---
title: West Kelowna unsightly property rules and how to report
question: "How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property?"
place: West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/west-kelowna
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of West Kelowna
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-kelowna/unsightly-property/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-kelowna/unsightly-property.json"
---

# West Kelowna unsightly property rules and how to report

**Question:** How do I report an unsightly or overgrown property?

**Short answer:** Report it to West Kelowna Bylaw Compliance (778-797-8810, bylaws@westkelownacity.ca or the online service request). The Good Neighbour Bylaw bars owners and occupiers from letting a property become or stay unsightly, or letting rubbish or dead vegetation and weeds build up.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of West Kelowna, https://www.westkelownacity.ca)  
**Where:**
- Online: Submit a service request, https://forms.westkelownacity.ca/Service-Request
- Phone: Bylaw Compliance, 778-797-8810
- Email: Bylaw Compliance, bylaws@westkelownacity.ca
- In person: City Hall, 3731 Old Okanagan Highway, West Kelowna, BC

## Key facts

- **What counts:** An owner or occupier must not allow: water, rubbish or offensive matter to collect; rubbish to overflow or pile up around a container; the property to become or stay unsightly; dead landscaping, vegetation or weeds to build up; or, where a building permit is issued, demolition or construction waste to build up. Farm operations and orderly outdoor storage allowed by zoning are exempt.
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 0151 (consolidated), Part 8, ss. 8.1, 8.2](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/media/csrb3lv5/0151-good-neighbour-consolidated.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no owner or occupier of real property shall cause, suffer or permit:" … "rubbish to overflow from or accumulate around any container situate on the real" … "the real property to become or remain unsightly;" … "the accumulation of dead landscaping, vegetation, weeds or other growths to" … "Section 8 of this Bylaw does not apply to farm operations conducted in accordance with normal" … "orderly outdoor storage of goods"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **How to report:** Submit a complaint online (service request form), by phone at 778-797-8810, by email to bylaws@westkelownacity.ca, in person at City Hall (3731 Old Okanagan Highway) or by letter. Include your name, address, phone number and relationship to the property. Anonymous complaints are not accepted.
  - Source: [Bylaw Compliance](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/city-services/bylaw-compliance/)
  - Official wording: "Submit bylaw complaints online, by phone, via email, in person, or by letter." … "MUST include your name, address, phone number and relationship to the property/person in question." … "Anonymous complaints are not accepted." … "West Kelowna City Hall 3731 Old Okanagan Highway West Kelowna, B.C. V4T 0G7 778-797-8810 bylaws@westkelownacity.ca"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **What happens next:** An officer may issue a compliance order to the owner (and occupier), usually giving 14 days to fix it (48 hours if the property has a history of non-compliance). If the order is not met, the City may do the work and charge the owner all costs; unpaid costs after 30 days of a demand can be collected as a debt or added to the property tax bill.
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 0151 (consolidated), Part 8, ss. 10.1-10.7](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/media/csrb3lv5/0151-good-neighbour-consolidated.pdf)
  - Official wording: "the Bylaw Enforcement Officer may issue an Order" … "noncompliance with this Bylaw must be remedied within 14 days of the" … "if a property has a history of non-compliance, a Bylaw Officer may issue an Order to remedy" … "may at all reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, enter the real property and bring about such compliance at the cost of the" … "the cost as a debt due to" … "be added to the real property tax roll"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Unsightly property $500. Accumulation of matter, rubbish around a container, accumulated vegetation, or construction/demolition waste: $100 each. Bylaw notice and municipal ticket amounts are the same.
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 0093 (consolidated), Bylaw 0093, Schedule 4](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/westkelownacity-ca/media/n4hdhy3i/b0093-bylaw-dispute-adjudication-consolidated.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Unsightly property 8.1 (c) 500.00" … "Accumulation of matter 8.1 (a) 100.00" … "Accumulation of vegetation 8.1 (d) 100.00"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Utilization Bylaw No. 0095 (consolidated), Bylaw 0095, Schedule 4](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/westkelownacity-ca/media/dz1mghbc/b0095-municipal-ticket-information-utilization-consolidated.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Unsightly property 8.1 (c) 500.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** City of West Kelowna Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 0151, 2018 (Part 8).
  - Source: [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 0151 (consolidated), Part 8, s. 1](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/media/csrb3lv5/0151-good-neighbour-consolidated.pdf)
  - Official wording: "CITY OF WEST KELOWNA GOOD NEIGHBOUR" … "BYLAW NO. 0151, 2018."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

In West Kelowna, Part 8 of the City's [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 0151](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/media/csrb3lv5/0151-good-neighbour-consolidated.pdf) says an owner or occupier must not allow water, rubbish or offensive matter to collect; rubbish to overflow or pile up around a container; the property to become or stay unsightly; dead landscaping, vegetation or weeds to build up; or, where a building permit is issued, demolition or construction waste to build up. Farm operations and orderly outdoor storage allowed by zoning are exempt.

## Steps

1. Submit a complaint online, by phone (778-797-8810), by email, in person at City Hall (3731 Old Okanagan Highway) or by letter.
2. Include your name, address, phone number and relationship to the property. Anonymous complaints are not accepted.
3. An officer may issue a compliance order to the owner and occupier, usually giving 14 days to fix it (48 hours if the property has a history of non-compliance).

## Good to know

- If the order is not met, the City may do the work and charge the owner all costs. Costs unpaid 30 days after a demand can be collected as a debt or added to the property tax bill.
- Repeat nuisance service calls to the same property can bring a $500 per call fee after written notice.
- Fines: unsightly property $500; accumulated matter, rubbish around a container, accumulated vegetation, or construction or demolition waste $100 each. The bylaw notice and municipal ticket are the same amount.
- Noxious weeds are covered by a separate bylaw, the Noxious Weed Control Bylaw 0345, which sets a height limit of 8 inches from April 1 to September 30. The City said the first year is education only, with no tickets; ask Bylaw Compliance what applies now.
- Empty buildings are covered by the Vacant and Abandoned Buildings Bylaw 0192. For illegal dumping, see the illegal dumping answer.

## Official forms and pages

- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 0151 (PDF)](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/media/csrb3lv5/0151-good-neighbour-consolidated.pdf)

## Related questions

- [West Kelowna bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-kelowna/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Unsightly property fines in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/unsightly-property.md)
- [Peachland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/peachland/unsightly-property.md)
- [Kelowna](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kelowna/unsightly-property.md)
- [Lake Country](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-country/unsightly-property.md)
- [Summerland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/summerland/unsightly-property.md)
- [Penticton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/penticton/unsightly-property.md)
- [Vernon](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vernon/unsightly-property.md)

## Sources

- [Bylaw Compliance, City of West Kelowna](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/city-services/bylaw-compliance/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Good Neighbour Bylaw No. 0151 (consolidated), Part 8 (PDF)](https://www.westkelownacity.ca/media/csrb3lv5/0151-good-neighbour-consolidated.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 0093 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/westkelownacity-ca/media/n4hdhy3i/b0093-bylaw-dispute-adjudication-consolidated.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Utilization Bylaw No. 0095 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://media-003-ca.cdn.govstack.com/westkelownacity-ca/media/dz1mghbc/b0095-municipal-ticket-information-utilization-consolidated.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of West Kelowna. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-kelowna/unsightly-property/_