---
title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Spallumcheen
question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep?"
place: Spallumcheen, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/spallumcheen
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Township of Spallumcheen
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/how-many-pets/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/how-many-pets.json"
---

# How many dogs or cats you can keep in Spallumcheen

**Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep?

**Short answer:** In the Township of Spallumcheen, no more than 3 dogs may be kept on a property under 5 acres (kennels excepted). The Township's page says up to 5 dogs on properties over 5 acres, and more than 5 needs a kennel licence. No limit on cats was found.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Township of Spallumcheen, https://www.spallumcheentwp.bc.ca)  
**Cost:** Kennel licence $100. Ticket $125 for too many dogs ($100 if paid within 14 days).  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Township office, 250-546-3013 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Dogs allowed:** No more than 3 dogs on a property under 5 acres (kennel owners and operators excepted). The Township page says up to 5 dogs on properties over 5 acres; more than 5 dogs anywhere needs a kennel licence.
  - Source: [Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451, 1998, s. 15(i); s. 5](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/1831/)
  - Official wording: "of less than five (5) acres, except the owner or operator of a kennel, to own or" … "No person shall keep more than five (5) dogs within the municipality"
  - Source: [Animal Control, Animal Control page](https://www.spallumcheentwp.bc.ca/culture/animal-control.htm)
  - Official wording: "on properties less than 5 acres you are permitted no more than 3 dogs as pets" … "on properties larger than 5 acres you are permitted no more than 5 dogs as pets"
  - 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:** No combined pet limit. Backyard hens (R.1 zone only): 6 hens on parcels under 0.5 acre (2,023 m²), 12 on 0.5 acre or more; no roosters.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1700, 2008, s. 416(1)-(2)](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/34972/)
  - Official wording: "No roosters shall be permitted;" … "six (6) hens may be kept on parcels less than 2,023 square metres (0.5" … "twelve (12) hens may be kept on parcels equal to or greater than 2,023"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Exceptions:** A kennel owner or operator is exempt from the 3-dog limit on lots under 5 acres. A kennel licence ($100) is needed to keep more than 5 dogs. A dog kennel needs a lot of at least 4 hectares (9.884 acres) in the zones that allow one.
  - Source: [Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451, 1998, s. 15(i); s. 5; Schedule A s. 1(b)](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/1831/)
  - Official wording: "except the owner or operator of a kennel" … "without first obtaining a Kennel License" … "for each kennel as defined by the bylaw and subject" … "$100.00"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1700, 2008, s. 417](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/34972/)
  - Official wording: "the parcel having a minimum lot size of 4 ha. (9.884 acres)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Municipal ticket: $125 for more than three dogs on a property under five acres (kennel owner/operator excepted), or $100 if paid within 14 days. Keeping a kennel without a current kennel licence: $75 ($50 if paid within 14 days).
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2023, 2021, Schedule B.4](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/85861/)
  - Official wording: "More than three dogs on property less than five" … "acres, except owner/operator of a kennel" … "Not having a current kennel license"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2023, 2021, s. 4(a)](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/85861/)
  - Official wording: "If received by the Township within 14 days of the person receiving or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Township of Spallumcheen Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451, 1998
  - Source: [Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451, 1998, s. 18](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/1831/)
  - Official wording: "Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451, 1998"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451](<https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/1831/>) allows no more than 3 dogs on a property under 5 acres. A kennel owner or operator is excepted. The Township's Animal Control page says up to 5 dogs are allowed on properties over 5 acres, and that keeping more than 5 dogs anywhere needs a kennel licence ($100).

## Good to know

- No limit on cats was found in the dog bylaw, the large animal bylaw, the Animal Control page or the Zoning Bylaw. There is no combined pet limit either.
- A dog kennel needs a lot of at least 4 hectares (9.884 acres) in the zones that allow one. The Animal Control page lists those zones as Small Holding (SH), Country Residential (CR), Agricultural (A.2) and Large Holding (LH). Kennel siting is in [Zoning Bylaw No. 1700](<https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/34972/>).
- Backyard hens in the R.1 zone have their own limits; see the backyard chickens answer.
- A municipal ticket for more than three dogs on a property under five acres is $125 ($100 if paid within 14 days). Keeping a kennel without a current licence is $75 ($50 if paid within 14 days).

## Official forms and pages

- [Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451, 1998 (PDF)](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/1831/)
- [Animal Control, Township of Spallumcheen](https://www.spallumcheentwp.bc.ca/culture/animal-control.htm)

## Related questions

- [Spallumcheen dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/dog-licence.md)
- [Spallumcheen dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Spallumcheen backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Spallumcheen bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md)
- [Armstrong](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/armstrong/how-many-pets.md)
- [Enderby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/enderby/how-many-pets.md)
- [Vernon](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vernon/how-many-pets.md)
- [Coldstream](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coldstream/how-many-pets.md)
- [Lumby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lumby/how-many-pets.md)
- [Lake Country](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-country/how-many-pets.md)

## Sources

- [Dog Control and Voluntary Licensing Bylaw No. 1451, 1998 (PDF), Township of Spallumcheen](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/1831/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1700, 2008 (PDF), Township of Spallumcheen](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/34972/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 2023, 2021 (PDF), Township of Spallumcheen](https://spallumcheen.civicweb.net/document/85861/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Animal Control, Township of Spallumcheen](https://www.spallumcheentwp.bc.ca/culture/animal-control.htm) (read 2026-11-06)

_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 Township of Spallumcheen. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/spallumcheen/how-many-pets/_