Bylaws & Bylaw Enforcement

Nelson City Council creates and enacts bylaws that are interpreted and administered by a number of City divisions and departments. The Bylaw Enforcement department promotes, facilitates and enforces general compliance with bylaws that pertain to the health, safety and welfare of the community. City Council would like Nelson's residents and visitors to know their rights and responsibilities and work together with the City to create a safe and healthy community for all to enjoy. The new Bylaw Adjudication process is intended to provide a smooth and effective process in the event voluntary compliance may not be reached.

Bylaw Adjudication Process

The Bylaw adjudication system allows Local Governments to manage most bylaw violations (such as parking tickets) at the local level rather than going through the Provincial court system. The City of Nelson has adopted this system which currently applies to the Building, Noise and Traffic bylaws with other regulatory bylaws being added to the system over time. Residents who may receive a Bylaw Notice related offence now have the opportunity to dispute violations out of court via an independent adjudicator. Why use bylaw adjudication?

Benefits

The bylaw adjudication process benefits the community by:

• Resolving disputes locally and in a timely manner
• Keeping minor bylaw infractions out of the provincial court system
• Allowing those who are disputing notices to do so in writing, in person or by phone
• Minimizing provincial court time and costs

Options

If you receive a bylaw notice, or ticket, you have two options:

Option 1

Pay the Bylaw Notice:

• Reduced penalty if paid within 14 days
• Full penalty if paid after 14 days
• Late payment penalty if paid after 28 days

Option 2

• Dispute the Bylaw Notice