Community Safety and Bylaw Services

There are many ways to pay a bylaw ticket:

• Online by credit card at victoria.ca/payment.
• Mail cheque or money order to: City of Victoria, 1 Centennial Square, Victoria, BC V8W 1P6.
• Payable to “City of Victoria.”
• In person, weekdays from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Public Service Centre at City Hall. Cash, cheque, debit or credit card are accepted. 
• At the drop box located outside the Pandora Avenue entrance to City Hall. Cheque or money order (no cash) payable to “City of Victoria.”

Note: Not paying the fine by the due date will result in late penalty fees.
 

Complete the Bylaw Offence Notice Ticket Review Form here or at the Public Service Centre in Victoria City Hall or follow the instructions on the back of the ticket. You can request a review within 14 days of the ticket being served.

A City screening officer will review the request to see if it can be resolved. During the review, they may ask you for additional information. Review may take four to six weeks.

A screening officer can:

• Cancel the bylaw offence notice
• Offer a compliance agreement with a reduced fine, provided that certain conditions are met that respond to the bylaw issue (e.g., a required permit is applied for)
• Uphold the notice and forward it to an adjudicator

If a screening officer can’t resolve the review by cancelling the ticket or by offering a compliance agreement, they will forward the bylaw offence notice to a provincially appointed adjudicator for review.  

Adjudication is a formal dispute resolution process where an independent third party – a provincially appointed adjudicator – hears evidence and arguments from you and the City Bylaw officer to make a binding decision. Adjudication hearings can be held over the phone or in person.

If the adjudicator decides the offence did occur, the bylaw offence notice must be paid in full, plus an additional $25 administrative fee to cover the cost of the adjudication. If they decide the offence did not occur, the bylaw offence notice is cancelled. No fines or fees will be owed. Note: An adjudicator’s decision is final and cannot be appealed. 

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If you don’t agree with the municipal ticket you’ve received, you or your agent can dispute it at a provincial court hearing, which will require the presentation of evidence in front of a judicial justice (a legally-trained judicial officer). 

You can dispute the ticket within 14 days of it being served by completing a Notice of Dispute Form, which is available at the Public Service Centre at Victoria City Hall, weekdays from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. You can complete it there or mail it to: City of Victoria, 1 Centennial Square, Victoria, BC V8W 1P6.

NOTE: Your Notice of Dispute Form must be postmarked on or before the 14th day from the date of service of the ticket to be accepted.

Tip: When completing the Notice of Dispute Form, make sure to include the ticket number, your full name and mailing address, the date of the offence and the Bylaw name and section of the offence which are identified on your ticket. If you don’t provide these details, you may be deemed not to have disputed the described offence.

City Bylaw staff will review your submitted Notice of Dispute Form, and if all information is complete, will forward it to the Provincial Court Registry to schedule a court hearing.

You will receive a notice from the Provincial Court Registry, identifying the date, time and location of your court hearing, which must be attended in person by you or your agent. For information on how to prepare for court to dispute a bylaw ticket, visit: provincialcourt.bc.ca.

If the provincial court does not uphold the ticket, no fines will be owed. However, if the provincial court upholds the ticket, the fine amount will be immediately payable to the City of Victoria.

If you do not attend the scheduled court hearing, the ticket will be treated as not disputed and the fine amount will be immediately payable to the City of Victoria.

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The City has an online directory of City bylaws.

Common examples of activities or issues that are regulated by City bylaws include:

• property conditions, including graffiti
• excessive noise
• signs (unauthorized placement/construction)
• business licensing
• zoning (property use)
• building (construction, electrical and plumbing safety)
• vehicles for hire (sightseeing vehicles)
• snow and ice removal
• obstructions on streets or sidewalks
• witnessed disposal of litter on public space with suspect information
• use of parks and other public spaces
• stormwater management
• use of pesticides
• protection of significant trees
• operation of bicycles and other human-powered devices
• street entertaining and street vending

If you come across a problem in your neighbourhood, we encourage you to report the issue to the City.

For parking-related infractions, call 250.361.0260 or email parkingservices@victoria.ca.

For street closure inquiries, call 250.361.0300 or email eng@victoria.ca.

For uninsured or abandoned vehicles, contact the Victoria Police non-emergency number at 250.995.7654.

If you are not sure, please call 250.385.5711. A customer service representative will direct your call to the appropriate department.
 

Bylaws go through three readings before they are adopted by City Council. During those three readings, the bylaw can be changed at any time. Once a bylaw is adopted, it can only be changed or repealed through a new bylaw. Learn more about the bylaw adoption process.

Municipal bylaws are enforced by the City's Bylaw officers. To achieve voluntary compliance, officers prioritize education using signs, notices and one-on-one conversations. If education is unsuccessful, officers can use tickets and legal proceedings to enforce the City's bylaws.  

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