Staff Report: Proposed Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of this report is to present the proposed “Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026” to committee. The proposed bylaw repeals and replaces four current City bylaws related to noise, nuisances, unsightly premises, and noxious weeds, and introduces new regulations for unoccupied premises, boulevard maintenance, dust control, and construction impact management.

The proposed bylaw modernizes the City’s nuisance regulations and is designed to support the City’s Construction Impact Management Strategy (CIMS), aimed at promoting a livable community as the City grows and develops.

Attached are the proposed “Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026” (Attachment 7) and companion “Community Standards Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2262, 2026” (Attachment 8) for Committee’s consideration and recommendation to Council.

BACKGROUND

Council’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan includes objective 1 (f), to develop a CIMS and Good Neighbour Policy. In October and November 2024, the City conducted public consultation through the City’s Let’s Chat Langford public engagement portal to support the development of the CIMS and learn what residents considered to be priorities for ensuring communities are livable as the city continues to grow and develop.

The engagement results informed the development of the CIMS, which included several recommendations related to nuisance bylaw amendments, including:

1. To regulate noise from machinery near homes and businesses.
2. Combine and improve existing nuisance bylaws to fill gaps and support enforcement efforts.
3. Create new rules for maintaining buildings and abandoned or derelict structures.

With these priorities in mind, staff reviewed the City’s current nuisance bylaws and policies, and researched best practices used in other municipalities.

Staff are proposing a comprehensive nuisance bylaw titled the “Community Standards Bylaw” which will repeal and replace four existing bylaws, two Council policies, and introduce new regulations to address unoccupied premises, boulevard maintenance, dust control, and construction impact management.

To guide this work, in November 2025, the City formed a facilitated focus group of key industry partners to gather feedback on the proposed bylaw changes that may impact construction activities. This approach aligns with Council’s direction to ensure that bylaw amendments support growth and development while maintaining livability for neighbouring residents. The proposed bylaw has undergone a comprehensive internal review to ensure clarity, consistency, and enforceability.

COMMENTARY

The City currently has the following four bylaws which address noise, nuisance, unsightly properties, and noxious weeds:

• “City of Langford Noise Regulation Bylaw No. 2056, 2022” (Attachment 1): Adopted in May 2022, and amended once in July 2022, this bylaw regulates noise in the City, including objectionable noise and construction and commercial noise.
• “City of Langford Nuisance Abatement Bylaw No. 1501, 2016” (Attachment 2): Adopted in September 2016, and never amended, this bylaw contains prohibitions on causing a nuisance or permitting a nuisance to occur on one’s property. This bylaw also allows the City to abate a nuisance and pass the cost of the abatement onto the person causing the nuisance or the owner or occupier of the land from which the nuisance emanates.
• “Unsightly Property By-law No. 1 (No. 1887), 1991” (Attachment 3): Adopted by the CRD in May 1992, and in effect since Langford’s incorporation, this bylaw prohibits:
  • causing or permitting water, garbage, discarded materials to collect or accumulate;
  • depositing or throwing bottles, broken glass, or other waste in an open place;
  • allowing real property to become or remain unsightly; and
  • graffiti on walls, fences, or elsewhere on or adjacent to a public place.
• “District of Langford Noxious Weed Control Bylaw No. 161, 1996” (Attachment 4). Adopted in June 1996 and never amended, this bylaw requires owners and occupiers to clear their property of three types of noxious weeds.

The proposed “Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026” incorporates these existing bylaws into one comprehensive bylaw, while also modernizing the language, clarifying expectations, and expanding on existing regulations where appropriate.

Noise Regulations

Part 4 of the proposed bylaw carries over the current noise regulations, with the following changes:

• Loading, unloading, delivering, collecting, packing, unpacking, or otherwise handling any container, construction equipment, products, materials, or refuse whatsoever will now be permitted at any time, provided that such activities are not carried out in a manner that unreasonably disturbs the peace, quiet, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of people in the vicinity. These activities are currently permitted between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. in residential areas.
• On site maintenance of heavy equipment will be permitted at any time, provided that these activities are not carried out in a manner that unreasonably disturbs the peace, quiet, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of people in the vicinity.

In making these changes, the City is attempting to balance the needs of everyone equally. These changes are expected to add more flexibility without having a significant impact on residents or businesses. Recognizing that the word “unreasonable” can be subjective, the proposed bylaw provides guidelines to assist in determining if a sound disturbs or tends to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of the public or persons in the vicinity:

(a) the type, volume, and duration of the sound;
(b) time of day and day of week; and
(c) the nature and use of the surrounding area.

