Backyard Hen and Bee Keeping Bylaw 872-2023 — full text

This is an automated transcription (OCR) of the captured official document — minor recognition errors are possible; the source document governs. Snapshot 33e08edf32c7 · verified 2026-06-08 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

## DISTRICT OF TAYLOR BYLAW NO. 872, 2023 ## A Bylaw to Regulate the Keeping of Backyard Hens and Bees in the District of Taylor WHEREAS under provisions of the Community Charter the Council of a municipality may by bylaw prohibit or impose requirements in relation to animals; AND WHEREAS, the Council of the District of Taylor is empowered to enact fines and penalties for violations of those regulations or prohibitions; NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the District of Taylor, in open meeting assembled, enacts as follows: ## 1. TITLE This bylaw may be cited as the "Backyard Hen and Bee Keeping Bylaw No. 872, 2023." ## 2. EFFECTIVE DATE Backyard Hen and Bee Keeping Bylaw No. 872, 2023 will be in effect and imposed as of January 1, 2024. ## 3. DEFINITIONS bee keeping. "Apiary" means a place where bees, beehives, or bee keeping equipment is kept for the purpose of "Backyard Bee Keeping Permit" means a permit issued under this bylaw which authorizes the keeping of not more than two (2) colonies. "Backyard Hen Enclosure" means the use of land for the keeping of hens and for the purposes of this bylaw, a backyard hen enclosure shall be clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the property. "Backyard Hen Permit" means a permit issued under this bylaw which authorizes the keeping of not more than six (6) hens, but no less than two (2) hens to meet their social needs. "Beehive Equipment" means hives, supers, hive covers, hive floors, queen excluders, frames, combs, and includes the honey, brood, and pollen in the combs. "Beehive" means beehive equipment inhabited by live bees and for the purposes of this bylaw, a beehive shall be clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the property. "Beekeeping" means the keeping, owning, or maintaining beehives on a property occupied by the beekeeper. "Bees" means the insect Apis Mellifera.   "Bylaw Enforcement Officer" means a person appointed by the District of Taylor Council to enforce District of Taylor bylaws. "Chicken" means the common domestic fowl bred for eggs. "Coop" means a covered enclosed structure to shelter hens. "Hen" means a domesticated female chicken that is at least four months old and for the purposes of this bylaw, shall not include, ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants, quail or other poultry or foul. "Pen" means a roofed outdoor enclosure for hens. "Rooster" means a domesticated male chick or chicken. "Tenant" means a person who occupies land or property rented from a landlord. "Vermin" means mammals, birds, or insects injurious to humans, physical property, game, livestock, or crops. Examples include rats, mice, termites, parasitic insects or moths. "Wildlife" means any undomesticated free-ranging animal. ## 4. INTERPRETATION - 4.1 Any enactment referred to herein is a reference to an enactment of British Columbia and any regulations hereto, as amended, revised, consolidated, or replaced from time to time, and any bylaw referred to herein is a reference to an enactment of the Council of the District of Taylor, as amended, revised, consolidated, or replaced from time to time. - 4.2 The headings given to the sections and paragraphs in this bylaw are for convenience of reference only. They do not form part of this bylaw and will not be used in the interpretation of this bylaw. ## 5. APPLICABILITY This bylaw applies to all lands within the District of Taylor's municipal boundaries. ## 6. GENERAL REGULATIONS - 6.1 Any person keeping bees must comply with the Animal Health Act and its Regulations, both as amended from time to time. - 6.2 No person shall own or keep hens or bees within the municipality without first obtaining either a "Backyard Bee Keeping Permit" or a "Backyard Hen Permit," as provided by the District of Taylor. - 6.3 Any person keeping bees or hens must reside on the property where the bees or hens are kept. - 6.4 If a tenant wishes to keep bees or hens on a property, it is required that permission first be obtained by the property owner, as outlined on the applicable permit.   - 6.5 The keeping of roosters, ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants, and quail or other poultry or foul on any property is prohibited. ## 7. HEN REGULATIONS - 7.1 The keeping of hens in a cage is prohibited except in the case of transporting the hen on or off of the property. - 7.2 Ensure that all hens are kept within a secure coop from sunset to 7:00 a.m. Ensure that each hen remains at al other times in a coop or pen (enclosure). - It is not permitted to have hens within a residential dwelling unit or on a balcony or deck. - Provide each hen with consistent access to a nesting box and its own perch that is at least fifteen (15) centimetres long. - Each coop (one per property) must be a maximum of 8 square metres in floor area and 3 metres in height. Minimums as per the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA): 0.59 square meters in floor area and 0.92 metres in height per hen - Backyard hen enclosures must be located in a backyard and the dwelling unit must be between the backyard hen enclosure and the front parcel line. - 7.7 The coop and the pen must be placed at least 2.5 m from the exterior side parcel line, the interior side parcel line, and the rear parcel line. - 7.8 Ensure that the coop and pen are situated at least three (3) metres away from any windows or dwelling doors. - The selling of any eggs, manure or meat derived from the hens is prohibited. - 7.10 Any leftover food, manure or waste products associated with the keeping of hens must be composted or disposed of to prevent odours, and not allowed to accumulate in quantities greater than 0.11 m?. . The deposit of manure into the municipality's sewage or storm drain system is strictly prohibited - 7.11 Hens must not be slaughtered on-site. Hens at the end of their lives may be euthanized by a veterinarian or taken to a farm for slaughtering. It is recommended