What it requires
- Vancouver — Health By-law No. 9535 (consolidated to 2016; rodent provisions amended 2010) requires owners to keep premises free of conditions that harbour rodents and to seal exterior wall openings (other than doors and windows) to prevent rodent, insect, or vermin entry. The companion Untidy Premises By-law No. 4548 backs this up for accumulations that attract pests.
- Surrey — Surrey Property Maintenance and Unsightly Premises By-law No. 16393, 2007 sets the baseline owner duty to maintain property free of accumulations, junk, and conditions that attract pests; Bylaw Enforcement Officers enforce it city-wide.
- Delta — Property Enhancement Bylaw No. 8066, 2021 (replaced Residential Standards of Maintenance Bylaw No. 6262, 2004) regulates standards of maintenance for all real property in Delta and makes it an offence to allow conditions providing food, protection, or harbourage for rodents or nuisance animals.
- Burnaby — Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 14711, 2024 (replaced the 1969 Bylaw No. 5533) requires owners and occupiers to keep property and surrounding yards free of vermin and rodents and free of accumulations that would attract them.
- Richmond — Public Health Protection Bylaw No. 6989, 2000 covers rodent and pest related public-health duties; Property Maintenance & Repair Bylaw No. 7897 and Unsightly Premises Regulation Bylaw No. 7162 prohibit owners or occupiers from allowing accumulations of rubbish, filth, or unwholesome substances. (Richmond ended its long-standing pest enforcement contract with Vancouver Coastal Health in 2024, so enforcement now sits squarely with the City.)
- Common across all 5: the property OWNER carries the legal duty — the obligation does not transfer to a tenant under municipal bylaws, even where a residential tenancy agreement attempts to assign it.
- Common across all 5: a notice is issued first, then if the owner fails to abate within the stated time the city may enter, remediate, and charge the cost back to the property — typically added to the property tax roll if unpaid.
Who it affects
- Residential property owners (single-family, duplex, multi-family)
- Strata corporations for common areas and building envelope
- Commercial and industrial property owners
- Landlords — tenants generally cannot be held legally responsible under municipal bylaws; the duty flows to the owner regardless of lease language
- Property managers acting on behalf of owners (they receive the notice, but legal liability stays with the owner)
Penalties for violation
Vancouver Health By-law contraventions are prosecuted under the Vancouver Charter and can attract fines up to $10,000 per offence on summary conviction; ticketed offences are capped at $3,000 under the Vancouver Charter Bylaw Enforcement Ticket Regulation. Surrey, Delta, Burnaby, and Richmond use Community Charter bylaw notice and ticketing powers — typical pest- and unsightly-premises fines run $100–$500 per offence with continuing daily fines available, and the underlying bylaws authorize up to $10,000 per offence on prosecution. In every city, if the owner does not remediate after notice, the municipality may remediate and add the cost to the property tax roll.
Our day-to-day practice under this regulation.
The Wild Pest documents every job in a way that satisfies any of the five cities' inspectors: dated treatment reports, exclusion photos before and after, bait station maps, product registration numbers, and signed work orders. If a municipality follows up on a complaint, the owner has the audit trail showing prompt, professional remediation — which is the practical answer to almost every bylaw notice.
Primary sources
- City of Vancouver — Health By-law No. 9535 (consolidated)
- City of Vancouver — Health By-law 9535 landing page
- City of Vancouver — Untidy Premises By-law No. 4548
- City of Surrey — Property Maintenance and Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 16393, 2007
- City of Delta — Property Enhancement Bylaw No. 8066, 2021
- City of Burnaby — Unsightly Premises Bylaw No. 14711, 2024
- City of Richmond — Public Health Protection Bylaw No. 6989, 2000
- City of Richmond — Property Maintenance & Repair Bylaw No. 7897
- City of Richmond — Unsightly Premises Regulation Bylaw No. 7162