Bylaw Enforcement

Bylaws

Bylaws are the laws passed by Council to regulate certain activities and to authorize certain powers and authorities granted to Council by the Province of British Columbia. These bylaws cover a wide range of activities from requiring dog licenses to regulating the uses allowed on private property and establishing the fees for specific permits and services.

The bylaws most commonly used by the public are available here. These and all other bylaws of the District are available for viewing at Municipal Hall, located at 13211 Henry Ave, Summerland, BC.

Bylaw Compliance & Enforcement

The District seeks voluntary compliance on most issues through respectful dialogue and increased public education and awareness of bylaws and their rationale.  The Bylaw Enforcement Officer works with residents, businesses and visitors to achieve compliance and to foster a safe, healthy and respectful community. The District's Bylaw Enforcement Procedures Policy governs the handling of complaints to ensure that complaints are being managed in a fair and consistent manner.

Reasonable attempts will be made to secure voluntary compliance prior to initiating any manner of enforcement action. When voluntary compliance cannot be reached, or where there exists a clearly identified complainant who is directly affected by the alleged violation, enforcement action will be taken through the Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw.

Report a Bylaw Violation

The District investigates bylaw violations on a complaint basis but has no duty to take enforcement action with respect to every contravention of a bylaw. Investigation and enforcement priority may be given to alleged contraventions that adversely affect the health, safety and security of the public, adversely affect the environment, or possibly result in increased liability exposure for the District.

Confidentiality

Complaints are kept confidential, however your name and contact number must be provided when making a complaint. We will not disclose your personal information to individuals or businesses under investigation.  We collect your name and phone number to help us contact you if we have questions or need clarification. Anonymous calls are not generally acted upon. If the matter goes to court, we may be required by the courts to provide witness statements or other forms of evidence which could include your contact information.

Questions?

Contact Bylaw Services at 250-494-6451 ext. 4 or bylaw@summerland.ca