5 of Brampton’s Craziest Bylaws

Every city has bylaws and while some are onerous, most work to ensure residents get to enjoy their cities. While few people are terribly into rules governing street parking (unless, of course, someone is parking in front of their house all day, every day), most enjoy enforceable noise ordinances (unless they’re noisy or into loud music late at night).

All that said, when was the last time you took a look at some of Brampton’s funnier bylaws? Ones you probably never even knew existed.

Here’s a look at five interesting bylaws that you might not have known about.

5) There are Many Animals You Can’t Own

Although Brampton residents, much like residents of other big cities, are allowed to keep a few furry friends around, they must surround themselves with the usual suspects. Households are more than welcome to keep an acceptable number of domestic dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, birds, reptiles and rodents, but they cannot welcome larger or more exotic animals into their Brampton abodes. 

So, if you want to avoid your own Darwin the Ikea Monkey moment, ensure you do not possess:

– Bats
– Kangaroos
– Anteaters, sloths and armadillos
– Pigs (although if you own a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig that you acquired on or before June 1, 1992, you can keep it until it passes on)
– Lions, tigers and bears (fair)
– Monkeys and gorillas (no Harambe for you)
– Elephants, rhinos and hippos (not even fictional house hippos)
– Alligators and crocodiles
– Ducks, geese and swans
– Hyenas
– Scorpions and tarantulas (the tarantula one is little bit shocking)

There are also A LOT of rules regarding pigeons (which you can own, within reason).4) The City Does Not Like Replica Firearms

This bylaw “prohibits the manufacture, display, marketing for sale or sale of replica of a firearm in the city of Brampton.” As far as the term replica goes, it’s used to refer to a toy or other fake weapon that genuinely resembles a bona fide gun and can be easily mistaken for such. This bylaw also covers compressed air and compressed carbon dioxide powered b-b and pellet guns that closely resemble genuine firearms.

So, if you make and sell a replica, you could be fined up to $5,000.

That said, there are times it’s appropriate to create a replica, such as if you’re producing one for a movie, TV show or stage production or as part of a historical exhibit at a museum.

3) You’ve Gotta Cut That Grass and Trim Those Weeds

This is just good housekeeping and common courtesy, but if you fall behind on lawn maintenance, the city can come after you.

According to the bylaw, “Every owner within the city of Brampton shall cut the grass and weeds on their premises and remove the cuttings whenever the growth of grass or weeds exceeds twenty centimetres (20 cm) in height.” If a homeowner violates this bylaw, he or she will receive a written notice requesting the appropriate yard work be carried out. A bylaw officer can actually enter the premises to ensure the request is being heeded.

So, really–maintain your yard to avoid stern letters and even sterner looks from neighbours.

2) You Cannot Slaughter an Animal in a Place That’s Not a Slaughterhouse

Does this…does this one actually happen?

This bylaw prohibits the slaughtering of animals (typically those frequently killed for food, such as cows, pigs, goats and chickens) in a place that is not a slaughterhouse for the purpose of human consumption. So, if someone decides to slaughter a goose in their living room, they could be looking at a fine of up to $2,000.1) No Signs For You

Brampton has a problem with extensive, out of control signage and it’s doing something about it.

If you want to promote your business with some eye-catching signage, you might face a steep fine.

According to the city, more than 20,000 illegal lawn signs, stickers and posters were removed by the municipality in 2016. The city also issued 420 charges against 48 companies for illegally posting signs. Recently, a company was fined $5,000 for unauthorized signage. In fact, the city collected a whopping $31,875 in fines from myriad offenders for getting a little too excited while promoting their businesses.

While not everyone knows this (or rather, doesn’t really care), Brampton’s sign bylaw prohibits signs on roads, grass boulevards, traffic signals, light posts and other public properties unless the city gives permission.

So, if you have a sign to post, ensure you have the proper permits to avoid a fine.