This allows the City’s Bylaw Enforcement Department to assess the reasonableness of the conduct with reference to the surrounding neighbourhood, and the other factors listed. The City’s approach continues to be to educate and inform the public of the City’s regulations, in attempts to achieve voluntary compliance, prior to taking enforcement action.

Noise Permits

The proposed bylaw also incorporates provisions for the issuance of Noise Permits, which are currently issued under Council Policy “POL-0168-ADMIN” (Attachment 5), which was approved in May 2022, and amended in June 2022, to add permit application fees.

The proposed bylaw carries over the requirements currently found in that policy, with the following changes:

• Noise Permits will be issued by the Manager of Community Safety and Bylaw Enforcement, where they are currently issued by the Chief Administrative Officer. This is intended to streamline the administrative process.
• The Manager of Community Safety and Bylaw Enforcement will be empowered to establish and publish application forms for Noise Permits, which may contain additional information and conditions applicable to Noise Permits, such as notification requirements.
• The proposed bylaw clarifies that Noise Permits will only be issued in situations where it is otherwise impractical or impossible to comply with the bylaw, such as where there are life or safety concerns, or extended concrete pours which cannot be completed during the hours permitted. Noise Permits will not be issued for blasting activities.

The permit fees remain the same at $500.00, and an additional $250.00 late fee for applications made between two and four business days prior to the activity.

As the proposed bylaw incorporates the issuance of Noise Permits, staff are recommending that Noise Regulation Permit Policy “POL-0168-ADMIN” be rescinded.

Nuisance and Nuisance Abatement

The proposed bylaw incorporates the current “City of Langford Nuisance Abatement Bylaw No. 1501, 2016”, and includes a schedule of fees for when the City must step in to address a nuisance. The fee schedule has been revised to average out the personnel rates, rather than breaking it down into different job titles, for more consistent application.

The proposed bylaw also introduces provisions for nuisance service calls, which is where City employees, contractors, or agents are required to respond to repeated service calls to address nuisance conduct. This provision is found in many nuisance bylaws in communities across the province and gives the City the ability to pass along costs of repeat nuisance calls to the owner of the property from which the nuisance is occurring.

The proposed bylaw introduces a modernized definition for “nuisance” and adds additional clarity around specific types of nuisances, such as excessively offensive compost piles, intrusive outdoor lighting, littering, dumping, fighting, urinating or defecating in public, throwing items, and damaging street furniture.

Unsightly Conditions

The proposed bylaw incorporates the “Unsightly Premises By-law No. 1, 1991”, which regulates property maintenance, modernizes the language, and adds clarity to what is considered “unsightly”. The proposed bylaw:

• Defines “unsightly” as including, but not limited to, the accumulation of waste or other materials, grass over 30 centimeters, or holes, breaks, rot, crumbling, significant cracking, significant peeling, or significant rusting, or any other evidence of physical decay or neglect or lack of maintenance on any structure, or any other similar condition of disrepair, dilapidation, or deterioration.
• Prohibits storing certain materials outside of a closed structure on a property, such as discarded materials, vehicle parts, derelict vehicles, derelict boats, derelict trailers, derelict recreational vehicles, construction equipment or materials where there is no apparent or real construction occurring on the property, or household appliances or furniture that are not designed for outdoor use.
• Requires that graffiti be removed, covered, or otherwise blocked from public view within 14 days of the graffiti being placed.

The City has an outdated Council policy regarding the removal of graffiti (POL-0081-ENG) (Attachment 6), which was approved in July 1994, and has not been updated since. That policy can be rescinded as the proposed bylaw contains graffiti provisions which supersede the policy.

Whether something “unsightly” becomes a “nuisance” will depend on how that unsightliness impacts others in the vicinity. This provides some flexibility to respond to and address unsightly conditions before they become a nuisance and are subject to the nuisance provisions in the bylaw, such as nuisance abatement and nuisance service call fees.

As the proposed bylaw incorporates provisions in respect to graffiti, staff are recommending that Removal of Graffiti “POL-0081-ENG” be rescinded.

Noxious Weeds

The current “District of Langford Noxious Weed Control Bylaw No. 161, 1996” has not been updated since 1996, and as such, is missing several types of plants that are recognized as noxious weeds by the Province. The proposed bylaw modernizes the City’s noxious weed regulation by aligning the City with the provincial Weed Control Act and Weed Control Regulation, which currently lists 39 types of weeds that are considered noxious across the Province.

