--- title: How many dogs or cats you can keep in Williams Lake question: "How many dogs or cats can I keep?" place: Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/williams-lake category: Pets, animals and wildlife owner: municipal owner_body: City of Williams Lake sources_read: 2026-11-05 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/how-many-pets/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/how-many-pets.json" --- # How many dogs or cats you can keep in Williams Lake **Question:** How many dogs or cats can I keep? **Short answer:** In Williams Lake you may keep no more than two dogs over four months old and no more than two cats over two months old on any parcel. A kennel is the exception for dogs: it needs a kennel licence and zoning that allows it. **Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Williams Lake, https://www.williamslake.ca) **Cost:** Kennel licence $50 for 4 or fewer dogs, $100 for 5 or more. Bylaw notice $100 for more than 2 dogs or more than 2 cats ($75 if paid within 14 days; $125 if paid late). **Where:** - Phone: City Hall, 250-392-2311 ## Key facts - **Dogs allowed:** No more than two dogs over four months old on any parcel in the City, except kennels. - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 17](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "With the exception of kennels, no person shall own, keep, possess or harbour more than two (2) dogs actually or apparently over the age of four (4) months on any parcel in the City." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Cats allowed:** No more than two cats over two months old on any parcel in the City. - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 27](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "No person shall own, keep, possess or harbour more than two cats actually or apparently over the age of two months on any parcel in the City." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Other animal limits:** Backyard hens: 3 to 6 depending on lot size, with a hen licence. Backyard bees: at most 2 colonies and 2 nucleus colonies per parcel, with a beekeeping licence. Farm animals only in zones that allow them. - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 29.1.2](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "keep at least three (3) and not more than" … "four (4) hens per parcel that is less than 745 sq m (8,019 sq ft)" - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 29.2.3](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "limited to a maximum of two (2) colonies and two (2) nucleus colonies per parcel" - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 29](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "No person shall own, keep, possess or harbour any farm animals except in areas designated for that use in the City's Zoning Bylaw" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Exceptions:** A kennel (more than two dogs over four months old) needs a kennel licence and must be permitted by the Zoning Bylaw; the Animal Control Officer may set the number of dogs. Kennel licence: $50 for 4 or fewer dogs, $100 for 5 or more. Dogs under four months and cats under two months are not counted. - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 13](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "unless a kennel is permitted under the City's Zoning Bylaw" - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 15](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "the number of dogs permitted at the kennel" - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), Schedule A](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "Kennel license @ 4 or less dogs" … "$50.00" … "Kennel license @ 5 or more dogs" … "$100.00" - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), definitions, "kennel"](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "more than two dogs actually or apparently over the age of four months are kept, trained, boarded or bred" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Fine:** Bylaw notice: $100 for more than 2 dogs and $100 for more than 2 cats ($75 if paid within 14 days; $125 if paid late). - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2196, 2013 (consolidated), Schedule A-1](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/61839) - Official wording: "More than 2 dogs" … "17" … "More than 2 cats" … "27" … "$100.00" … "$75.00" … "$125.00" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Bylaw:** Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 2102, 2009 - Source: [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated), s. 1](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) - Official wording: "This Bylaw shall be cited as the Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 2102, 2009." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 ## How it works The [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) limits animals per parcel in Williams Lake, not per person or household. ## Limits - Dogs: no more than two over four months old on any parcel, except kennels. - Cats: no more than two over two months old on any parcel. - Hens: 3 to 6 depending on lot size, with a hen licence. Bees: at most 2 colonies and 2 nucleus colonies per parcel, with a beekeeping licence. Farm animals only in zones that allow them. See the backyard-chickens answer. ## Good to know - A kennel (more than two dogs over four months old) needs a kennel licence and must be permitted by the Zoning Bylaw. The Animal Control Officer may set the number of dogs. The licence is $50 for 4 or fewer dogs and $100 for 5 or more. - Dogs under four months and cats under two months do not appear to be counted, based on the bylaw's wording. - Exceeding the limit is a $100 bylaw notice for more than 2 dogs and $100 for more than 2 cats ($75 if paid within 14 days; $125 if paid late). - The City's copy of the bylaw is dated 2019; later changes, if any, were not seen. ## Official forms and pages - [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (PDF)](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) ## Related questions - [Williams Lake dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/dog-licence.md) - [Williams Lake backyard chickens, bees and livestock rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/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) - [100 Mile House](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/how-many-pets.md) - [Quesnel](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/quesnel/how-many-pets.md) - [Clearwater](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/how-many-pets.md) - [Lillooet](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lillooet/how-many-pets.md) - [Ashcroft](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/how-many-pets.md) - [Barriere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/barriere/how-many-pets.md) ## Sources - [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw 2102, 2009 (consolidated)](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/39375) (read 2026-11-05) - [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2196, 2013 (consolidated), Schedule A-1](https://williamslake.civicweb.net/document/61839) (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 City of Williams Lake. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/how-many-pets/_