---
title: Tahsis backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules
question: "Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Tahsis?"
place: Tahsis, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/tahsis
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Tahsis
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/backyard-chickens/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/backyard-chickens.json"
---

# Tahsis backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules

**Question:** Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Tahsis?

**Short answer:** Yes. In Tahsis you may keep up to six hens (no roosters) on any lot in any zone, in a coop that meets the Zoning Bylaw's rules. Up to two beehives per lot are also allowed. Other livestock is allowed only on larger lots.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Tahsis, https://villageoftahsis.com)  
**Cost:** No permit, licence or fee for hens is mentioned in the bylaws read.  
**How long:** Not applicable.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village of Tahsis Municipal Office, (250) 934-6344 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Hens allowed:** Yes. Keeping backyard hens is a permitted "urban agricultural use", which is allowed on any parcel in every zone, subject to the conditions in s. 3.3.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, ss. 3.1(1)(c), 2.1(2) "Urban Agricultural Use", 3.3(7)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "c) urban agricultural use" … "includes the keeping of honey bees and backyard hens" … "The keeping of hens is a permitted urban agricultural use provided that:"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, s. 3.1(1)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "On any parcel, the use of land, buildings and structures for the following principal uses is"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Most hens:** Six hens per lot.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, s. 3.3(7)(a)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "the maximum number of hens shall be six (6) per lot;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Roosters:** Not allowed.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, s. 3.3(7)(b)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "roosters are not permitted;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Coop rules:** A coop is required, with at least 0.37 m² per hen, no more than 3 m high, and subject to the setback and location rules for an accessory building. It must be kept clean and free of odours, substances and vermin.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, s. 3.3(7)(c)-(f)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "a coop must be provided to house the hens and said enclosure must provide a" … "minimum of zero point three seven (0. 37) square metres per hen;" … "coops shall not exceed three (3) metres in height;" … "coops shall be subject to the setback and location requirements of an accessory building;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permit or registration:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bees:** Yes, as an urban agricultural use: bees in hives, at most two hives with colonies per lot, hives at least 4 m from neighbouring houses, sidewalks, streets and public areas, hives at least 3 m above grade, securely located, ventilated and near water, following the provincial Bee Regulation.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, s. 3.3(6)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The keeping of honey bees is a permitted urban agricultural use provided that:" … "only two hives with colonies shall be permitted per lot;" … "hives shall be at least four (4) metres from any neighbouring house, sidewalks," … "hives must be located at least a minimum of three (3) metres above grade level"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Other livestock:** Agricultural use, including keeping livestock for domestic purposes only, is permitted on a parcel of 0.4 ha or more. Livestock (chickens, horses, turkeys, cattle, hogs, rabbits, sheep and goats raised for agricultural purposes) may only be kept on lots greater than 0.4 ha.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, ss. 3.1(2), 3.3(8), 2.1(2) "Livestock"](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "agricultural use is permitted, including the keeping of livestock for domestic purposes only." … "The keeping and raising of livestock for agricultural use is only permitted on lots greater than" … "means chickens, horses, turkeys, cattle, hogs, rabbits, sheep and goats raised for agricultural purposes"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Tahsis Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020 (s. 3.1, 3.3), as amended; Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997 for animals running at large.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, s. 1.1](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW No. 630, 2020"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended, s. 1](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as the "Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997"."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Under the Village's [Zoning Bylaw No. 630](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf), keeping backyard hens is a permitted "urban agricultural use". It is allowed on any parcel in every zone, subject to the conditions in section 3.3. A "hen" is a domesticated female chicken at least four months old.

## Good to know

- Hens: six per lot. Roosters are not allowed.
- Coop: required, with at least 0.37 m² per hen and no more than 3 m high. It follows the setback and location rules for an accessory building, which the bylaw sets out in section 3.5. Keep it clean and free of odours, substances and vermin.
- Bees: allowed as an urban agricultural use, at most two hives with colonies per lot. Hives must be at least 4 m from neighbouring houses, sidewalks, streets and public areas, at least 3 m above grade, securely located, ventilated and near water, following the provincial Bee Regulation.
- Other livestock (chickens, horses, turkeys, cattle, hogs, rabbits, sheep and goats raised for agricultural purposes, or livestock kept for domestic purposes only) is allowed only on larger lots: 0.4 ha or more in one section, "greater than 0.4 hectares" in another.
- The bylaws I read mention no permit, licence or registration for hens.
- The [Animal Control Bylaw](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf) also bars poultry and other animals from running at large.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020 (PDF)](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf)

## Related questions

- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Tahsis](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/how-many-pets.md)
- [Tahsis zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Tahsis fence rules: permits and height limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/fence-rules.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Gold River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Port Hardy](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-hardy/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Tofino](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Cumberland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Courtenay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/backyard-chickens.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020 (PDF), Village of Tahsis](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/bylaw-630.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 420, 1997, as amended (PDF), Village of Tahsis](https://villageoftahsis.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bylaw420.animal-control-licensing-1997-amended.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Tahsis. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tahsis/backyard-chickens/_