The proposed bylaw requires owners and occupiers to make reasonable efforts to eradicate noxious weeds, in accordance with federal and provincial regulations relating to pest management and control.

New Regulations

In addition to incorporating and updating these existing bylaws, the proposed bylaw contains new regulations covering:

1. Unoccupied Premises
2. Boulevard Maintenance
3. Dust Control
4. Construction Impact Management

(1) Unoccupied Premises

Unoccupied premises, such as abandoned homes, can become a nuisance, unsightly or create dangerous conditions. Unoccupied premises can also harbour pests which can create issues for surrounding properties, particularly when structures are demolished.

Staff researched best practices in other municipalities, and the proposed bylaw contains specific regulations for unoccupied premises:

• Unoccupied premises must be maintained in accordance with the bylaw’s property maintenance and nuisance regulations, including with respect to noxious weeds, waste, accumulated materials, and graffiti.
• In addition, the owner of unoccupied premises must utilize or install security measures or devices, which do not impact neighbouring properties, but are sufficient to secure the premises against unauthorized entry or occupation, vandalism, intentional damage, injury to wildlife, and fire hazards. Such measures may include structural barriers to windows and other points of ingress, security fencing or other perimeter barriers, security lighting or alarm systems, or frequent and periodic security or guard patrols, but such measures must not be installed in a manner that restricts firefighter access in the event of an emergency.
• Owners must repair any damage caused due to unauthorized entry or occupation, vandalism, intentional damage, or fire, within 48 hours of being notified of the damage, and make repairs necessary to prevent further damage or unauthorized entry.
• The owner of unoccupied premises which are slated for demolition and redevelopment must, as a condition of a demolition permit, engage professional pest control services to mitigate rodents on that property between 10 and 45 days prior to demolition.
• The owner of unoccupied premises must demolish any unoccupied premises for which re‑zoning has been issued within 120 days of the property becoming unoccupied, unless the property is subject to an active building permit for repair, rehabilitation or demolition, or the property meets all applicable codes, is ready for occupancy, and is actively being offered for sale, lease, or rent, and is supplied with utilities to maintain proper functioning, and there is no unauthorized occupancy.

(2) Boulevard Maintenance

Many municipalities in the CRD and across the province, including View Royal, Colwood, Esquimalt, Saanich, and Victoria, require owners and occupiers to maintain the boulevard abutting their property.

The proposed bylaw requires that owners and occupiers, in respect of the boulevard abutting their property:

• Keep the boulevard free of noxious weeds and waste.
• Keep grass within the boulevard mowed or trimmed to a height of not more than 30 centimeters.
• If the boulevard was improved through a City authorized permit, maintain the boulevard to the standards set in the approved permit.
• Ensure that landscaping and native vegetation does not interfere with the passage of pedestrians, cyclists, or vehicles, and that sight lines to intersections, driveways, sidewalks, vehicle and bicycle lanes, and traffic control devices are maintained.
• Ensure landscaping and trees receive sufficient water, but in accordance with any watering regulations of the Capital Regional District.
• Promptly remove or remedy any landscaping or other material or condition, except for trees and planted vegetation within the boulevard, that is or is likely to be a hazard to persons or property.

The proposed bylaw will also require property owners to maintain their culvert, or repair or replace the culvert if no longer functioning as intended. This was previously required by the now repealed “Traffic Bylaw No. 33” and was not included in the new “Streets and Traffic Bylaw No. 2233, 2025” as the culverts are part of the boulevard, and the boulevard maintenance provisions were intended for this proposed bylaw.

(3) Dust Control

At the June 5, 2023, Regular Council meeting, staff brought forward a proposed “Dust Control Bylaw No. 1666”, which was originally presented to the Protective Services Committee in 2016. The Bylaw was not adopted in 2016, instead it was referred to the West Shore Developers Association to work with staff on a proposed dust management strategy.

At the June 5, 2023, meeting, staff advised that stand-alone Dust Control Bylaws have been observed to be relatively difficult to enforce and easily disputed in Court. The proposed Dust Control Bylaw was not adopted at that time, and Council directed staff to draft guidelines for review by the Sustainable Development Advisory Committee that would form, in whole or in part, the CIMS, and to broaden the existing dust control plan requirements and incorporate the standard additional penalty clauses from the draft bylaw into the “Langford Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 1000” and/or the “City of Langford Soil Removal And Deposit Bylaw, 2017, No. 1800”.

