{"title":"Sayward unsightly property rules and how to report","question":"How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Sayward?","slug":"unsightly-property","place":{"path":"ca/bc/sayward","name":"Sayward","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"bylaws-and-complaints","name":"Bylaws, noise and complaints"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Village of Sayward","url":"https://www.sayward.ca"},"short_answer":"In Sayward, owners and occupiers must not let property become unsightly or let rubbish collect, and must keep ground cover under 30 cm. Report a property at the Village Office or with the online Bylaw Complaint Form. Council can order a clean-up and the Village can do it at the owner's cost.","aliases":["unsightly property Sayward","overgrown yard Sayward","messy property complaint Sayward","property maintenance bylaw Sayward"],"cost":"No ticket amount is set. On conviction, a fine of up to $10,000. If the Village does the work, the cost goes to the owner and unpaid costs can be added to the property tax roll.","how_long":"The bylaw sets the time for each order; Council may declare a set time to comply.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Village Office (open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed holidays)","value":"250-282-5512"},{"type":"in_person","label":"Village Office","value":"652 H'Kusam Way, Sayward, BC"},{"type":"online","label":"Online Bylaw Complaint Form","value":"https://www.sayward.ca/form/bylaw-complaint-form"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023 (PDF)","url":"https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf"},{"title":"Bylaws, Village of Sayward","url":"https://www.sayward.ca/government-bylaws/bylaws"}],"related":[{"slug":"noise-rules","title":"Sayward noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/noise-rules/"},{"slug":"garbage-collection","title":"Sayward garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/garbage-collection/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/campbell-river","name":"Campbell River","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/gold-river","name":"Gold River","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/tahsis","name":"Tahsis","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/zeballos","name":"Zeballos","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/zeballos/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-mcneill","name":"Port McNeill","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-mcneill/unsightly-property/"},{"place":"ca/bc/courtenay","name":"Courtenay","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/unsightly-property/"}],"topic":{"title":"Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property/"},"facts":{"what_counts":{"label":"What counts","value":"Owners and occupiers must not let property become unsightly or let rubbish, discarded materials or noxious matter collect (s. 7.13); keep ground cover under 30 cm and noxious weeds and unkempt growth cleared (s. 7.14); remove graffiti within 5 working days (s. 7.2); keep boulevards tidy (s. 7.3).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf","title":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023 (PDF)","section":"ss. 7.13, 7.14","quotes":["No Owner or Occupier of Real Property shall permit the Real Property to become or","keep ground cover vegetation from exceeding 30 cm in height"]},{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf","title":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023 (PDF)","section":"s. 7.2","quotes":["within five (5) working days of the placement"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"how_to_report":{"label":"How to report","value":"At the Village Office, or with the online Bylaw Complaint Form.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/government-bylaws/bylaws","title":"Bylaws, Village of Sayward","section":"Bylaws page","quotes":["Would you like to file a Bylaw Complaint? You may do so at the Village Office or, if you’d prefer, you can submit one online using the button below."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"process":{"label":"What happens next","value":"Council may declare the property must be brought into compliance in a set time, and an officer may issue a notice (s. 7.19). If not done, the Village may do the work at the owner's cost (s. 7.20); unpaid costs can be added to the property tax roll (s. 7.21). The owner may ask Council to reconsider within 14 days (s. 7.22).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf","title":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023 (PDF)","section":"ss. 7.19 to 7.22","quotes":["Council may make a declaration requiring that the Owner or other responsible person bring the Real Property into compliance","at the cost of the defaulting Owner or other responsible person","within 14 days of receipt of the notice, or lesser time if specified in the notice"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"No ticket amount is set. On conviction, a fine of up to $10,000 (s. 8.2).","short":"No ticket; up to $10,000 in court","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf","title":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023 (PDF)","section":"s. 8.2","quotes":["to a fine of not more than $10,000 (and not less than the fines prescribed in the Village of Sayward Ticketing Offence Bylaw)"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf","title":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023 (PDF)","section":"s. 1","quotes":["This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023”."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":5,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe [Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023](<https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf>) (Part 7) says owners and occupiers must not:\n\n- let property become unsightly or let rubbish, discarded materials or noxious matter collect. Discarded materials include unlicensed or inoperable vehicles, boats, machinery and firewood not neatly stacked;\n- let ground cover grow over 30 cm, or leave noxious weeds and unkempt growth;\n- leave graffiti (remove it within 5 working days);\n- leave boulevards untidy.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Report the property at the Village Office (250-282-5512) or with the online Bylaw Complaint Form.\n2. Council may declare that the property must be brought into compliance within a set time, and an officer may issue a notice.\n3. If the work is not done, the Village may do it at the owner's cost. Unpaid costs can be added to the property tax roll.\n4. An owner may ask Council to reconsider within 14 days.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- No ticket amount is set. On conviction, a fine of up to $10,000.\n- The [Ticketing Bylaw No. 422](<https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20422%20-%20Ticketing%20for%20Bylaw%20Offences%20Consolidated%20Version%2C%20for%20convenience%20only.pdf>) has no schedule for Bylaw 502.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/sites/1/files/2023-06/Bylaw%20502%20-%20Public%20Nuisance.pdf","title":"Public Nuisance Bylaw No. 502, 2023 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/government-bylaws/bylaws","title":"Bylaws, Village of Sayward","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.sayward.ca/contact/staff-directory","title":"Staff Directory, Village of Sayward","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/unsightly-property/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/unsightly-property.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/unsightly-property.json"}}