsons","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gibsons/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 household may keep more than three dogs over four months old. (Separately, no more than three pets of any one species on a parcel.)","short":"Max three dogs","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1)","section":"s. 22 and s. 2","quotes":["No household shall keep or have in their possession more than three dogs over the age of four months.","no more than three (3) pets of any one species shall be kept on a parcel"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"cat_limit":{"label":"Cats allowed","value":"No cat-specific limit. The Animal Control Bylaw allows no more than three pets of any one species per parcel, but the Zoning Bylaw defines a household animal as at most two of any one species. Which applies is not stated.","short":"No cat-specific limit; unclear which rule applies","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1)","section":"s. 2","quotes":["The keeping of pets is permitted but no more than three (3) pets of any one species shall be kept on a parcel"]},{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000 (PDF)","section":"Div. 100, \"household animal\"","quotes":["household animal means a domesticated animal kept by the members of a household for pleasure and not for sale or profit to a maximum of two animals of any one species"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"other_limits":{"label":"Other animal limits","value":"Three pets of any one species per parcel. A pet rabbit must be spayed or neutered and kept contained. The Zoning and Development Bylaw defines a \"household animal\" as at most two of any one species.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1)","section":"s. 2 and s. 3","quotes":["Where a rabbit is kept as a pet, the owner shall ensure the rabbit is spayed or neutered and","contained at all times so as to prevent escape."]},{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000 (PDF)","section":"Div. 100, definition of \"household animal\"","quotes":["household animal means a domesticated animal kept by the members of a household for pleasure","and not for sale or profit to a maximum of two animals of any one species"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"},"sources_differ":"The zoning definition (two of any one species) and the Animal Control Bylaw (three per species) differ. The zoning definition is used in the zoning bylaw definitions (\"pet means a household animal\"); no other operative rule using it was found. Not confirmed which applies to a resident."},"exceptions":{"label":"Exceptions","value":"Household hens are governed by the zoning bylaw (Division 350, up to four hens), not the three-pet limit. Dogs under four months old are not counted toward the dog limit. No kennel exception found.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1)","section":"s. 2 and s. 1 \"Dog\"","quotes":["except for the keeping of household hens which shall be subject to the","\"DOG\" means any member of the canine species, male or female, excluding juvenile dogs","under 4 months of age."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"Bylaw notice for more than three dogs: $100 ($75 if paid within 14 days; $125 late).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/2814","title":"Bylaw Offence Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1486, Schedule A","section":"Schedule A, Animal Control Bylaw s. 22","quotes":["More Than Three Dogs $100.00 $75.00 $125.00"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-06"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"City of Parksville Animal Control Bylaw, 2016, No. 1524","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1)","section":"s. 37","quotes":["This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as \"City of Parksville Animal Control Bylaw, 2016,"]}],"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 City's [Animal Control Bylaw 1524](<https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814>) says no more than three pets of any one species may be kept on a parcel, and no household may keep more than three dogs over four months old. It has no separate cat limit, so the three-per-species rule is the cap for cats.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Count your animals by species. Stay at three or fewer of each.\n2. For dogs, count only those over four months old, and keep to three per household.\n3. Licence each dog over six months old. See the dog licence answer.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- The [Zoning and Development Bylaw](<https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161>) defines a \"household animal\" as at most two of any one species. The two bylaws differ, and the City's pages do not say which applies, so confirm with Bylaw Compliance before keeping three.\n- A pet rabbit must be spayed or neutered and kept contained.\n- Household hens follow the zoning bylaw (up to four), not the three-pet limit. See the backyard chickens answer.\n- No kennel exception was found for the pet limits.\n- The ticket for more than three dogs is a $100 bylaw notice. No notice amount was found for the three-per-species rule.","sources":[{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/21814","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1524, 2016 (consolidated to 1524.1)","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/70161","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 2000 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-05"},{"url":"https://parksville.civicweb.net/document/2814","title":"Bylaw Offence Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 1486, Schedule A","accessed":"2026-11-05"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-05","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/parksville/how-many-pets/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/how-many-pets.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/parksville/how-many-pets.json"}}