Keeping hens · Province rules

Can you keep backyard chickens in British Columbia, Canada?

Anyone responsible for chickens in British Columbia must enrol with the BC Premises ID Program within 30 days, whatever the flock size (B.C. Reg. 125/2022). Your municipal council may regulate animals by bylaw.

Read from 8 official sources48 passages quotedChecked October 26, 2026

At a glance

Registering your flock

Conditions apply

Where hens can live

Set locally

Bird-flu housing orders

Status needs rechecking

Welfare rules

Rule with conditions
Set locally

Who decides where hens can live

The law we read gives a named local body its own powers over where hens can live. What the checked sources say:

  • A council may, by bylaw, regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to animals. These powers include prohibiting people from doing things with their property, and they are subject to any specific conditions and restrictions set under the Charter or another Act.
  • Check with your municipal council for its bylaws on keeping chickens.

No province-wide permission for or ban on backyard chickens was found in section 8 of the Community Charter. Section 8 powers may not be used for anything a council is specifically authorized to do under Part 14 (Planning and Land Use Management) or Part 15 (Heritage Conservation) of the Local Government Act. That Act, the Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act, any statute that applies only to a particular municipality, and local bylaws were not read.

The law's own words are quoted under rules on keeping poultry below.

How to check: Look up the local rules where you live (the ordinances, bylaws or zoning of the body named here), or ask that office, before you get hens.

A sourced reading of the law in British Columbia, Canada, not legal advice. Local bylaws and zoning, property or tenancy rules, and any local rooster or coop limits aren't covered here yet: check your local rules before you get hens.

Keeping your flock

These findings cover the scope stated below. They do not determine whether chickens are allowed at a particular home. City zoning, property restrictions and other local rules are outside this research.

Registering as a poultry keeper

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: British Columbia

Applies to: British Columbia’s Premises Identification Regulation (B.C. Reg. 125/2022, under the Animal Health Act, in effect from 1 July 2022 and consolidated to 20 October 2026), for anyone responsible for the animals it lists, which include chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, peafowl, pheasants, pigeons and quail.

Outside this finding's scope

  • Registration does not give permission to keep chickens at a particular property.

What the checked sources say

  • A person who is not already enrolled for at least one premises must enrol with the BC Premises ID Program within 30 days after becoming the person responsible for a listed animal kept or dealt with at a premises that is not a commingling site. Under the Animal Health Act, a person responsible includes an owner and anyone with custody or control of the animal.
  • Enrolment before 1 July 2022, directly or through a producer organization, counts as enrolment. The director of a commingling site must enrol within 30 days after becoming the director.
  • Enrolment information includes the species kept and, for each species, the maximum capacity of the premises. Updated information, or a notice of cessation when the person stops keeping or dealing with animals on the premises, must be given within 30 days.
  • The province’s program page says there is no cost to participate. Paper forms go to the BC Premises ID Program, 1767 Angus Campbell Road, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3.

Thresholds

  • The regulation sets no minimum number of birds; it applies to anyone responsible for a listed animal.

Exemptions and their limits

  • A person who enrolled before 1 July 2022 is deemed enrolled. Section 3(1) covers animals kept or dealt with at a premises that is not a commingling site; commingling sites (for example exhibitions, fairgrounds and poultry hatcheries) have a separate duty for their directors.

Authority: BC Premises ID Program (enrolment with the minister, or through a producer organization for its members)

Fee: The province’s program page says there is no cost to participate.

The official wording

  • "animal" means an animal that is of a type listed in Schedule 1;

    s. 1 · Checked

  • This regulation applies to the following types of birds: (a) chickens and turkeys; (b) doves; (c) ducks; (d) geese; (e) guinea fowl, peafowl, pheasants, pigeons and quail; (f) ratites.