Staff are now recommending that the provisions of the proposed “Dust Control Bylaw No. 1666” be incorporated into the proposed “Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026”. Part 5 of the proposed bylaw provides that a person carrying out any activity involving excavation, storage, depositing, moving or removing any soil, or which generates sufficient dust that does or may constitute a nuisance, must apply water or another dust suppressant to prevent the emission of dust.

Further, a Bylaw Enforcement Officer may issue a notice in writing to a person who is not in compliance with the dust mitigation regulations, requiring them to apply water or another dust suppressant. If that notice is not followed, the City may mitigate the dust and impose a fee for the nuisance abatement and issue a fine.

The inclusion of Bylaw Offence Notice fines (discussed further below), which have a burden of proof on the balance of probabilities (and not beyond a reasonable doubt, like the Provincial Court based Municipal Ticket Information), can also enhance the City’s dust control regulations.

The proposed bylaw gives the City flexibility to respond to instances of nuisance dust, through the approved mitigation plan submitted as part of their project as defined in Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 1000, and by way of notices to mitigate dust, and fines.

(4) Construction Impact Management

The proposed bylaw introduces regulations specific to developers, builders and others responsible for construction sites in the City. These provisions are informed by the CIMS and City’s Early Guidance for Construction Impact Management document published in April 2025:

• Every developer and builder who undertakes or supervises construction in the City must complete a signed declaration acknowledging that they have read and understand the City’s Good Neighbour Policy. This section takes effect when Council adopts the Good Neighbour Policy, which is currently being drafted.
• Developers and builders must ensure that each contractor retained to provide construction services is aware of all applicable bylaws and policies as they relate to City Steets and Construction.
• The person responsible for a construction site must ensure that:
  • Signage with up-to-date 24/7 emergency contact information is clearly posted at the site.
  • All materials at the site are secured within the site, and in a manner which prevents them from blowing off site.
  • The site is secured against unauthorized entry, and in a manner which prevents injury to persons and wildlife.
  • Any City property abutting the site is free of debris caused and materials related to the site.
• Rock crushing and aggregate processing will be prohibited within 100 metres of an occupied residential property, except with the express written consent of all property owners and occupiers.

Staff anticipate the 100-metre radius would allow on-site crushing and aggregate processing on some larger lots while preventing some of the harmful effects of these activities, such as noise, vibration, and dust, from occurring too close to existing residences.

Community Standards Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2262

The proposed “Community Standards Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2262” removes fines corresponding to the bylaws repealed by the proposed bylaw and introduces Municipal Ticket Information and Bylaw Offence Notice fines corresponding to the regulations in the proposed bylaw.

These regulations complement each other and give the City a range of tools to enforce the proposed bylaw.

Construction Impact Management Facilitated Focus Group

The focus group met on March 10, 2026. Following a staff presentation on the proposed bylaw, focus group members provided feedback on a range of provisions within the proposed bylaw.

Key topics and areas discussed included:

• Defined terms and how they may permit discretion, which can raise concerns about consistent bylaw enforcement.
• Providing timelines for draining water from an excavation or basement area.
• Concerns that the requirement that properties do not have construction equipment or materials out in the open when there is no construction happening on the property could impact legitimate lay down areas on neighbouring lots.
• Concerns about managing noxious weeds on large sites.
• Suggestion that the 20-day timeframe for engaging professional pest control before demolishing an unoccupied premise was too short and should be extended to 50 days.
• Some focus group members would like decibel maximums added to some of the objectionable noise regulations to ensure consistent enforcement, while others preferred the “reasonableness” criteria which permits more discretion.
• Concern that a Noise Permit will not be issued for blasting activities and whether there would be situations where blasting would need to occur outside permitted hours.
• Suggestion that the dust control provisions be reworded to require “mitigation” rather than “prevention” of fugitive dust.
• Suggestion to provide additional clarity to the construction impact management regulations by defining and adding “builders” and “contractor” to some of the regulations.
• Concerns around the Good Neighbour commitment and how “good faith compliance” may interact with enforcement.
• Concerns regarding the requirement that developers ensure each contractor abides by applicable bylaws and policies as they relate to City streets and construction, or whether this could be changed to require that developers make contractors aware of the regulations.
• Questions regarding whether the rock crushing and aggregate processing within 100 metres of an occupied residence could be permitted with the consent of the property owner, and whether there could be some discretion for the Director of Engineering and Public Works to permit exemptions to this prohibition.
• Suggestions to define “rock crushing” and “aggregate processing” to clarify what those activities entail.
• Questions regarding nuisance service calls and whether fees would be incurred even if there was no actual nuisance conduct occurring.

