Unsightly Premises

Keep your property looking nice by tidying your belongings, mowing the lawn, maintaining the garden and buildings and repairing fencing.

View the Unsightly Premises Bylaw No 3213, 1998 (PDF)

What You Need to Know

Unsightly Conditions 

No owner or occupier may allow a property to become unsightly, including:

  • Dilapidated, broken or leaning fences;
  • Exterior finishing that has become excessively dirty or dilapidated through lack of maintenance;
  • Un-mowed grass in excess of 15 centimetres in height;
  • Unused landscape materials such as dirt piles, or old wood or paper piles and uncontained compost piles;
  • Items or materials that are strewn about the property not stored in a neat and appropriate manner;
  • Accumulations of rubbish, trash, bottles, broken glass or other discarded or unwholesome materials,
  • Construction materials where there is no construction occurring on the property;
  • Furniture (other than furniture designed specifically for outdoor use), bedding or appliances stored outside; and
  • Graffiti on fences, buildings, structures, patios, driveways or other finished surfaces. 

Unsightly Vehicles

Outdoor storage of the following is not permitted:

  • Vehicles that are not capable of normal vehicular operation
  • Vehicles not displaying current year insurance. Only one motor vehicle insured for storage is permitted
  • More than 2 recreational vehicles, including motor homes, trailers, campers, boats, snowmobiles, seadoos, all-terrain vehicles, golf carts and off-road motorbikes
  • Vehicle parts or supplies

Boulevard Maintenance     

  • Property owner(s) and residents are required to maintain the City boulevard bordering their property, where it borders the front, back or sides of the property. This includes the maintenance and upkeep of separated boulevards, which is the area between the curb and the sidewalk. Learn more about Boulevard Maintenance.
  • Although boulevards are a public space, adjacent property owners have certain responsibilities, including: 
    • Grass must be maintained less than 15 centimetres in height;
    • Trees must not be damaged, removed or planted without permission by the City;
    • Construction of structures such as fences, retaining walls and planters are not permitted; and
    • Snow and ice must be removed from the sidewalk within 10 hours of the end of a snowfall or ice forming.

View the Boulevard Maintenance Bylaw Number 4853, 2018 (PDF)

How to Report

To report an Unsightly Premises Bylaw concern, call Bylaw Enforcement at 604-927-3580 or email.

For questions or concerns regarding Boulevard Maintenance, contact Coquitlam Engineering & Public Works at 604-927-3500 or email.

Learn more about Bylaw Enforcement.