    Schedule 1, s. 2 · Checked

  • A person who is not enrolled with the BC Premises ID Program in respect of at least one premises must enrol within 30 days after becoming the person responsible for an animal that is kept or dealt with at a premises that is not a commingling site.

    s. 3(1) · Checked

  • A person who enrolled with the BC Premises ID Program, whether directly or through the person's producer organization, before July 1, 2022, is deemed to be enrolled for the purposes of subsection (1).

    s. 3(2) · Checked

  • A person who is the director of a commingling site must enrol within 30 days after becoming the director.

    s. 3(3) · Checked

  • the species of animal kept or dealt with on the premises, and, for each species, the maximum capacity of the premises.

    s. 5(f) · Checked

  • (a) updated information if any of the information described in section 5 [enrolment information] changes, and (b) a notice of cessation if the person ceases to keep or deal with animals on a premises,

    s. 9(1) · Checked

  • the information or notice must be given within 30 days after the applicable circumstance occurs;

    s. 9(2)(a) · Checked

  • The following are types of commingling sites for the purposes of this regulation: (a) exhibitions, fairgrounds and zoos, including petting zoos;

    Schedule 2, s. 1(a) · Checked

  • (e) poultry hatcheries;

    Schedule 2, s. 1(e) · Checked

  • B.C. Reg. 125/2022 O.C. 286/2022 Deposited June 1, 2022 effective July 1, 2022

    header · Checked

  • This consolidation is current to October 20, 2026.

    header · Checked

  • [Last amended May 11, 2026 by B.C. Reg. 79/2026]

    header · Checked

  • "person responsible", in relation to an animal or a thing, includes a person who (a) owns the animal or thing, (b) has custody or control of the animal or thing, or (c) is an operator in relation to the animal or thing;

    s. 1, "person responsible" · Checked

  • There is no cost to participate in the program.

    Overview · Checked

  • BC Premises ID Program 1767 Angus Campbell Road Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3

    How to register, paper submission address · Checked

Bird-flu housing orders

Current status needs rechecking

Check the official current-status page

Orders can change between checks. A missed check or an expired order does not establish that no order applies.

Housing-order finding as checked on 2026-10-26

The scope and conditions below are a dated record, not confirmation of today's position.

Conditions apply to this finding

Uses housing orders in this scope: Yes, according to the checked evidence, within the limits listed under “Outside this finding’s scope” below.

Jurisdiction: British Columbia

Applies to: General orders by inspectors and quarantine-zone orders by the chief veterinarian under British Columbia’s Animal Health Act (consolidated to 20 October 2026), where “animal” means, subject to the regulations, a species of the animal kingdom.

Outside this finding's scope

  • General Order AIV2026-01 covered only quota-holding commercial chicken and turkey operations under the four named boards and commission. This finding does not establish whether that order, or any other order, applies now, or that any order reaches a backyard flock.
  • Federal powers of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency were not read.

What the checked sources say

  • An inspector may make a general order only on a reasonable belief that, among other grounds, an animal is or may be affected by, or at risk of exposure to, a notifiable or reportable disease. The order may require a person to keep an animal in a specified place, or to prevent persons or animals from being exposed to it.
  • Where the chief veterinarian reasonably believes, based on a diagnostic examination, that a reportable disease is present, the chief veterinarian may establish a quarantine zone over an area, with terms that may require the isolation and segregation of quarantined animals.
  • On 17 September 2026 the chief veterinarian issued General Order AIV2026-01 under sections 39, 40 and 41. It covered people responsible for chickens and turkeys in operations regulated by the BC Broiler Hatching Egg Commission, BC Chicken Marketing Board, BC Egg Marketing Board or BC Turkey Marketing Board who hold quota, unless exempted by their board or commission. It required their live poultry to be kept indoors unless modified by a further inspector order.
  • Current mandatory housing status remains unconfirmed; check the Office of the Chief Veterinarian’s list of active Animal Health Act orders.
Checked
Recheck due

Historical evidence, as checked

These quotations record what was checked on the dates shown. They do not confirm an order's current status.

