--- title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Salt Spring Island question: "How many dogs can I keep, and are kennels allowed?" place: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/salt-spring-island category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: shared sources_read: 2026-11-05 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/how-many-pets/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/how-many-pets.json" --- # How many dogs or cats you can keep in Salt Spring Island **Question:** How many dogs can I keep, and are kennels allowed? **Short answer:** On Salt Spring Island, an unincorporated area, CRD Bylaw 1465 requires a kennel licence to keep more than four dogs over four months old per dwelling unit. Dogs four months old or younger are not counted. No limit on cats was found. A kennel must also be a permitted use under Islands Trust zoning. **Who handles it:** More than one level of government **Cost:** Kennel licences (Bylaw 1465 Schedule A): breeding $75 (four or fewer dogs), $150 (five or more); boarding $200. The CRD web page lists other dog fees, so confirm with CRD Animal Care Services. **Where:** - Phone: CRD Animal Care Services, 250-478-0624 (Kennel licences under Bylaw 1465.) - Phone: Islands Trust Salt Spring Island office, 250-537-9144 (Zoning for kennels. Unit 4, 121 McPhillips Avenue.) ## Key facts - **Dogs allowed:** More than four dogs over four months old for each dwelling unit on a parcel requires a kennel licence. - Source: [CRD Bylaw No. 1465, Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw (consolidated June 2023), s. 2(1)(a)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1465-consolidated-animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986b) - Official wording: "more than four (4) dogs over the age of four (4) months without holding a valid kennel licence issued under this Bylaw" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Cats allowed:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. - **Other animal limits:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. - **Exceptions:** A kennel licence allows more dogs, up to the number on the licence. Dogs four months old or younger are not counted toward the limit. A kennel must be a permitted use under zoning. Breeding kennel licences go only to breeders whose dogs are registered with a kennel club; breeding and boarding kennels need a fenced exercise area. - Source: [CRD Bylaw No. 1465, Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw (consolidated June 2023), s. 2(1)(b), 2(2)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1465-consolidated-animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986b) - Official wording: "No person holding a valid kennel licence shall cause or permit the keeping or harbouring on a parcel more dogs than is permitted under the terms of his kennel licence" … "unless the operation is a permitted use under an applicable Zoning Bylaw" … "Breeding kennel licences can be issued only to persons who are engaged in solely the breeding of dogs" … "more than four (4) dogs over the age of four (4) months" … "Breeding kennel licences can be issued only to persons who are engaged in solely" - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (consolidated June 2026), Islands Trust, s. 1.1.1 'kennel'](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) - Official wording: "lot in which three or more dogs are or are intended to be trained, cared for, bred, boarded or kept as part of a commercial enterprise" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Fine:** $75 for keeping dogs without a kennel licence; $50 for more dogs than the kennel licence permits (ticket). - Source: [CRD Bylaw 1857, Ticket Information Authorization Bylaw, Sched. 9 items 1 and 2](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1857-consolidated-capital-regional-district-ticket-information-authorization-bylaw-1990b) - Official wording: "No kennel licence 2 (1) (a) $75.00" … "Harbouring dogs in excess of kennel licence 2 (1) (b) $50.00" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Bylaw:** Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw No. 1, 1986 (CRD Bylaw No. 1465) - Source: [CRD Bylaw No. 1465, Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw (consolidated June 2023), title](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1465-consolidated-animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986b) - Official wording: "ANIMAL REGULATION AND IMPOUNDING BYLAW NO. 1, 1986" - Source: [Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw No. 1, 1986 (Consolidated) | Capital Regional District, CRD bylaw directory](https://www.crd.ca/government-administration/bylaw-directory/animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986-consolidated) - Official wording: "To regulate the keeping of animals within the Electoral Areas of the Capital Regional District." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 ## How it works Salt Spring Island is run by the CRD for animal control and by Islands Trust for land use. Under CRD [Bylaw 1465](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1465-consolidated-animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986b), keeping more than four dogs over four months old for each dwelling unit on a parcel requires a kennel licence. Dogs four months old or younger are not counted. A kennel licence allows more dogs, up to the number on the licence. Breeding kennel licences go only to breeders whose dogs are registered with a kennel club. Breeding and boarding kennels need a fenced exercise area. ## Good to know - Zoning: the [Land Use Bylaw 355](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) defines a kennel as three or more dogs kept as part of a commercial enterprise, and a kennel must be a permitted use in your zone. Call Islands Trust to check your lot. - Kennel licence fees are $75 (breeding, four or fewer dogs), $150 (breeding, five or more dogs) and $200 (boarding). - No limit on cats and no combined limit on other animals was found in Bylaw 1465 or Land Use Bylaw 355. - Tickets under CRD Bylaw 1857: $75 for keeping dogs without a kennel licence, $50 for more dogs than the licence permits. ## Official forms and pages - [Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw No. 1465 (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1465-consolidated-animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986b) - [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) ## Related questions - [Salt Spring Island dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/dog-licence.md) - [Salt Spring Island rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/dangerous-dogs.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md) ## Sources - [CRD Bylaw No. 1465, Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw (consolidated June 2023) (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1465-consolidated-animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986b) (read 2026-11-05) - [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (consolidated June 2026), Islands Trust (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) (read 2026-11-05) - [CRD Bylaw 1857, Ticket Information Authorization Bylaw (PDF)](https://www.crd.ca/media/file/1857-consolidated-capital-regional-district-ticket-information-authorization-bylaw-1990b) (read 2026-11-05) - [Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw No. 1, 1986 (Consolidated) | Capital Regional District](https://www.crd.ca/government-administration/bylaw-directory/animal-regulation-and-impounding-bylaw-no-1-1986-consolidated) (read 2026-11-05) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed. 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