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

# How many dogs or cats you can keep in Trail

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

**Short answer:** In the City of Trail you may keep no more than 3 dogs on any property and no more than 3 cats on any one parcel. Veterinary clinics, animal shelters, licensed animal-care businesses and permitted kennels are exempt from the dog limit.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Trail, https://www.trail.ca)  
**Cost:** Kennel licence: $55 a year (Animal Control Bylaw Schedule A).  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement, 250-364-0833

## Key facts

- **Dogs allowed:** No more than 3 dogs in total on any real property, unless it is a licensed veterinary clinic, an animal shelter, a licensed animal-care business permitted by the land use bylaw, or a kennel permitted by the Zoning Bylaw.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026, s. 7.8](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A Person shall not keep or allow to be kept on any real property more than a total of 3 Dogs unless the real property is:" … "A Kennel where use is permitted under the City’s Zoning Bylaw"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Cats allowed:** No more than 3 cats on any one parcel.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026, s. 7.9](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person shall keep more than a total of 3 Cats on any one parcel."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other animal limits:** Pigeons and doves: at most 3 pairs per parcel, owner must live there, one loft only, loft at least 9 m from other people's buildings. Livestock only where the Zoning Bylaw permits.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026, s. 12.1, 11.1](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "not more than three (3) pairs of pigeons or doves, or a combination of both, shall be kept on" … "no such loft shall contain more than three (3) pairs of pigeons or doves" … "No person shall keep Livestock in any area of the City unless permitted under the Zoning Bylaw."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Exceptions:** Temporary care of more than 3 dogs or 3 cats over 16 weeks old (for example, fostering): notify the animal control officer of numbers, reason and expected length. Kennels only where the Zoning Bylaw permits.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026, s. 7.10, 7.11](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "If a person is providing temporary care for more than 3 Dogs and/or 3 Cats, over the age of 16 weeks (4 months), they shall notify the animal control officer" … "No person shall own, operate, or maintain a kennel within the City except where expressly permitted"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Too many animals (s. 7.8, dogs): bylaw notice $150 if paid within 14 days, $300 after.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026, Schedule B](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "EARLY PAYMENT OFFENCE SECTION PENALTY (1–14 Days)" … "Too many animals 7.8 $150.00 $300.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026, s. 1](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as the “Animal Control Bylaw” No. 2970, 2026"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf) allows no more than 3 dogs in total on any real property in the City of Trail, and no more than 3 cats on any one parcel. The dog limit does not apply to a licensed veterinary clinic, an animal shelter, a licensed animal-care business permitted by the land use bylaw, or a kennel permitted by the Zoning Bylaw. The bylaw gives no age exemption for puppies.

## Good to know

- Temporary care (for example, fostering) of more than 3 dogs or 3 cats over 16 weeks old: tell the animal control officer the numbers, the reason and how long.
- Kennels are allowed only where the Zoning Bylaw permits. A kennel licence is $55 a year.
- Pigeons and doves: at most 3 pairs per parcel, the owner must live there, one loft only, and the loft at least 9 m from other people's buildings. Livestock is allowed only where the Zoning Bylaw permits. Bees are under the separate Beekeeping Bylaw No. 2815, 2016.
- Too many dogs is a bylaw notice of $150 if paid within 14 days, $300 after. The bylaw lists no ticket for the cat limit; a court fine of up to $50,000 can apply.
- Questions: Bylaw Enforcement, 250-364-0833.

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026 (PDF)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Trail dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/dog-licence.md)
- [Trail backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/backyard-chickens.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/how-many-pets.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/how-many-pets.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/how-many-pets.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/how-many-pets.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/how-many-pets.md)
- [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/how-many-pets.md)

## Sources

- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 2970, 2026, City of Trail (PDF)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Enforcement, City of Trail](https://www.trail.ca/city-hall/bylaws/bylaw-enforcement/) (read 2026-11-06)

_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 City of Trail. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/how-many-pets/_