--- title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Sayward question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep in Sayward?" place: Sayward, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/sayward category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: municipal owner_body: Village of Sayward sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/how-many-pets/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/how-many-pets.json" --- # How many dogs or cats you can keep in Sayward **Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep in Sayward? **Short answer:** In Sayward, keeping more than three dogs or more than three cats is an offence under the Animal Control Bylaw. Each carries a $200 ticket. Keeping livestock is also a ticket offence ($100). Exceptions are in a bylaw posted only as a scan, so ask the Village Office. **Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Sayward, https://www.sayward.ca) **Cost:** Tickets: $200 for more than three dogs; $200 for more than three cats; $100 for prohibited keeping of livestock. **How long:** Not applicable. **Where:** - Phone: Village Office (open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed holidays), 250-282-5512 - In person: Village Office, 652 H'Kusam Way, Sayward, BC - Online: Online Bylaw Complaint Form, https://www.sayward.ca/form/bylaw-complaint-form ## Key facts - **Dogs allowed:** Keeping more than three dogs is an offence (Animal Control Bylaw s. 5.2). - Source: [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw No. 422 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule 2](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) - Official wording: "Keep more than three dogs 5.2 200.00" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Cats allowed:** Keeping more than three cats is an offence (Animal Control Bylaw s. 5.10). - Source: [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw No. 422 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule 2](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) - Official wording: "Keep more than three cats 5.10 200.00" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Other animal limits:** Keeping livestock is a ticket offence (s. 5.3, "Prohibited keeping of livestock"). The Zoning Bylaw allows agriculture in all zones "excluding the keeping of livestock". - Source: [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw No. 422 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule 2](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) - Official wording: "Prohibited keeping of livestock 5.3 100.00" - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 309, 2000 (consolidated, PDF), s. 301(1)(e)](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2025-09/Bylaw%20309%20-%20Zoning%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) - Official wording: "Agricultural use excluding the keeping of livestock" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Exceptions:** Not confirmed. The Village's Animal Control Bylaw is posted only as a scan, so any exceptions could not be read. - **Fine:** $200 for more than three dogs (s. 5.2); $200 for more than three cats (s. 5.10); $100 for prohibited keeping of livestock (s. 5.3). - Source: [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw No. 422 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule 2](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) - Official wording: "Keep more than three dogs 5.2 200.00" … "Keep more than three cats 5.10 200.00" … "Prohibited keeping of livestock 5.3 100.00" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw No. 418, 2015 - Source: [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw No. 422 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule 1, row 2](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) - Official wording: "Animal Control Bylaw No. 418, 2015" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works The Village's [Animal Control Bylaw No. 418, 2015]() sets pet limits. It is posted only as a scan, so the limits below come from the offences listed in the Village's [Ticketing Bylaw No. 422](). - More than three dogs is an offence (s. 5.2): $200 ticket. - More than three cats is an offence (s. 5.10): $200 ticket. - Keeping livestock is an offence (s. 5.3): $100 ticket. The [Zoning Bylaw]() also allows agriculture "excluding the keeping of livestock". - Keeping wild or exotic animals (s. 5.4) and unauthorized keeping of animals outdoors (s. 5.1) are also ticket offences. Details are not readable. ## Steps 1. If you have, or plan to have, more than three dogs or cats, call the Village Office at 250-282-5512 first. 2. Ask whether any exception applies. None could be read. ## Good to know - The limits are listed per kind of animal (dogs, cats), not combined. - Pets other than dogs and cats, such as birds, rabbits or reptiles, are not covered by any readable Village document. - Exceptions are not stated in the text we could read. ## Official forms and pages - [Animal Control Bylaw No. 418, 2015 (Village bylaw page; the PDF is a scan)](https://www.sayward.ca/municipal-services/bylaws/animal-control-bylaw-no-418-2015) - [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw No. 422 (consolidated, PDF)](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) ## Related questions - [Sayward dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/dog-licence.md) - [Sayward dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/dog-leash-rules.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md) - [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/how-many-pets.md) - [Gold River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/how-many-pets.md) - [Tahsis](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/how-many-pets.md) - [Alert Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/how-many-pets.md) - [Courtenay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/how-many-pets.md) - [Cumberland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/how-many-pets.md) ## Sources - [Animal Control Bylaw No. 418, 2015 (Village bylaw page; the PDF is a scan)](https://www.sayward.ca/municipal-services/bylaws/animal-control-bylaw-no-418-2015) (read 2026-11-08) - [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw No. 422 (consolidated, PDF)](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Zoning Bylaw No. 309, 2000 (consolidated, PDF)](https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2025-09/Bylaw%20309%20-%20Zoning%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Staff Directory, Village of Sayward](https://www.sayward.ca/contact/staff-directory) (read 2026-11-08) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Sayward. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/how-many-pets/_