Staff responded to many of the questions and concerns raised in the focus group and clarified expectations as well as the City’s enforcement practices.

Based on the focus group feedback, staff amended the proposed bylaw by:

• Adding a timeline of 10 days to remove water from an excavation or basement area left after a building is demolished.
• Extending the window in which pest control services to mitigate rodents must be engaged prior to demolition, from between 30 and 10 days, to between 45 and 10 days prior to demolition.
• Clarifying that the obligation to maintain a culvert in a driveway excludes any culverts which are maintained by the City.
• Defining “Rock Crushing” to clarify what that activity entails and revising the restriction on rock crushing within 100 metres of occupied residential property to allow for this activity with the written consent of all property owners and occupiers.
• Amending the wording in the dust control provisions to require mitigation of dust emissions, rather than the prevention of dust emissions.
• Defining “Builder” and adding this term to the relevant provisions in the Construction Impact Management part to clarify which expectations apply to builders as well as developers.
• Revising the section which requires developers and builders to ensure contractors abide by all applicable bylaws and policies as they relate to City streets and construction, to require that developers and builders ensure each contractor is informed of all applicable bylaws and policies, either by posting the upcoming Good Neighbour Policy in a visible location at the work site, or providing a copy of it to each contractor.
• Clarifying that nuisance service call fees would only be imposed if the nuisance is confirmed.

In summary, the proposed bylaw updates the City’s nuisance regulations by consolidating four separate bylaws, and introduces new regulations for unoccupied premises, boulevard maintenance, dust control, and construction impact management, with the goal of balancing growth and development while maintaining a livable and thriving City.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no known financial implications at this time.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

Pursuant to the Community Charter, Council may regulate, prohibit, and impose requirements in relation to the protection and enhancement of the well-being of its community in relation to nuisances disturbances, and other objectionable situations. Nuisances, disturbances, and other objectionable situations include:

• noise, vibration, odour, dust, illumination or any other matter that is liable to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of individuals or the public;
• the emission of smoke, dust, gas, sparks, ash soot, cinder, fumes or other effluvia that is liable to foul or contaminate the atmosphere;
• refuse, garbage or other material that is noxious, offensive, or unwholesome;
• the accumulation of water on property;
• unsanitary conditions on property;
• trees, weeds and other growths that council considers should be removed, cut down or trimmed;
• graffiti and unsightly conditions on property; and
• indecency and profane, blasphemous or grossly insulting language.

The proposed “Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026” was reviewed by the City’s legal counsel.

STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT

1f – Develop a Construction Impact Management Strategy and ‘Good Neighbour’ Policy.

OPTIONS

Option 1

THAT the Community Advisory Committee recommend:

1. THAT Council consider giving first, second and third reading to “Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026”; AND

2. THAT Council consider giving first, second and third reading to “Community Standards Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2262, 2026”; AND

3. THAT Council rescind “Noise Regulation Permit Policy (POL-0168-ADMIN)” and “Removal of Graffiti Policy (POL-0081-ENG)”.

OR Option 2

THAT the Community Advisory Committee recommend that Council take no action with respect to the proposed Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026, and Community Standards Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2262, 2026, until such time as the following items are amended:

a. _______________;
b. _______________;
c. ___________.

SUBMITTED BY

Richard Wagner, Policy Analyst and Legislative Drafter

Concurrence

• Melisa Miles, Manager of Legislative Services
• Lorne Fletcher, Manager of Community Safety and Municipal Enforcement
• Donna Petrie, Senior Manager of Communications & Economic Development
• Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
• Robert Dykstra, Manager of Development Services
• Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
• Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
• Marie Watmough, Director of Legislative & Protective Services
• Braden Hutchins, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
• Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer

Attachments

• Attachment 1 – Current “City of Langford Noise Regulation Bylaw No. 2056, 2022”
• Attachment 2 – Current “City of Langford Nuisance Abatement Bylaw No. 1501, 2016”
• Attachment 3 – Current “Unsightly Property By-law No. 1 (No. 1887), 1991”
• Attachment 4 – Current “District of Langford Noxious Weed Control Bylaw No. 161, 1996”
• Attachment 5 – Current “Noise Regulation Permit Policy (POL-0168-ADMIN)”
• Attachment 6 – Current “Removal of Graffiti Policy (POL-0081-ENG)”
• Attachment 7 – Proposed “Community Standards Bylaw No. 2255, 2026”
• Attachment 8 – Proposed “Community Standards Miscellaneous Amending Bylaw No. 2262, 2026”