---
title: Telkwa rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs
question: "What are the rules for aggressive or dangerous dogs in Telkwa?"
place: Telkwa, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/telkwa
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Telkwa
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dangerous-dogs/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dangerous-dogs.json"
---

# Telkwa rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs

**Question:** What are the rules for aggressive or dangerous dogs in Telkwa?

**Short answer:** In Telkwa, the Animal Control Officer can declare a dog aggressive or dangerous after an attack or bite. Owners then pay $159.45 a year (aggressive) or $318.90 a year (dangerous) and must follow strict rules for muzzling, leashing and enclosure.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Telkwa, https://www.telkwa.ca)  
**Cost:** Licence: aggressive dog $159.45 a year; dangerous dog $318.90 a year. Impoundment: $531.50 first, $797.25 second, $1,063 third, $5,315 fourth within 12 months.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village Office, 250-846-5212 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.))
- Email: Village Office and bylaw complaints, info@telkwa.ca
- In person: Village Office, 1415 Hankin Ave, Telkwa, BC V0J 2X0

## Key facts

- **How a dog is declared dangerous or aggressive:** Aggressive: unprovoked pursuit, harassment or bite causing non-serious injury, or an Animal Control Officer has reasonable grounds to think it likely to cause injury. Dangerous: has killed or seriously injured a person or animal, attacks without provocation, or the officer believes it likely to. After an attack or bite the officer may deem the dog aggressive or dangerous.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, s. 2 "Aggressive Dog" (b), (c)](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "has, without provocation, bitten or caused non-serious injury to a person or another animal" … "an Animal Control Officer has reasonable grounds to believe is likely to cause injury to a person or animal"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, s. 2 "Dangerous Dog" (b)](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "that has killed or seriously injured a human being or domestic animal;"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, s. 4.11](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "the Animal Control Officer may deem the dog to be an aggressive or dangerous dog"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Rules for owners:** Dangerous dog: owner must be 19 or older, photograph the dog, show $1,000,000 liability insurance, keep it indoors under a person 19 or older or in a locked enclosure, and muzzle it and keep it on a leash of 1.2 m or less off the property. Aggressive dog: muzzled, leashed and controlled by a person 19 or older off the property.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, s. 5.1, 5.2](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "The owner of a dangerous dog must be at least nineteen (19) years of age." … "proof of public liability insurance in the amount of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000)"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, s. 5.5, 5.6](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "ensure the dog is securely muzzled;" … "indoors and under the control of a person who is at least nineteen (19) years of age"
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, s. 5.10](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "Every owner of an aggressive dog shall ensure that at any time the dog is off the owner's property, the dog is:"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Licence fee:** Aggressive dog $159.45 a year; dangerous dog $318.90 a year (Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025). The Village bylaw web page still shows $150 and $300. (Sources differ: Bylaw schedule wins. Owner must pay on the first day the Village Office is open after the dog is declared (ss. 5.2, 5.8). Consolidation certified November 12, 2020 (includes Amendment Bylaw No. 716). Fees and fines are in the Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025 (adopted October 14, 2025); Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw No. 797, 2026 (April 2026) is a scanned PDF with no text, so any change it makes could not be checked.)
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025, Schedule A, Animal Control, Dog Licence](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/36216/)
  - Official wording: "Spayed/Neutered $ 21.26 N Unspayed/Unneutered $ 63.78 N Aggressive Dog $ 159.45 N Dangerous Dog $ 318.90 N Replacement Tag $ 10.63 N" … "Unspayed/Unneutered $ 63.78 N Aggressive Dog $ 159.45 N Dangerous Dog $ 318.90 N Replacement Tag $ 10.63 N Daily care and feeding fees for impounded animals $ 106.30 Y"
  - Source: [Bylaws, Dog Licencing (web page)](https://www.telkwa.ca/bylaw)
  - Official wording: "$150 aggressive dog;" … "$300 dangerous dog; and"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **How to report:** Report incidents to the Bylaw Enforcement Officer, the Animal Control Officer or the municipal office (Village Office 250-846-5212, info@telkwa.ca). Give full details.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, s. 12.2](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "The public is encouraged to report incidents and make every effort to document or provide full details of any incident to the Bylaw Enforcement Officer, the Animal Control Officer, or the municipal office."
  - Source: [Contact, Municipal Office](https://www.telkwa.ca/contact)
  - Official wording: "Telkwa, BC V0J 2X0 Phone: 250-846-5212" … "Fax: 250-846-9572 Email: info@telkwa.ca"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** Failure to license a dangerous or aggressive dog $212.60; failure to muzzle $106.30; failure to constrain $212.60. Impoundment of an aggressive or dangerous dog: $531.50 first, $797.25 second, $1,063 third, $5,315 fourth within 12 months.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025, Schedule B, Animal Control Offence Fees](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/36216/)
  - Official wording: "Failure to License a Dangerous or Aggressive 5.2 $ 212.60" … "Failure to Muzzle Dangerous or Aggressive 5.6 & 5.10 $ 106.30" … "Failure to Constrain Dangerous or Aggressive 5.6 & 5.10 $ 212.60"
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025, Schedule B, Impoundment Fees](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/36216/)
  - Official wording: "Seizure and Impoundment (aggressive or dangerous dog) First Impoundment 6.3 $ 531.50 Y"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Village of Telkwa Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, section 5.
  - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019, title](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
  - Official wording: "ANIMAL CONTROL AND LICENSING BYLAW NO. 691, 2019"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

Section 5 of the [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019](<https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/>) covers these dogs. An aggressive dog has pursued, harassed or bitten without provocation causing non-serious injury, or the officer has reasonable grounds to think it likely to cause injury. A dangerous dog has killed or seriously injured a person or animal, attacks without provocation, or the officer believes it likely to. A dog provoked, teased or attacked, or whose victim was trespassing or committing a crime, is excluded.

## Steps

1. Report an incident to the Bylaw Enforcement Officer, the Animal Control Officer or the Village Office (250-846-5212, info@telkwa.ca). Give full details.
2. If the dog is declared, pay the licence fee on the first day the Village Office is open after the declaration.

## Good to know

- Dangerous dog: the owner must be 19 or older, photograph the dog, show $1,000,000 liability insurance, keep it indoors under a person 19 or older or in a locked enclosure, and muzzle it and keep it on a leash of 1.2 m or less off the property.
- Aggressive dog: muzzled, leashed and controlled by a person 19 or older off the property.
- The locked pen must be at least 1.5 m by 3 m and 1.5 m high, at least 1 m from a property line and 5 m from a neighbouring dwelling.
- Tell the officer within 3 days if the dog is moved, sold, gifted or dies, and at once if it runs at large.
- Fines under the [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025](<https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/36216/>): $212.60 for not licensing or not constraining, $106.30 for not muzzling.
- The Village web page still shows $150 and $300 licence fees; confirm with the Village Office.

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019 (PDF)](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025 (PDF)](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/36216/)

## Related questions

- [Telkwa dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dog-licence.md)
- [Telkwa dog leash rules and off-leash areas](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/how-many-pets.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dangerous dog rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [Granisle](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [Kitimat](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kitimat/dangerous-dogs.md)

## Sources

- [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 691, 2019 (PDF), Village of Telkwa](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/31288/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 792, 2025 (PDF), Village of Telkwa](https://telkwa.civicweb.net/document/36216/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws, Village of Telkwa](https://www.telkwa.ca/bylaw) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Telkwa](https://www.telkwa.ca/contact) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Telkwa. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dangerous-dogs/_