Staff Report: New Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2239, 2026

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The purpose of this report is to present the proposed “Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2239, 2026” for Committee’s consideration and recommendation to Council. The proposed bylaw repeals and replaces the current “Animal Regulation and Impounding By-law No. 1, 1986”, which was adopted by the Capital Regional District (CRD) in 1987, and subsequently adopted by Council when the City of Langford was incorporated.

Key updates reflected in the proposed bylaw include updated regulations regarding standards of caring for animals, provisions for regulating dangerous dogs and aggressive dogs, prohibitions on feeding or attracting dangerous wildlife, requirements for the licencing of kennels, and updated fee amounts for licencing dogs, dangerous dogs, aggressive dogs, and kennels.

The proposed bylaw modernizes the City’s animal control framework to improve public safety, clarify expectations for pet owners, and ensure the long-term sustainability of animal control services.

Attached is the proposed “Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2239, 2026” and the companion “Animal Control Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2212, 2026”.

BACKGROUND:

The current animal regulation bylaw, drafted in 1987, contains outdated language, and is missing significant regulations that are common in communities across British Columbia, particularly with respect to dangerous dogs, standards of care, and attracting dangerous wildlife. Further, the fee amounts and fines have not been updated to keep pace with the cost of providing animal control services.

Animal control services for the City are contracted through the CRD. However, the City has its own animal regulation bylaw which the CRD administers and enforces. Staff reviewed animal control bylaws in comparable municipalities across B.C. and consulted with CRD’s Animal Care Services to draft the proposed bylaw, recognizing that the CRD will be enforcing the bylaw on the City’s behalf.

COMMENTARY:

The following are significant changes from the current bylaw:

• updated regulations regarding standards of care, tethering, confining, and transporting animals, to promote the humane care of animals in the community;
• provisions for dangerous dogs to align with the powers granted to Animal Control Officers in the Community Charter;
• provisions for aggressive dogs to allow Animal Control Officers more flexibility in responding to potentially aggressive dogs;
• new prohibitions on feeding or attracting dangerous wildlife such as bears, cougars, or wolves;
• updated requirements for the licencing of kennels; and
• updated fee amounts for licencing dogs, kennels, dangerous dogs and aggressive dogs.

Standards of Care

Staff reviewed the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (BC SPCA) model animal responsibility bylaw, which helped inform many of the standards of care provisions in the proposed bylaw.

The proposed bylaw requires that animals must be provided with clean drinking water, food, sanitary living conditions, and necessary veterinary care when the animal exhibits signs of pain, illness, or injury.

In addition, the proposed bylaw includes:

• restrictions on how animals may be tethered, such as prohibiting the use of chokes, prongs, shock collars, and improperly fitted collars in tethering animals, and requiring that tethered animals have full and unrestricted movement;
• requiring animals in enclosed spaces such as vehicles to have sufficient ventilation to prevent the animal from suffering distress or temperature related injury; and
• requiring animals to be secured in a manner to prevent the animal from jumping, falling off a vehicle, or otherwise injuring itself while being transported.

Dangerous Dogs

The current bylaw does not contain provisions for dangerous dogs. The Community Charter provides Council with powers to regulate in relation to dangerous dogs. Regulating dangerous dogs can help keep the community safe and provide guidelines for dangerous dog owners to reduce the need for bylaw enforcement. The proposed bylaw contains provisions for dangerous dogs as well as a requirement to apply for a dangerous dog licence.

An Animal Control Officer may designate a dog as a dangerous dog where that dog has killed or seriously injured a person or domestic animal, or where the Animal Control Officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the dog is likely to kill or seriously injure a person.

Under the proposed bylaw, dangerous dog owners are required to:

• muzzle and leash the dangerous dog while in public places, with a non-retractable style leash;
• keep dangerous dogs out of off-leash areas;
• post a visible dangerous dog sign at all points of entry onto any property where the dangerous dog is being kept;
• get the dangerous dog permanent identification such as a microchip or tattoo;
• obtain a dangerous dog licence; and
• report any changes in residency or ownership of the dangerous dog and inform prospective owners of the dangerous dog designation.

The proposed bylaw gives Animal Control Officers additional special powers in relation to dangerous dogs, in accordance with the Community Charter. These powers include the power to seize, and in exceptional circumstances, the ability to apply to the Provincial Court for a search warrant or destruction order.

Aggressive Dogs

While the Community Charter does not explicitly address aggressive dogs, many local governments in BC have adopted bylaws which address aggressive behaviour. The BC SPCA’s model animal responsibility bylaw also contains provisions for aggressive dogs.

The proposed bylaw permits an Animal Control Officer to designate a dog as an aggressive dog where that dog has displayed aggressive behaviour or caused a minor injury toward a person or domestic animal.

Under the proposed bylaw, aggressive dog owners are required to:

• leash the aggressive dog while in public places, with a non-retractable style leash;
• keep aggressive dogs out of off-leash areas;
• get the aggressive dog permanent identification such as a microchip or tattoo;
• obtain an aggressive dog licence; and
• report any changes in residency or ownership of the aggressive dog and inform prospective owners of the aggressive dog designation.

Unlike the dangerous dog designation, an aggressive dog designation may be removed after one year, on the application of the dog owner, if the owner and dog complete a humane training course to address the aggressive behaviour, the dog has permanent identification, an aggressive dog licence was in effect for the period during the active designation, and there are no more complaints received in respect of the dog.

The aggressive dog provisions in the proposed bylaw are intended to assist Animal Control Officers in responding to aggressive behaviour without the need to designate a dangerous dog, giving the City more flexibility to address such behaviour.

