---
title: Whistler backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules
question: "Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Whistler?"
place: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/whistler
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Resort Municipality of Whistler
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/whistler/backyard-chickens/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/whistler/backyard-chickens.json"
---

# Whistler backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules

**Question:** Can I keep chickens, bees, or other livestock in Whistler?

**Short answer:** No, not on an ordinary Whistler lot. Chickens, most other birds, goats, horses and other hoofed animals are prohibited animals under the Animal Responsibility Bylaw. The ban does not apply to birds or livestock on land zoned for agricultural use. Whistler has no backyard hen program.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Resort Municipality of Whistler, https://www.whistler.ca)  
**Cost:** No permit or licence program for backyard hens was found.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Services, 604-935-8280 (Every day, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; bylawservices@whistler.ca)

## Key facts

- **Hens allowed:** Not on ordinary residential lots: chickens are prohibited animals (Animal Responsibility Bylaw). The ban does not apply to birds on land zoned for agricultural use. The Zoning Bylaw permits agriculture in the RR1 and RR4 zones, and a limited form (including fowl) in the TV3 zone.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2218, 2019, ss. 5, 6(g); Schedule A item 26](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Animal-Responsibility-Bylaw-No.-2218-2019.pdf)
  - Official wording: "all birds (quail, pheasant, pigeon, chicken, duck, goose and turkey) except budgie, cockatiel, lovebird, finch, and canary" … "the keeping of ungulates, lagomorphs or birds on land designated under the RMOW Zoning Bylaw for agricultural use."
  - Source: [Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015, Part 14, RR1 and RR4 zones](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/Zoning-_and_Parking_Bylaw_303_2015_2026-08-07.pdf)
  - Official wording: "(c) agriculture;" … "1. RR1 Zone (Rural Resource One)" … "agriculture limited to gardening, greenhouses, raising of crops, apiaries, and" … "keeping or raising of horses, goats and fowl;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Most hens:** None set. Whistler's bylaws set no hen limit, coop rules, or hen permit or licence, because chickens are not allowed outside agricultural land.
- **Roosters:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Coop rules:** None set. Whistler's bylaws set no hen limit, coop rules, or hen permit or licence, because chickens are not allowed outside agricultural land.
- **Permit or registration:** None set. Whistler's bylaws set no hen limit, coop rules, or hen permit or licence, because chickens are not allowed outside agricultural land.
- **Bees:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Other livestock:** Prohibited animals include all ungulates (such as goats and horses), most birds, and rabbits other than the domestic rabbit. This does not apply to ungulates, lagomorphs or birds on land designated for agricultural use under the Zoning Bylaw.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2218, 2019, ss. 5, 6(g); Schedule A items 14, 25](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Animal-Responsibility-Bylaw-No.-2218-2019.pdf)
  - Official wording: "all ungulates" … "all lagomorphs (rabbits and hare), except the domestic rabbit" … "the keeping of ungulates, lagomorphs or birds on land designated under the RMOW Zoning Bylaw for agricultural use."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2218, 2019 (prohibited animals); Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015 (agricultural zones)
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2218, 2019, Title](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Animal-Responsibility-Bylaw-No.-2218-2019.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ANIMAL RESPONSIBILITY BYLAW NO. 2218, 2019"
  - Source: [Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015, Title](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/Zoning-_and_Parking_Bylaw_303_2015_2026-08-07.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING AND PARKING BYLAW NO. 303, 2015"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2218](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Animal-Responsibility-Bylaw-No.-2218-2019.pdf) lists prohibited animals that cannot be kept in Whistler. They include chickens, most other birds, all ungulates (hoofed animals such as goats and horses), and rabbits other than the domestic rabbit. The bylaw does not separate roosters from hens, so the same ban applies.

## Good to know

- The ban does not apply to ungulates, rabbits and hares, or birds on land designated for agricultural use under the [Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/Zoning-_and_Parking_Bylaw_303_2015_2026-08-07.pdf).
- The Zoning Bylaw permits agriculture in the RR1 and RR4 zones. In the TV3 zone it allows a limited form, including fowl.
- Residential zones were not found to permit agriculture.
- Whistler's bylaws do not set a hen limit, coop rules, or a hen permit or licence, because chickens are not allowed outside agricultural land.
- No beekeeping rule for residential lots was found. The Zoning Bylaw mentions apiaries (bee yards) only within agriculture in the TV3 zone. Ask Bylaw Services at 604-935-8280 before keeping bees.
- Horses and other livestock are also banned from parks unless the Zoning Bylaw allows them.

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2218, 2019 (PDF)](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Animal-Responsibility-Bylaw-No.-2218-2019.pdf)
- [Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015 (PDF)](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/Zoning-_and_Parking_Bylaw_303_2015_2026-08-07.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard chicken rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Pemberton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/pemberton/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Squamish](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/squamish/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Lions Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Anmore](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/anmore/backyard-chickens.md)
- [District of North Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/backyard-chickens.md)
- [Bowen Island](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/bowen-island/backyard-chickens.md)

## Sources

- [Dogs in Whistler (Bylaw Services contact), Resort Municipality of Whistler](https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-services/bylaws-and-regulations/dogs-in-whistler/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2218, 2019 (PDF)](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Animal-Responsibility-Bylaw-No.-2218-2019.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Zoning and Parking Bylaw No. 303, 2015 (PDF)](https://www.whistler.ca/wp-content/uploads/Zoning-_and_Parking_Bylaw_303_2015_2026-08-07.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 3 of 8 facts was matched to the official text; 3 are recorded as not set; 2 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Resort Municipality of Whistler. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/whistler/backyard-chickens/_