---
title: Smithers unsightly property rules and how to report
question: "How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Smithers?"
place: Smithers, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/smithers
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: Town of Smithers
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/unsightly-property/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/unsightly-property.json"
---

# Smithers unsightly property rules and how to report

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

**Short answer:** In Smithers, owners and occupiers must not let rubbish, overflowing garbage, dead landscaping, weeds or a derelict fence pile up. Report it online (request for service), by phone at 250-847-1600 or in person at the Town Office, 1027 Aldous Street. Bylaw officers can order the owner to fix it.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of Smithers, https://www.smithers.ca)  
**Cost:** Bylaw notices: unsightly property $300; derelict vehicle $300; derelict fence $150; boulevard or lane weeds $100; accumulation of vegetation $95.  
**How long:** The compliance order sets a time to fix the problem; the length is not stated in the sources we read.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Town Hall (bylaw enforcement), 250-847-1600 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- In person: Town Hall, 1027 Aldous Street, Smithers, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **What counts:** Owners and occupiers must not allow rubbish or offensive matter to collect, overflowing garbage containers, an unsightly property, dead landscaping or weed overgrowth, a derelict fence, or construction waste to pile up on a permitted site. Weeds must be kept down on boulevards and lanes.
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 6.1](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/)
  - Official wording: "c) allow the Property to become Unsightly or remain Unsightly;" … "d) allow the accumulation of dead landscaping, vegetation, noxious" … "e) permit a fence located on Real Property owned or occupied by that"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 7.2](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/)
  - Official wording: "is kept free and clear of weeds, debris, or chattels;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to report:** Online request for service, by phone at 250-847-1600, or in person at the Town Office, 1027 Aldous Street. Give your name, address, phone, relationship to the property, and the location and a description of the issue.
  - Source: [Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control, How to Report a Violation](https://www.smithers.ca/bylaw-enforcement-animal-control)
  - Official wording: "Online (request for service)" … "By phone (250-847-1600) or fax (250-847-1601)" … "Location of the property and description of the issue."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What happens next:** A Bylaw Enforcement Officer may issue a compliance order giving a set time to fix the problem. If the owner does not, the Town may, with approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, do the work and add the cost to the property taxes. The owner may also be prosecuted.
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 9.1](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/)
  - Official wording: "may issue an Order requiring the owner or other responsible Person to bring the"
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 9.3(e)](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/)
  - Official wording: "upon approval from the Chief" … "such work to be added to the taxes of the real property"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Bylaw notice: 'unsightly property' $300; derelict vehicle $300; derelict fence $150; boulevard or lane weeds $100; accumulation of vegetation $95. The schedule's section letters for unsightly property and vegetation are the reverse of the bylaw's, and s. 8.1 describes the early and late columns differently; confirm with the Town. (Sources differ: Amounts are from the Schedule A table of Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011 (adopted Aug. 25, 2026). The table headings read Penalty / Early Payment (within 14 days) / Late Payment (after 28 days), but s. 8.1 of the same bylaw says the Column 3 amount is payable within 14 days, Column 4 between 14 and 28 days and Column 5 after 28 days, so which figure is the 'full' amount is unclear; confirm with the Town. No Municipal Ticket Information bylaw was found in the bylaw library. Section numbers in the schedule differ from the bylaw's own numbering (unsightly property is s. 6.1(c) in the bylaw). A compliance agreement is marked available for the unsightly property line.)
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011, Schedule A, Good Neighbor Bylaw 2005 table](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290948/)
  - Official wording: "Unsightly property 6.1.d 300.00 150.00 400.00 YES" … "Accumulation of veqetation 6.1.c 95.00 55.00 150.00 NO" … "Derelict vehicle on property 6.3 300.00 150.00 400.00 YES" … "Allow fence to be derelict 6.1.e 150.00 75.00 250.00 YES" … "Boulevard/laneway weeds 6.2 b 100.00 50.00 200.00 YES"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Town of Smithers Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, s. 1.1](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/)
  - Official wording: "Town of Smithers Good" … "Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005](<https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/>) says owners and occupiers must not allow rubbish or offensive matter to collect, garbage containers to overflow, an unsightly property, dead landscaping or weed overgrowth, a derelict fence, or construction waste on a permitted site. Weeds must be kept down on boulevards and lanes.

## Steps

1. Report it: online request for service, by phone at 250-847-1600, or in person at the Town Office, 1027 Aldous Street.
2. Give your name, address, phone, your relationship to the property, and the location and a description of the problem.
3. A Bylaw Enforcement Officer may issue a compliance order giving a set time to fix it.

## Good to know

- If the owner does not comply, the Town may, with approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, do the work and add the cost to the property taxes. The owner may also be prosecuted.
- Bylaw notices: unsightly property $300; derelict vehicle $300; derelict fence $150; boulevard or lane weeds $100; accumulation of vegetation $95. The early and late amounts and their timing should be confirmed with the Town.

## Official forms and pages

- [Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control](https://www.smithers.ca/bylaw-enforcement-animal-control)
- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/)

## Related questions

- [Smithers noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/noise-rules.md)
- [Smithers bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/bylaw-fines.md)
- [Smithers garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/garbage-collection.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property.md)
- [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/unsightly-property.md)
- [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/unsightly-property.md)
- [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/unsightly-property.md)
- [Granisle](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/unsightly-property.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/unsightly-property.md)
- [Kitimat](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kitimat/unsightly-property.md)

## Sources

- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 2005, Town of Smithers](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290947/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011, Town of Smithers](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290948/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control, Town of Smithers](https://www.smithers.ca/bylaw-enforcement-animal-control) (read 2026-11-06)

_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 Town of Smithers. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/unsightly-property/_