---
title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in View Royal
question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep?"
place: View Royal, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/view-royal
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Town of View Royal
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/how-many-pets/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/how-many-pets.json"
---

# How many dogs or cats you can keep in View Royal

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

**Short answer:** In the Town of View Royal, more than four dogs per dwelling unit needs a kennel licence, and no more than five cats over four months old may be kept on a parcel. Limits also apply to rabbits, rodents and hens.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of View Royal, https://www.viewroyal.ca)  
**Cost:** Boarding kennel licence $200 (Fees and Charges Bylaw 958). Municipal tickets: no kennel licence $100; too many cats $50; too many rabbits $50; too many rodents $50; hen limit exceeded $100.  
**Where:**
- Phone: CRD Animal Control, 250-478-0624
- Phone: Town Bylaw Enforcement, 250-727-7903

## Key facts

- **Dogs allowed:** More than four dogs per dwelling unit on a parcel requires a kennel licence. Section 5.10 counts any dogs; section 6.0 counts only dogs over eight months old. (Sources differ: The two sections differ on whether puppies count. Not resolved in the text.)
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw 614 (PDF, consolidated May 2026), s. 5.10, 6.0](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "more than four dogs" … "without holding a valid kennel licence issued under this Bylaw." … "more than four (4) dogs over the age of eight (8) months"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Cats allowed:** No more than five cats over four months old on any parcel.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw 614 (PDF, consolidated May 2026), s. 7.0](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person shall own, possess or harbour more than five (5) cats over the age of four (4) months"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Other animal limits:** Rabbits: no more than ten over 12 weeks old on a parcel, except as the Land Use Bylaw permits. Rodents: no more than ten over 12 weeks old. Hens: no more than four (R-1, R-1A, R-1B zones). Wild or exotic animals (Schedule D) may not be kept.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw 614 (PDF, consolidated May 2026), s. 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.6](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person shall own, possess or harbour more than ten (10) rabbits over the age of twelve (12)" … "No person shall keep any more than ten (10) rodents over the age of twelve (12) weeks on any" … "a) No more than four (4) hens may be kept on a property" … "No person shall keep a “wild or exotic animal” anywhere within the Town."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Exceptions:** A boarding kennel licence ($200) allows more than four dogs. Rabbits over ten are allowed where the Land Use Bylaw permits. The P-4 zone allows up to 50 chickens.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw 958 (PDF, consolidated September 2026), Schedule A, Kennel Fees](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/958%20Fees%20and%20Charges%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20Sept%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Kennel Fees Boarding Kennel licence $200.00"
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw 614 (PDF, consolidated May 2026), s. 5.10, 8.1](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "without holding a valid kennel licence issued under this Bylaw." … "except as permitted in the Land Use Bylaw"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 900 (PDF, consolidated June 2026), s. 4.4.2](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "a) No more than 50 chickens may be kept on a lot."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Municipal ticket: kennel licence missing $100 (ss. 5.10 and 6.0); more than five cats $50; more than ten rabbits $50; more than ten rodents $50; hen limit exceeded $100.
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw 643, Schedule 13 (PDF, to May 2026), Schedule 13, Animal Control](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/643%20MTI%20Bylaw%20No.%20643,%202007%20-%20May%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Failure to obtain a valid Kennel licence 5.10 $100." … "More than five Cats on parcel of land 7.0 $50." … "More than ten (10) rabbits on parcel of land 8.1 $50." … "More than ten (10) rodents on parcel of land 8.2 $50." … "Hen limit exceeded 8.0 (a) 886 $100."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw No. 614, 2005
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw 614 (PDF, consolidated May 2026), s. 1](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the “Animal Control Bylaw No. 614, 2005.”"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

[Animal Control Bylaw 614](<https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf>) sets pet limits for View Royal, and the CRD enforces them.

## Limits

- Dogs: more than four per dwelling unit on a parcel needs a kennel licence.
- Cats: no more than five over four months old on any parcel.
- Rabbits: no more than ten over 12 weeks old on a parcel, unless the Land Use Bylaw permits more.
- Rodents: no more than ten over 12 weeks old.
- Hens: no more than four in the R-1, R-1A and R-1B zones (see the backyard chickens answer).
- Wild or exotic animals listed in Schedule D of the bylaw may not be kept.

## Good to know

- Sections 5.10 and 6.0 of the bylaw disagree on whether puppies count toward the dog limit: one counts any dogs, the other only dogs over eight months old. Ask the CRD before relying on the higher number.
- A boarding kennel licence ($200) allows more than four dogs. The P-4 zone allows up to 50 chickens under the Zoning Bylaw.
- Every dog over four months old still needs its own licence.

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Control Bylaw 614 (PDF)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf)

## Related questions

- [View Royal dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/dog-licence.md)
- [View Royal backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/backyard-chickens.md)
- [View Royal rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/dangerous-dogs.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog and cat limits in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/how-many-pets.md)
- [Esquimalt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/how-many-pets.md)
- [Colwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/how-many-pets.md)
- [Victoria](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/how-many-pets.md)
- [Langford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/how-many-pets.md)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/how-many-pets.md)
- [Highlands](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/highlands/how-many-pets.md)

## Sources

- [Animal Control Bylaw 614 (PDF, consolidated May 2026)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/614%20Animal%20Control%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20May%202026.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw 643, Schedule 13 (PDF, to May 2026)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/643%20MTI%20Bylaw%20No.%20643,%202007%20-%20May%202026.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw 958 (PDF, consolidated September 2026)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/958%20Fees%20and%20Charges%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20Sept%202026.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw 900 (PDF, consolidated June 2026)](https://www.viewroyal.ca/assets/Town~Hall/Bylaws/900%20Zoning%20Bylaw%20-%20Consolidated%20to%20June%202026.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_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 Town of View Royal. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/how-many-pets/_