  • "animal" means, subject to the regulations, (a) a species of the animal kingdom, and (b) any organism prescribed as an animal;

    s. 1, "animal" · Checked

  • An inspector may make an order under this Division only if the inspector reasonably believes that (a) an animal is or may be affected by, or is at risk of being exposed to an animal affected by, a notifiable or reportable disease,

    s. 39(1)(a) · Checked

  • an inspector may order a person to do one or more of the following: (a) keep an animal, an animal product or byproduct, or a thing in a specified place;

    s. 41(a) · Checked

  • (c) prevent persons or animals from being exposed to an animal, an animal product or byproduct, or a thing;

    s. 41(c) · Checked

  • If the chief veterinarian reasonably believes, based on the results of a diagnostic examination, that a reportable disease is present, the chief veterinarian may make an order establishing a quarantine zone on an area described in the order.

    s. 27(1) · Checked

  • requiring the isolation and segregation of quarantined animals;

    s. 27(3) · Checked

  • This Act is current to October 20, 2026

    header · Checked

  • All persons responsible for chickens and turkeys in operations regulated by one of the following: a) the BC Broiler Hatching Egg Commission; b) the BC Chicken Marketing Board; c) the BC Egg Marketing Board; d) the BC Turkey Marketing Board; (each a “Board or Commission”)

    PDF page 1, persons list · Checked

  • and who hold quota from their relevant Marketing Board or Commission.

    PDF page 1, Person(s) and Place Subject to Order · Checked

  • In this order, “Poultry” means the chicken and turkeys in the above-listed commercial operations.

    PDF page 1, defined Poultry · Checked

  • Any person described above who receives an exemption from their Board or Commission, where the Board or Commission has been delegated the power to issue exemptions under S. 70 of the Animal Health Act.

    PDF page 1, excluded persons · Checked

  • Date this order is issued: September 17, 2026

    PDF page 2, issue date · Checked

  • All live Poultry kept by the persons subject to this order must be maintained indoors unless this order is modified by the further order of an inspector.

    PDF page 3, Actions which Must be Taken · Checked

  • This order is issued pursuant to sections 39, 40 and 41 of the Animal Health Act.

    PDF page 3, Authority for Order · Checked

  • Animal Health Act orders and disease alerts are initiated by the Office of the Chief Veterinarian as part of management of reportable and notifiable diseases in animals.

    Introduction · Checked

Small-flock welfare minimums

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: British Columbia

Applies to: British Columbia’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (consolidated to 20 October 2026), which binds every person responsible for an animal, including an owner and anyone with custody or control. It does not apply to wildlife that is not in captivity.

Outside this finding's scope

  • The Act’s regulations (prescribed regulated activities, standards of care and codes of practice) were not read, so whether keeping a backyard flock is a prescribed regulated activity was not established.

What the checked sources say

  • A person responsible for an animal must care for it, including protecting it from circumstances likely to cause distress, and must not cause or permit it to be, or to continue to be, in distress.
  • An animal is in distress if, among other things, it is deprived of adequate food, water, shelter, ventilation, light, space, exercise, care or veterinary treatment, kept in unsanitary conditions, or not protected from excessive heat or cold.
  • No one may be convicted for an animal’s distress if it results from reasonable and generally accepted practices of animal management that apply to the activity, unless the person is an operator and those practices are inconsistent with prescribed standards. Separate defences cover veterinary practice to professional standards and operators following prescribed standards of care for a regulated activity.
  • The province says the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) is mandated through the Act to respond to animals in distress.

The official wording

  • "person responsible", in relation to an animal, includes a person who (a) owns an animal, (b) has custody or control of an animal, or (c) is an operator in relation to an animal;

    s. 1(1) · Checked

  • (2) For the purposes of this Act, an animal is in distress if it is (a) deprived of adequate food, water, shelter, ventilation, light, space, exercise, care or veterinary treatment, (a.1) kept in conditions that are unsanitary, (a.2) not protected from excessive heat or cold, (b) injured, sick, in pain or suffering, or (c) abused or neglected.

    s. 1(2) · Checked

  • This Act does not apply to wildlife, as defined in the Wildlife Act , that is not in captivity.

    s. 2 · Checked

  • A person responsible for an animal must care for the animal, including protecting the animal from circumstances that are likely to cause the animal to be in distress.

    s. 9.1(1) · Checked

  • A person responsible for an animal must not cause or permit the animal to be, or to continue to be, in distress.

