Tumbler Ridge unsightly property rules and how to report
How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property in Tumbler Ridge?
Short answer
In Tumbler Ridge, call the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at 250-242-3939 to report an unsightly or overgrown property. Under the Unsightly Premises Bylaw the officer can order the owner to clean up, and the District can do the work at the owner's cost. A ticket is $100.
Key facts
| What counts | An owner must not let a parcel become or stay unsightly: accumulated building materials (without a building permit), unregistered or inoperable vehicles, buildings missing coverings, rubbish and scrap, graffiti, uncontained garbage, excessive dog feces or offensive odours, standing water, uncontained compost, untidy storage, damaged fences, overgrown vegetation or weeds (lawns on developed property over 15 cm), dead landscaping, fruit that attracts wildlife, and hazardous trees or hedges.Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 444, 2001, consolidated, s. 2.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingNo owner shall cause, allow or permit a parcel to become or to remain unsightly, and, including allowing a grass lawn on a developed property to grow higher than 15 centimeters; the accumulation on the parcel of garbage not contained in a covered receptacle; permit any standing water on the parcel |
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| How to report | Contact the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at (250) 242-3939.Municipal Bylaw Enforcement, Complaint Process · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingBylaw Enforcement responds to complaints. Please contact the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at (250) 242-3939 |
| What happens next | An officer may deliver a Removal Order: 14 days to comply for items such as building materials, vehicles, rubbish and fences; 7 days for graffiti, garbage, odours, standing water, untidy materials and overgrown vegetation. The owner may apply within 5 business days to appear before Council. If not done, the District may do the work at the owner's cost; unpaid costs are added to taxes on December 31.Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 444, 2001, consolidated, ss. 4.1, 4.3, 5.1-5.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingrequiring the removal, clearing or remedying of any thing or things listed in subsections 2.1(a - d, i - j, l), including a class of things, that render the parcel unsightly within 14 days of delivery of the removal order; subsections 2.1(e – h, k, m - p) including a class of things, that render the parcel unsightly within 7 days of delivery of the removal order; within 5 business days from delivery of the removal order. the District shall add the cost of the work to the taxes due and owing on the affected parcel. |
| Fine | Municipal ticket: $100 for each listed offence (for example rubbish, unsightly grass or weeds, graffiti, vehicle on property).Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 560, 2011, consolidated, Schedule 11 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingRubbish on Property Unsightly Grass or Weeds Vehicle on Property |
| Bylaw | Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 444, 2001 (amended by Nos. 652, 2017 and 704, 2021).Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 444, 2001, consolidated, Cover and s. 9.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingUNSIGHTLY PREMISE BYLAW No. 444, 2001 Unsightly Premise Amendment Bylaw No. 704, 2021 |
How it works
The District of Tumbler Ridge's Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 444 says an owner must not let a parcel become or stay unsightly. Bylaw Enforcement responds to complaints and tries first to get voluntary compliance.
Steps
- Call the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at 250-242-3939. The District's page says you can also complain by email, but it gives no address.
- An officer may deliver a Removal Order to the owner.
- The owner has 14 days to comply for items such as building materials, vehicles, rubbish and fences, or 7 days for graffiti, garbage, odours, standing water, untidy materials and overgrown vegetation. The order states the interval.
- The owner may apply within 5 business days to appear before Council.
- If the work is not done, the District may do it at the owner's cost. Unpaid costs are added to the property taxes on December 31.
Good to know
- Covered: accumulated building materials (without a building permit), unregistered or inoperable vehicles, rubbish and scrap, graffiti, uncontained garbage, excessive dog feces or offensive odours, standing water, uncontained compost, untidy storage, damaged fences, overgrown weeds or vegetation (lawns on developed property over 15 cm), dead landscaping, and hazardous trees or hedges. See s. 2.1 for exceptions.
- A municipal ticket is $100 per listed offence (Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 560). Each day is a separate offence.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Chetwynd · Dawson Creek · Pouce Coupe · Mackenzie · Fort St. John · Prince George
Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 444, 2001, consolidated (PDF), District of Tumbler Ridge (read 2026-11-08)
- Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 560, 2011, consolidated (PDF), District of Tumbler Ridge (read 2026-11-08)
- Municipal Bylaw Enforcement, District of Tumbler Ridge (read 2026-11-08)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.