Dangerous Wildlife

The City may regulate, prohibit, and impose requirements respecting the feeding or attracting of dangerous wildlife, defined as bears, cougars, wolves, and other prescribed species.

The proposed bylaw prohibits the feeding of dangerous wildlife, and the keeping of attractants on property. These regulations are intended to minimize the risk of dangerous wildlife interactions, which can lead to injury to persons, or the wildlife needing to be euthanized.

Leash Regulations

Under the proposed bylaw, the City will continue to be a leash-optional community. However, dog owners must keep their dog under control at all times while in public and carry a leash with them. The current regulation that requires dogs to be leashed on beaches and playground facilities is continued in the proposed bylaw. Further, dogs are not permitted in or on a sports facility at any time, unless they are a guide dog, service dog, or police dog, or with the approval of the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities.

Kennels

Under the current bylaw, kennels are required to obtain a licence to operate. The proposed bylaw clarifies what is required for a kennel licence to be issued and allows an Animal Control Officer to inspect a proposed kennel site prior to issuing a licence, to ensure the space meets the requirements of the bylaw. The proposed bylaw requires a person to obtain a kennel licence in order to keep more than four dogs over the age of four months.

All kennels must be in accordance with the zoning regulations under Langford Zoning Bylaw No. 300, 1999, which prescribes sizing and setback requirements for boarding and breeding kennels. These regulations are intended to ensure that kennels meet the minimum standards for safely breeding or boarding dogs.

Updated Fees

The City’s fees for licencing dogs and kennels have not been updated since the original bylaw was brought into force under the City’s Letters Patent with incorporation. As there are no provisions for dangerous dogs or aggressive dogs in the current bylaw, there are no associated fees for licencing aggressive or dangerous dogs. Staff are proposing new and updated fees for licencing dogs and kennels in the City to help offset the costs of the service.

The proposed licence fees would bring the City in line with the fees in neighbouring Colwood. While other west shore municipalities’ fees are lower, it would appear that the fees have not been updated and would not accurately capture the costs of the service in Langford.

The following table shows the current and proposed fees:

Dog licences will continue to be administered in the same way, with an annual renewal requirement.

The dog licencing fee exemptions continue to apply to newly spayed or neutered dogs, active or retired police dogs, guide dogs, and now also apply to service dogs. There are reduced dog licence fees for neutered or spayed dogs.

Animal Control Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw

The companion “Animal Control Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2212, 2026”:

• introduces fines corresponding to new regulations and updates fine amounts for existing regulations through updated Bylaw Offence Notices and Municipal Ticket Information schedules;
• updates other bylaws which reference “Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw No. 1, 1986” to now reference “Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2239, 2026”;
• amends “Langford Municipal Park Regulation Bylaw No. 177, 1996”, to add “service dogs” to align with the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act which was enacted in 2016; and
• permits persons appointed by the CRD to act as screening officers.

Under the City’s Bylaw Offence Notice Bylaw, screening officers conduct initial dispute reviews prior to adjudication. Given the CRD’s subject matter expertise in animal control, permitting a CRD screening officer for animal control offences will allow for more efficient administration. The CRD screening officer will not be involved in using or investigating bylaw notices, and further disputes proceed to independent adjudication.

Overall, the proposed bylaw modernizes the City’s animal control regulations to enhance safety in the community, provide guidelines to pet owners with respect to the care and control of animals, and ensures the City can sustain adequate animal control services for the future.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

Animal control services will continue to be provided by the CRD in accordance with the service contract.

Pursuant to the current service contract, the CRD receives and retains all revenue from dog licences, impoundment fees, violation fees, municipal ticket information fines, fees from sale of animals, fine and court costs recovered through enforcement. This revenue helps offset the costs of providing services to the City, which in turn helps lower the service fee the City pays to the CRD for animal control services.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS:

In accordance with the Community Charter, a Council may, by bylaw, regulate, prohibit, and impose requirements in relation to animals, and in relation to the feeding or attracting of dangerous wildlife.

These powers include the ability to establish classes of animals, to seize animals, and to declare dogs as dangerous.

There are no known legal implications at this time.

STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:

5 – Good Governance.

OPTIONS:

Option 1

THAT the Community Advisory Committee recommend:

1. THAT Council consider giving first, second and third reading to City of Langford “Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2239, 2026”; and

2. THAT Council consider giving first, second and third reading to City of Langford “Animal Control Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2212, 2026”.

OR Option 2

THAT the Community Advisory Committee recommend that Council take no action with respect to the proposed City of Langford “Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2239, 2026”, and “Animal Control Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2212, 2026”, until such time as the following items are amended:

a. ________________;
b. ________________;
c. ____________.

SUBMITTED BY:

Richard Wagner, Policy Analyst and Legislative Drafter

Concurrence: Melisa Miles, Manager of Legislative Services
Concurrence: Lorne Fletcher, Manager of Community Safety and Municipal Enforcement
Concurrence: Donna Petrie, Senior Manager of Communications & Economic Development
Concurrence: Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
Concurrence: Leah Stohmann, RPP, MCIP, Director of Community Planning and Development
Concurrence: Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
Concurrence: Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Concurrence: Marie Watmough, Director of Legislative & Protective Services
Concurrence: Braden Hutchins, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
Concurrence: Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer

Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Current “Animal Regulation and Impounding By-law No. 1, 1986 (CRD)”
Attachment 2 – Proposed “Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 2239, 2026”
Attachment 3 – Proposed “Animal Control Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2212, 2026”