    s. 9.1(2) · Checked

  • A person must not be convicted of an offence under this Act in relation to an animal in distress if

    s. 24.02 · Checked

  • the person is practising veterinary medicine in accordance with the standards of the profession,

    s. 24.02(a) · Checked

  • the person is an operator and the distress results from an activity that is carried out in accordance with the prescribed standards of care that apply to the regulated activity in which the operator is engaged, or

    s. 24.02(b) · Checked

  • the distress results from an activity that is carried out in accordance with reasonable and generally accepted practices of animal management that apply to the activity in which the person is engaged, unless the person is an operator and those practices are inconsistent with prescribed standards.

    s. 24.02(c) · Checked

  • This Act is current to October 20, 2026

    header · Checked

  • The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) is mandated through the PCA Act to respond to animals in distress.

    Who enforces provincial animal welfare laws? · Checked

Rules on keeping poultry

Conditions apply to this finding

Jurisdiction: British Columbia

Applies to: The bylaw powers of British Columbia municipal councils under the Community Charter (consolidated to 20 October 2026).

Outside this finding's scope

  • No province-wide permission for or ban on backyard chickens was found in section 8 of the Community Charter. Section 8 powers may not be used for anything a council is specifically authorized to do under Part 14 (Planning and Land Use Management) or Part 15 (Heritage Conservation) of the Local Government Act. That Act, the Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act, any statute that applies only to a particular municipality, and local bylaws were not read.

What the checked sources say

  • A council may, by bylaw, regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to animals. These powers include prohibiting people from doing things with their property, and they are subject to any specific conditions and restrictions set under the Charter or another Act.
  • Check with your municipal council for its bylaws on keeping chickens.

The official wording

  • A council may, by bylaw, regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to the following:

    s. 8(3) · Checked

  • (k) animals;

    s. 8(3)(k) · Checked

  • (b) to prohibit persons from doing things with their property;

    s. 8(8)(b) · Checked

  • are subject to any specific conditions and restrictions established under this or another Act,

    s. 8(10)(a) · Checked

  • This Act is current to October 20, 2026

    header · Checked

  • may not be used to do anything that a council is specifically authorized to do under Part 14 [Planning and Land Use Management] or Part 15 [Heritage Conservation] of the Local Government Act

    s. 8(7)(c) · Checked

Selling eggs in British Columbia, Canada? →Licence, small-flock line, markets and cartons, on their own page.Selling: Licence: depends

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Common questions

Do I have to register backyard chickens in British Columbia, Canada?
Registration: conditions apply. The finding covers: British Columbia’s Premises Identification Regulation (B.C. Reg. 125/2022, under the Animal Health Act, in effect from 1 July 2022 and consolidated to 20 October 2026), for anyone responsible for the animals it lists, which include chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, peafowl, pheasants, pigeons and quail. The regulation sets no minimum number of birds; it applies to anyone responsible for a listed animal. Outside this finding's scope: Registration does not give permission to keep chickens at a particular property. Exemptions and their limits: A person who enrolled before 1 July 2022 is deemed enrolled. Section 3(1) covers animals kept or dealt with at a premises that is not a commingling site; commingling sites (for example exhibitions, fairgrounds and poultry hatcheries) have a separate duty for their directors. Authority: BC Premises ID Program (enrolment with the minister, or through a producer organization for its members).
Can I keep chickens in my backyard in British Columbia, Canada?
The law we read gives a named local body its own powers over where hens can live. A council may, by bylaw, regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to animals. These powers include prohibiting people from doing things with their property, and they are subject to any specific conditions and restrictions set under the Charter or another Act. Check with your municipal council for its bylaws on keeping chickens. No province-wide permission for or ban on backyard chickens was found in section 8 of the Community Charter. Section 8 powers may not be used for anything a council is specifically authorized to do under Part 14 (Planning and Land Use Management) or Part 15 (Heritage Conservation) of the Local Government Act. That Act, the Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act, any statute that applies only to a particular municipality, and local bylaws were not read. Look up the local rules where you live (the ordinances, bylaws or zoning of the body named here), or ask that office, before you get hens.
Do I have to keep my hens indoors for bird flu in British Columbia, Canada?
Housing orders come and go, so we never show one as current. This page links the official status page to check today.

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