8 Of The Weirdest Ottawa Bylaws You Won't Believe Actually Exist

When you live in a city, it’s great to know what you can and can’t do.

Ottawa has some pretty common city bylaws, but others are a bit more surprising — and sometimes bizarre — despite the fact they can land you some hefty fines.

Here are some of the weirdest rules in the nation's capital.

1. You can't idle your vehicle when it's between 5 and 27 degrees

It’s illegal to idle your vehicle for more than three minutes per hour when temperatures range from 5 C to 27 C in Ottawa.

Why the specific temperature range?

"Idling is allowed during extreme outdoor temperatures to ensure that an occupied vehicle’s interior can be heated or cooled," reads the city's Idling Control bylaw.

However, you won’t get dinged if you’re running a hybrid vehicle or school bus.

2. Your rental unit must be at least 20 degrees during the day

Landlords must heat their properties well in the snowy capital.

According to the Heat bylaw, rental units must have temperatures no lower than 20 degrees from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Overnight, heat can't go below 16.67 degrees (from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.)

So, if your apartment isn’t warm enough during the chilly winter months, it might be worth speaking to your landlord about it. A dwelling "is normally heated by or at the expense of the landlord," according to this rule.

3. You can't park on the street when there's 7 cm of snow

Street parking is temporarily illegal when there is a snow forecast of 7 cm or more.

According to the Winter Parking bylaw, which also applies to freezing rain, the ban is in place to help with snow clearing.

"Vehicles without a residential parking permit that are parked on the street during a parking ban may be ticketed and towed," reads the bylaw.

Thankfully, the winter parking ban doesn't apply if you have a residential parking permit.

4. Shouting can land you a $1,000 fine during special events

You might want to keep your voice down when there's a special event going on in the city.

Folks are prohibited from shouting or causing any noise “likely to disturb the inhabitants of the City” under Ottawa's Noise bylaw.

Typically, shouting loudly can get you a $490 ticket, but that fine shoots up to $1,000 during special events, like the Panda football game and Canada Day. Yikes!

5. You can't ride a bike while carrying a package on a highway

You also might want to think twice about how you deliver your packages.

In the capital city, you can't ride your bike on a highway while carrying a package or anything that "prevents the rider from keeping both hands on the handlebars."

The rule was made so "riders maintain control of their bicycle, "Phil Landry, director of traffic services, said in an email to Narcity.

6. You can’t own more than five cats

Did you know that you can only own as many as five cats in Ottawa?

On top of that, you can only have three dogs if you also own cats, according to the Animal Care and Control bylaw. The pet cap also applies to rabbits.

There are some exceptions, though. You can keep more cats if they’re under 20 weeks old, and more rabbits if they’re under seven weeks old. If you’re registered to have foster animals or live in a rural area, the law doesn’t apply.

7. It’s illegal for your cat to be noisy and obnoxious

Although your furry feline is allowed outdoors, you’ll be in trouble if it causes a ruckus.

The cat can’t be causing a nuisance or disturbance to someone, or their property, in a residential area. It’s illegal for any animal to be noisy if it disturbs someone’s “peace, quiet, rest, enjoyment, or comfort” in Ottawa.

So, be sure to watch Felix closely because “the Chief of Police or a By-law Officer may seize the cat provided the cat is contained and may cause the cat to be delivered to the pound.”

8. Construction can go on until 10 p.m.

You might hear construction going on late at night in O-town.

As per the Noise bylaw allowing building development to go on until 10 p.m., from Monday to Saturday, construction hours run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Sunday, the hours are pushed back from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

However, construction hours end earlier in other municipalities. For example, construction can’t go past 7 p.m. in Toronto.