If you’re a homeowner in Canada, you may or may not be aware of the multitude of municipal laws related to what you can and can’t do on your property. In fact, if you’ve done any research on the subject – unless you’ve scoped out your local municipality’s website or visited a government office in person – you’ve likely come across many more myths than facts. If you’re new to home ownership and find yourself wondering: “Is it illegal to paint your garage door purple?” “Is it illegal to paint a wooden ladder in Alberta?” or whether you’ll be forever doomed to sparse soakings because of the Etobicoke bathtub law, read on about the myths and realities surrounding some of Canada’s weirdest homeowner laws, so you can rest easier and understand how to stay up to date with laws that affect your residence.
Canada’s Weirdest Homeowner Laws
Etobicoke Bathtub Law
Before we fact-check some of Canada’s weirdest homeowner laws, let’s get the supposed Etobicoke bathtub law out of the way. While it may be all over the Internet, there is, in fact, NO Etobicoke bylaw that states that a bathtub should not be filled with more than three-and-a-half inches of water.
Painting Laws
A long-held myth is that in Kanata, Ontario, it is illegal to paint your house or garage door purple. Again, the city does NOT have ANY record of a specific statute that prohibits a purple garage door in Kanata, and there is no mention prohibiting any specific paint colour within the City of Kanata property standards or building bylaws. Furthermore, we doubt any laws forbid a purple garage door in Canada overall!
In Montreal, residential paint colours were pooh-poohed when a Toronto-based advertising firm recently transformed a Victorian-style duplex into an oversized ad by painting it in a national telcel’s chosen palette of hot pink with accents of lime green, purple, teal and orange.
In that instance, the city said the owner of the more than 100-year-old home violated bylaws related to maintaining the character of heritage buildings. Montreal’s planning regulations also strictly prohibit painting brick on the exterior facade of most buildings in the city, as applying certain paints to masonry can cause damage over time.
And the issue may not have been the colour palette at all but rather how the exterior paint was used to circumvent regulations governing the placement of advertising within suburban and urban landscapes.
Meanwhile, throughout the province of Alberta, it IS illegal to paint a wooden ladder. The Alberta Health and Safety Code states that the reason for this is to avoid disguising an old ladder by making it look new with a coat of paint. After all, it is easier to judge the safety of a wooden ladder when it is unpainted.
Animal Laws
Alberta has had no breeding populations of the infamous Norway rat for over 70 years thanks to its storied Rat Control Program, which also prohibits owning them, even as pets. That’s because the white rat or laboratory rat is a domesticated version of the Norway rat. If white rats escaped captivity or were turned loose, they would multiply and spread just like the wild Norway rat. As a result, white rats can only be kept by zoos, universities, colleges, and recognized research institutions in Alberta.
In the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam, homeowners must not keep more than three of any animals in one home. In Port Coquitlam and Newfoundland, it is perfectly legal to own a cow, as many farmers do, but it is against the law to keep a cow in one’s home like a house pet. Long ago, many rural homeowners brought livestock into their homes during freezing winter months, but today, we realize a barn is a much better place to keep them.
Numerous laws prohibit exotic pets in provinces across Canada, but if you live in the Victoria neighbourhood of Oak Bay and own a parrot, ensure it is not too noisy since that could result in a $100 fine. As for snakes and lizards in Fredericton, NB, keep them at home – it is against the law to “wear” them out in public, though carrying them in a closed container is allowed.
Bylaws Around Lawns, Gardens, Garages and Yard Care
Many cities and towns in Canada have unofficial rules about mowing the lawn and shovelling snow, lest you get a knock on the door from a neighbour or city worker with a warning. But in London, Ontario, and many other cities, a city worker will mow your lawn for you if it grows above eight inches. Sounds like a good deal, right? Not so much – they’ll also send you a hefty bill for it.
Are you thinking about planning a garage sale? If you live in Toronto, consider that there are limits on how long your garage sale can last and the number of garage sales you can have within one year. The Toronto Municipal Code states that a home may not hold more than two garage sales within a single year and that each one may not last more than two days.
While they might create a festive atmosphere during winter, there are even laws against the beloved Canadian pastime of building snowmen. In Souris, PEI, building a snowman above 30 inches (two-and-a-half feet) tall is illegal, while in Esquimalt, BC, it was once forbidden to throw a snowball, though that law has since been repealed.
Most homeowner laws do not extend beyond municipal limits, with a few applying to the entire province (here’s looking at you, Alberta). If you take a few moments to brush up on what may be illegal where you live, you’ll save yourself a potential fine and have a good laugh along the way.
Keeping Tabs on Changing Bylaws
Bylaws are the unsung heroes behind Canada’s reputation for safe, orderly and clean neighbourhoods.
Because of them, unwanted and dangerous situations such as speeding traffic near daycares and schools, improper waste disposal, unsafe additions to housing structures, and even illegal hunting and fishing are reduced through regulation.
The primary municipal bylaws that homeowners in Canada will want to keep abreast of include:
- Property and zoning laws
- Public safety and health regulations
- Public spaces and environmental regulations
- Noise control laws
Water Conservation Bylaws: A Reflection of a Special and Growing Concern
Because water is one of our most precious resources and both water conservation and demand management are important components of the administration of a municipality’s long-term drinking water supply, the use of water by homeowners of all types has seen increased regulation over the past few years, with old laws now being re-examined and updated more frequently.
For example, bylaws around timed irrigation systems were recently overhauled by The Capital Regional District (CRD) in British Columbia – the governmental body for a local area that includes the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands – in response to challenges the region was experiencing due to high, sudden, simultaneous water demands in the early morning on residential lawn-watering days.
At these times, water demand often doubled with instantaneous increases on the hour. Because high and sudden demands for water can impact a municipality’s ability to maintain adequate water flow, pressure and quality, the CRD’s bylaws were amended with a new overnight lawn-watering schedule for homeowners’ timed irrigation systems, while changes were also made to watering days for public, institutional and community playing fields.
While seemingly tedious (and even onerous) on their face, these bylaw changes are actually well-thought-out and understandable. In fact, most provinces across Canada have put similar voluntary or mandatory water use restrictions in place as part of their own drought response or water management plans. In addition to covering timed irrigation devices, many municipalities now restrict watering of any type during certain months or times of the day and may even restrict homeowners’ use of water to clean their home’s outdoor-facing windows, siding, porches or driveways.
How to Stay Up to Date on Municipal Bylaws Affecting Homeowners
Bylaws for homeowners can cover various topics, from recycling and garbage collection to building codes and animal control.
Homeowners can learn about bylaws in their city, towns, villages, parishes, townships or hamlets by:
- Checking their local municipality’s website
- Visiting their local government office in-person
- Reading local newspapers and city websites
- Consulting a lawyer
Contemplating buying a home and want to make sure local bylaws won’t be overburdensome in the area you’re interested in? Connect with us and see the difference that adding an experienced real estate professional to your team can make.
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