Prince Rupert backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules
Can I keep chickens or other livestock?
Unclear in Prince Rupert. Livestock Prohibition Bylaw 2987 bans livestock, including poultry, rabbits and farm animals, outside areas zoned "M7-Special Industrial" in an old zoning bylaw. The current zoning bylaw mentions keeping hens but lists no zone for it. Ask the City before buying birds.
Key facts
| Hens allowed | Unclear. Livestock Prohibition Bylaw 2987 (1996) makes keeping livestock, including poultry, unlawful except in areas designated "M7-Special Industrial" in the 1980 zoning bylaw. Zoning Bylaw 3462 defines urban agriculture to include keeping hens and bees, but no zone's permitted uses lists it.Livestock Prohibition Bylaw No. 2987, 1996, s. 1, 2; Zoning Bylaw No. 3462, 2021 (consolidated PDF), s. 1 "Urban Agriculture" · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingshall include rabbits, poultry, pigeons and doves It shall be unlawful for any person to keep any livestock within any area of the City of Prince Rupert URBAN AGRICULTURE means the act of growing food on a lot. the keeping of hens and/or bees, and agricultural retail sales. |
|---|---|
| Most hens | None set. Prince Rupert's bylaws set no number of hens, rooster rule, coop rules or hen permit. |
| Roosters | None set. Prince Rupert's bylaws set no number of hens, rooster rule, coop rules or hen permit. |
| Coop rules | None set. Prince Rupert's bylaws set no number of hens, rooster rule, coop rules or hen permit. |
| Permit or registration | None set. Prince Rupert's bylaws set no number of hens, rooster rule, coop rules or hen permit. |
| Bees | Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. |
| Other livestock | Horses, mules, asses, swine, sheep, goats, cows and other bovines, plus rabbits, pigeons and doves, are also banned everywhere in the City except areas designated "M7-SPECIAL INDUSTRIAL".Livestock Prohibition Bylaw No. 2987, 1996, s. 1, 2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingany horse, mule, ass, swine, sheep, goat, cow, or any other animal of the bovine species except those areas designated "M7-SPECIAL INDUSTRIAL" |
| Bylaw | Livestock Prohibition Bylaw No. 2987, 1996Livestock Prohibition Bylaw No. 2987, 1996, s. 5 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingLIVESTOCK PROHIBITION BYLAW NO. 2987, 1996 |
How it works
Livestock Prohibition Bylaw 2987 makes it unlawful to keep livestock anywhere in Prince Rupert except in areas designated "M7-SPECIAL INDUSTRIAL" in the 1980 zoning bylaw. Livestock means horses, mules, asses, swine, sheep, goats, cows and other bovines and, for this bylaw, rabbits, poultry, pigeons and doves.
Whether that exception applies today is unclear. The 1980 zoning bylaw has been replaced by the current Zoning Bylaw 3462, which has no "M7" zone. That bylaw defines "urban agriculture" to include keeping hens or bees, but no zone lists it as a permitted use. The City's website has no page about backyard hens.
Good to know
- The bylaws set no number of hens, no rooster rule, no coop rules and no hen permit or registration. None was found.
- No beekeeping rule was found either.
- Ducks are not named; they may count as poultry, but the bylaw does not say.
- Penalty: a court fine up to $2,000, plus up to the same amount for each further day. The municipal ticket schedule (MTI Bylaw 2783) lists $100 for keeping livestock.
- Ask the Bylaw Department (250-624-6852, bylaw@princerupert.ca) before buying birds or rabbits.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Port Edward · Kitimat · Terrace · Port Clements · Daajing Giids · Stewart
Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Livestock Prohibition Bylaw No. 2987, 1996 (PDF), City of Prince Rupert (read 2026-11-05)
- Zoning Bylaw No. 3462, 2021 (consolidated PDF), City of Prince Rupert (read 2026-11-05)
- Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2783 (consolidated to 2000) (PDF), City of Prince Rupert (read 2026-11-05)
- Contact a City Department, City of Prince Rupert (read 2026-11-05)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 3 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 4 are recorded as not set; 1 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.