that the farm used for slaughtering is a licensed establishment. - It is not permitted to bury a hen carcass on the property. Deceased Hens must be disposed of by delivering them to a veterinarian, a landfill in a sealed bag, a farm, an abattoir, or other facility with the ability to lawfully dispose of the carcass. - 7.13 Any person who allows, permits, or establishes the keeping of hens on their property shall: - (b) provide each hen with food, water, shelter, light, ventilation, veterinary care, and opportunities for essential behaviour such as scratching, dust-bathing, and roosting, all sufficient to maintain the hen in good health; - (a) maintain each hen enclosure in good repair, in a manner that prevents entrance by other animals and keep the backyard hen enclosure in sanitary condition, free of vermin and obnoxious smells and substances; - (c) keep hen feed enclosed in an airtight container outside of the hen enclosure and store in a location not accessible by wildlife or other animals; - (d) follow biosecurity procedures recommended by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; - (e) ensure that the hens are provided with exercise; - f) provide appropriate temperature regulation; and - (g) ensure the floor covering within the outdoor enclosure must be a mix of vegetation and bare earth.   ## 8. BEEKEEPING REGULATIONS - 8.1 A person must not keep bees or possess beehive equipment except in an apiary registered with the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture. - 8.2 A beekeeper must post all of the following at a conspicuous location at an apiary in relation to which the beekeeper engages in beekeeping: - (a) the beekeeper's name; - (b) the beekeeper's information; - (c) the beekeeper's producer number. - 8.3 Beehives shall be restricted to backyards and be located so that the entrance to the hives face away from adjacent property dwellings. - 8.4 Any beekeeper and person who allows, permits, or establishes the keeping of bees on their property shall: - (a) Deter wildlife or other animals and protect hives from disturbance by animals by a suitable method of prevention; - (b) Maintain or take reasonable precautions to prevent swarming or aggressive behaviour by the bees. If the bees do swarm or show signs of aggressive behaviour, to ensure that the bees are then requeened; and - (c) Ensure that the bees have sufficient water available on the property upon which the apiary is located. - (d) Ensure that the beehives are situated in accordance with the accessory building setbacks identified in the District of Taylor Zoning Bylaw. ## 9. ENFORCEMENT - 9.1 A Bylaw Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector or designate must inspect and approve any backyard hen enclosure and/or apiary prior to the keeping of any hens and/or bees on any property. - A Bylaw Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector, or designate reserves the right to enter onto subject property, as authorized by Section 16 of the Community Charter, for the purposes of inspecting a backyard hen enclosure and/or apiary or to ensure the requirements of this bylaw are being met. ## 10. OFFENCE AND PENALTIES - 10.1 All animal control fees and penalties must be paid in accordance with the District of Taylor Bylaw Enforcement Bylaw. - 10.2 Each day a violation, contravention or breach of this bylaw continues, shall be a separate and distinct offence. - 10.3 Any person who contravenes a provision of this bylaw is guilty of an offence as it relates to the keeping of hens and/or bees and their permit may be revoked by the Bylaw Enforcement Officer or designate as they see fit.   ## 11. APPEAL - 11.1 Any person who has applied for but failed to be granted a permit or who has had a privilege denied, or revoked, under the provisions of this bylaw may appeal the denial or revocation in writing to Council within thirty (30) days after the decision was rendered and Council may grant the request for reinstatement. - 11.2 The right of appeal shall be barred and extinguished if not received in writing by Council within the thirty (30) day period set out in this bylaw. ## 12. SEVERABILITY If any provision of this bylaw is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unlawful or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed from this bylaw and shall not affect the validity of any remaining provision of this bylaw. ## 13. REPEAL That Backyard Hen and Bee Keeping Bylaw No. 869, 2023 be repealed. READ A FIRST TIME THE READ A SECOND TIME THE READ A THIRD TIME THE ADOPTED THIS 6th 6th 6th 20th DAY OF DAY OF DAY OF DAY OF November November November November \_ 2023 → 2023 2023   DEPUTY CORPORATE OFFICEF  \_ 2023  ## Backyard Hen and Bee Keeping Bylaw No. 872, 2023 ## SCHEDULE A | A1 Section | A2 Description | A3 Penalty (15-30 Days) | A4 Early Payment (114 Days) | A5 Late Payment 31-60 Days) (Collections 60+ | Compliance Agreement Available (50% of Penalty) | |--------------|--------------------------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 6(2) | Keeping Hens or Bees without a permit | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 6(3,4) | Residency Requirements | 100 | 50 | 150 | No | | 6(5) | Keeping of rooster, other poultry, or foul | 200 | 150 | 250 | No | | 7(1) | Cage Restrictions | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 7(2) | Secure Coop | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 7(3) | Coop Location | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 7(4,5) | Coop Size and Requirements | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 7(6,7,8) | Coop Location | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 7(9) | Sales | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 7(10) | Manure Requirements | 100 | 50 | 150 | No | | 7(11) | Slaughtering | 100 | 50 | 150 | No | | 7(12) | Bury Carcass | 100 | 50 | 150 | No | | 7(13) | Requirements | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 8(1) | Bee Registration | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 8(2) | Bee Posted Information | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 8(3) | Bee Location | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes | | 8(4) | Bee Requirements | 100 | 50 | 150 | Yes |