---
title: "Alert Bay business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply"
question: "Do I need a business licence in Alert Bay, and how do I get one?"
place: Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/alert-bay
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Alert Bay
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/business-licence/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/business-licence.json"
---

# Alert Bay business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply

**Question:** Do I need a business licence in Alert Bay, and how do I get one?

**Short answer:** Alert Bay has a Business License Bylaw (No. 668) and issues business licences through the Village Office. Apply with the 2025 On Island or Off Island Business License Application on the Village's Business Licenses page. Fees are set in the Fees and Charges Bylaw.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Alert Bay, https://www.alertbay.ca)  
**Cost:** Set in the Fees and Charges Bylaw (Schedule D in Bylaw 788; the current 2024 bylaw is on the Fees and Charges page). Amounts not stated here.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village Office, 250-974-5213
- In person: Municipal Hall, 15 Maple Road, Alert Bay, BC V0N 1A0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Who needs one:** Not confirmed. The Village's Business License Bylaw 668 is mostly unreadable because it is scanned.
- **Fee:** Business licence fees are set in the Village's Fees and Charges Bylaw (Schedule D in the 2020 Bylaw 788); the current 2024 bylaw is posted on the Fees and Charges page.
  - Source: [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 788, Bylaw 788 s. 4](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/4540/)
  - Official wording: "The fees set for Business License shall be set in Schedule D attached to and forming"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **How to apply:** Use the 2025 On Island or Off Island Business License Application, both linked from the Business Licenses page.
  - Source: [Business Licenses, Business Licenses page](https://www.alertbay.ca/business-licenses)
  - Official wording: "2025 On Island Business License Application Here" … "2025 Off Island Business License Application Here"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Renewal:** The Village's current list of business licences is valid until April 30, 2027.
  - Source: [Business Licenses, Business Licenses page](https://www.alertbay.ca/business-licenses)
  - Official wording: "business licenses valid until April 30th, 2027"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Inter-community licence:** Not confirmed. The Village's Business License Bylaw 668 is mostly unreadable because it is scanned.
- **Fine:** Not confirmed. The Village's Business License Bylaw 668 is mostly unreadable because it is scanned.
- **Bylaw:** Business License Bylaw #668, 2004
  - Source: [Business License Bylaw No. 668, 2004, title](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/2981/Bylaw%20668-Business%20license%20bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Business License Bylaw #668, 2004"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Village of Alert Bay issues business licences under its [Business License Bylaw No. 668](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/2981/Bylaw%20668-Business%20license%20bylaw.pdf) (2004). Most pages of the bylaw cannot be read online, so this page cannot say exactly who must hold a licence or what the penalties are.

Fees are set in the Village's Fees and Charges Bylaw (Schedule D in Bylaw 788 from 2020). The current 2024 bylaw is posted on the Village's Fees and Charges page. The schedule is scanned, so no amounts are given here.

## Steps

1. Go to the Village's [Business Licenses page](https://www.alertbay.ca/business-licenses).
2. Use the 2025 On Island or Off Island Business License Application, both linked there.
3. Call the Village Office (250-974-5213) to confirm the current fee and how to submit.

## Good to know

- The Village's current list of business licences is valid until April 30, 2027.
- The Off Island form posted online is for 2015-16 and is out of date, so check with the office before relying on it.

## Official forms and pages

- [Business Licenses, Village of Alert Bay](https://www.alertbay.ca/business-licenses)

## Related questions

- [Alert Bay home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/home-based-business.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Business licence fees in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/business-licence.md)
- [Port McNeill](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-mcneill/business-licence.md)
- [Port Hardy](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-hardy/business-licence.md)
- [Port Alice](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alice/business-licence.md)
- [Sayward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sayward/business-licence.md)
- [Gold River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/business-licence.md)
- [Campbell River](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/campbell-river/business-licence.md)

## Sources

- [Business Licenses, Village of Alert Bay](https://www.alertbay.ca/business-licenses) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Business License Bylaw No. 668, 2004 (PDF), Village of Alert Bay](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/2981/Bylaw%20668-Business%20license%20bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 788, Village of Alert Bay](https://alertbay.civicweb.net/document/4540/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 3 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Alert Bay. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/alert-bay/business-licence/_