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Cranbrook, BC (March 23, 2026) – Changes to the City’s Unsightly Premises and Public Places bylaws were adopted by Council on Monday night, which help clarify what expected on private property and what cannot be left on City land. The goal of these changes is to help keep neighbourhoods clean, safe, and accessible while making the rules easier to understand and enforce.

Updates to the Unsightly Premises bylaw are to make the rules clearer for property owners and neighbours. Clearer rules and timelines mean issues can be fixed sooner and more consistently, helping keep properties and neighbourhoods in good shape.

• Clearer definitions for common problem items, including discarded materials, derelict vehicles, and rubbish.
• More realistic notice timelines for registered mail. Notice delivery timelines have been updated for registered mail: 7 days within B.C.; 10 days outside BC, reflecting typical delivery times. Notices are also posted at the property.
• Faster reconsideration timeline: requests must be made within 7 days of receiving written notice.
• Shorter reconsideration request window: residents must request reconsideration within 7 days of receiving written notice (previously 21 days), helping issues get resolved sooner while still allowing time for a decision and completion of remedial work.

Meantime, changes to the Public Places bylaw are to help address items left in public places like parks, road allowances, and other City property. This is to help the City keep public spaces safer and easier to use and helps ensure removal and disposal costs are not passed on to taxpayers.

• Clearer definitions (including an expanded definition of “vehicle”) so the bylaw applies to more situations.
•  Clear timelines for items left on City land (including belongings left longer than 30 days).
• Better enforcement tools to remove items that do not comply.
• Cost recovery and disposal rules, including that unclaimed items may be sold if not claimed within 14 days after removal, or if costs remain unpaid.
• Clear rules for abandoned or stored belongings on City land, including items left for more than 30 days.
• Prohibition on certain structures in public places that are not otherwise addressed under Camping Bylaw No. 4123, 2023 (for example, large wooden structures not used for shelter).
• Stronger enforcement tools to remove belongings, vehicles or structures that contravene the bylaw.
• Cost recovery so the owner of an item removed may be required to pay the City’s costs for removal and disposal.

“These bylaw changes are about maintaining community standards, while ensuring fairness and clarity for residents and to better address ongoing concerns around property upkeep and public space use, while providing clearer guidance and more consistent enforcement,” says Amanda Peters, Manager, Police Support Services and Bylaw Services. “Ultimately, it’s about keeping our neighbourhoods safe, clean and welcoming for everyone.”