---
title: Penticton unsightly property rules and how to report
question: "How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Penticton?"
place: Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/penticton
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Penticton
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/unsightly-property/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/unsightly-property.json"
---

# Penticton unsightly property rules and how to report

**Question:** How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Penticton?

**Short answer:** Report an unsightly, overgrown or rubbish-filled property in Penticton using the City's online bylaw complaint form, by calling Bylaw Services at 250-490-2440, or by emailing bylaw@penticton.ca. An officer inspects and can order the owner to fix it.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Penticton, https://www.penticton.ca)  
**Cost:** Bylaw notice $100 for permitting a property to become unsightly ($90 if paid within 14 days). If the City does the work, the owner pays and unpaid costs can be added to property taxes.  
**Where:**
- Online: Bylaw complaint form, https://online.penticton.ca/tdnl/eapply/calls/Default.aspx?WebTemplateName=enforcement
- Phone: Bylaw Services, 250-490-2440 (Monday to Sunday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
- Email: Bylaw Services, bylaw@penticton.ca

## Key facts

- **What counts:** Owners and occupiers must not allow: rubbish or discarded material; offensive matter in plain sight; stagnant water; dead vegetation or noxious weeds; firewood beyond stacking limits; vehicle parts or unlicensed vehicles (beyond one); graffiti; stored building materials (unless building); trees or roots harming City roads. Exempt: normal farm practices; outdoor storage the Zoning Bylaw allows.
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2012-5030 (consolidated), s. 7.2; s. 7.1.1, 7.1.2](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/5030%20Good%20Neighour%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20for%20website.pdf)
  - Official wording: "shall not permit the accumulation of Rubbish, Garbage or Discarded Material upon Real Property" … "offensive or unwholesome matter upon Real Property in plain sight" … "No Owner shall permit the accumulation of dead landscaping, vegetation, noxious weeds" … "All Owners shall not permit graffiti to remain on Real Property" … "Part 7 of this Bylaw does not apply to farm operations conducted in accordance with normal farm practices"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2012-5030 (consolidated), Schedule D, "UNSIGHTLY"](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/5030%20Good%20Neighour%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20for%20website.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The storage, location or accumulation visible to a person standing on a public highway or on nearby property"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to report:** Use the City's online bylaw complaint service, or call Bylaw Services at 250-490-2440 (Monday to Sunday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.), or email bylaw@penticton.ca. Give your name, contact details and your relationship to the property. Anonymous complaints are not accepted.
  - Source: [Register a Complaint, How to Register a Complaint](https://www.penticton.ca/city-services/bylaw-enforcement/register-complaint)
  - Official wording: "To report a non-emergency bylaws issue, please use our online service." … "Anonymous complaints are not accepted." … "Phone: 250-490-2440, Monday - Sunday, 6 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Email: bylaw@penticton.ca"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What happens next:** An officer visits and, if warranted, orders the owner to fix it within the time the officer sets; the notice must state 14 days (24 hours for snow, ice or rubbish on a sidewalk). If not done, the City may do the work and add the cost to the taxes; the owner may also be ticketed.
  - Source: [Register a Complaint, Unsightly Property](https://www.penticton.ca/city-services/bylaw-enforcement/register-complaint)
  - Official wording: "a Bylaw officer will attend the property to determine if the situation warrants further action" … "The cost of cleanup may be recovered by being added to taxes if unpaid."
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2012-5030 (consolidated), s. 7.25 to 7.30](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/5030%20Good%20Neighour%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20for%20website.pdf)
  - Official wording: "must be remedied within fourteen (14) days of the date of delivery of the notice" … "the City may, without further notice, proceed to carry out the work required, and the cost of such work will be added to the taxes of the real property" … "fails to comply with the Bylaw Enforcement Officer" … "such time as the Bylaw Enforcement Officer considers appropriate in the circumstances." … "must be remedied within fourteen (14) days of the date of delivery of the notice, or,"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Bylaw notice for permitting a property to become unsightly (s. 7.2): $100 ($90 if paid within 14 days, $110 late). Specific items (rubbish, weeds, vehicle parts, graffiti, building materials) are also $100.
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2012-5037 (consolidated June 2026), Schedule A, Appendix 11](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/2012-5037%20Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20%28Consolidated%20Package%20-%20June%202026%29_0.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Permit Property to" … "7.2 $100.00 $90.00 $110.00 Yes" … "Accumulation of, rubbish" … "7.2 (j) $100.00 $90.00 $110.00 Yes"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2012-5030 (Part 7, Property Maintenance)
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2012-5030 (consolidated), Title](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/5030%20Good%20Neighour%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20for%20website.pdf)
  - Official wording: "CITY OF PENTICTON GOOD NEIGHBOUR BYLAW NO. 2012-5030"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Part 7 of the [Good Neighbour Bylaw](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/5030%20Good%20Neighour%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20for%20website.pdf) says owners and occupiers in Penticton must not allow: rubbish or discarded material; offensive matter in plain sight; stagnant water; dead vegetation or noxious weeds; firewood beyond stacking limits; vehicle parts or more than one unlicensed vehicle; graffiti; stored building materials (unless building); or trees or roots harming City roads. Normal farm practices and outdoor storage the Zoning Bylaw allows are exempt.

## Steps

1. Report it through the online bylaw complaint form, by phone, or by email. Give your name, contact details and your relationship to the property.
2. An officer visits and, if warranted, orders the owner to fix it within the time the officer sets. The notice must state 14 days (24 hours for snow, ice or rubbish on a sidewalk).
3. If it is not done, the City may do the work and add the cost to the property taxes. The owner may also be ticketed.

## Good to know

- Owners must also keep the boulevard, lane and sidewalk next to the property clear of debris, and clear sidewalk snow and ice by 11 a.m. the morning after a snow event. The City's complaint page says within 24 hours; the bylaw wording is the rule, so confirm with Bylaw Services.
- Vacant buildings must be registered or secured. Phone 250-490-2440 with your full name and number. Graffiti can be reported online.
- The $100 bylaw notice also applies to specific items such as rubbish, weeds, vehicle parts, graffiti and building materials. Court-prosecuted offences carry a fine of $100 to $10,000 and up to six months in jail.
- Anonymous complaints are not accepted.

## Official forms and pages

- [Register a Complaint](https://www.penticton.ca/city-services/bylaw-enforcement/register-complaint)
- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2012-5030 (PDF)](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/5030%20Good%20Neighour%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20for%20website.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Penticton bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property.md)
- [Summerland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/summerland/unsightly-property.md)
- [Peachland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/peachland/unsightly-property.md)
- [Keremeos](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/keremeos/unsightly-property.md)
- [West Kelowna](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-kelowna/unsightly-property.md)
- [Kelowna](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kelowna/unsightly-property.md)
- [Osoyoos](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/osoyoos/unsightly-property.md)

## Sources

- [Register a Complaint, City of Penticton](https://www.penticton.ca/city-services/bylaw-enforcement/register-complaint) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2012-5030 (PDF) (consolidated), City of Penticton](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/5030%20Good%20Neighour%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20for%20website.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2012-5037 (PDF) (consolidated June 2026)](https://www.penticton.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/bylaws/2012-5037%20Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20%28Consolidated%20Package%20-%20June%202026%29_0.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Penticton. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/unsightly-property/_