---
title: Castlegar short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
question: "Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Castlegar?"
place: Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/castlegar
category: Housing and renting
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/short-term-rental/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/short-term-rental.json"
---

# Castlegar short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

**Question:** Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Castlegar?

**Short answer:** Yes, with a City of Castlegar business licence. Short-term rental accommodation is treated as a business, and the licence number must appear on every listing. You must also register with the Province. Castlegar does not require the host's principal residence. Contact Development Services at 250-365-8964.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Where:**
- Phone: Development Services, 250-365-8964
- Email: Development Services, devserv@castlegar.ca
- Online: Apply for a Business Licence page, https://castlegar.ca/planning-building-business/business-resources/apply-for-a-business-licence/

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Yes, with a business licence. Short-term rental accommodation (under 90 consecutive days) can be in a principal residence, a non-principal residence, plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit. The City does not require the host's principal residence.
  - Source: [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 10.4, 10.5](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Short Term Rental Accommodation is defined as the provision of accommodation" … "for less than 90 consecutive days. (Bylaw 1420)" … "Short Term Rental Accommodation can be provided within a principal residence, a"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 5.2.4](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Consolidated.Branded.Bylaw_.1428-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Short-Term Vacation Rentals are regulated separately through the Business Licensing"
  - Source: [Apply for a Business Licence, Short Term Rentals](https://castlegar.ca/planning-building-business/business-resources/apply-for-a-business-licence/)
  - Official wording: "except for the principle residency requirement."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Yes. The Business Licencing Bylaw counts short-term rental of accommodation as a business, so a licence is required. Applicants must show proof of ownership (and a strata or building consent letter for multi-unit buildings).
  - Source: [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 2 (Business)](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf)
  - Official wording: "includes mobile vending, busking, and short term rental of"
  - Source: [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 10.1, 10.2](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Applicants for short term rental licence applications shall be required to provide" … "proof of ownership of the premises from which the short-term rental shall be"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Provincial registration:** Yes. Since May 1, 2025 all short-term rental hosts must register with the provincial registry and show the registration number on their listing. Provincial fee: $100 a year for the host's principal residence, $450 a year for a secondary unit.
  - Source: [B.C.'s short-term rental legislation, Province of British Columbia, Provincial short-term rental registry](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/short-term-rental-legislation)
  - Official wording: "As of May 1, 2025, all short-term rental hosts, platforms, and strata hotel platforms operating in B.C. must be registered with the provincial short-term rental registry."
  - Source: [Principal residence requirement and registration fees, Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "The unit the host lives in is their principal residence. The guests have access to the host's space (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room). Fee: $100 annually This includes:" … "Any accommodation that is separate from the home where the host lives, sleeps, and eats is considered a secondary unit, even if it is located on the same property or connected by an interior door. Guests stay in their own private space and do not have access to the host's bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen. Fee: $450 annually This includes:"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Operating rules:** Show a valid business licence number on every platform listing. Give one or two local contacts who can respond within 15 minutes. Parking: 0.5 space per bedroom, up to 4 spaces. The City may require a platform to remove a listing without a valid licence.
  - Source: [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 10.3, 10.6, 10.7](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf)
  - Official wording: "who are available to respond within fifteen minutes to any enquiries" … "Short Term Rental Accommodation hosts will be required to display a valid business" … "short-term rental platform must remove the listing at the request of the City."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), Table 6](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Consolidated.Branded.Bylaw_.1428-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Bed & Breakfast / Short-Term Rental Units 0.5 space per bedroom to a maximum of 4 spaces"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Municipal ticket for no business licence: $200, or $100 if paid within 30 days. Carrying on business while a licence is suspended: $400 ($200 within 30 days). On conviction in court: $100 to $2,000.
  - Source: [Municipal Ticketing Bylaw 1179 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule B-3, s. 3.1](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Consolidated.Branded.Bylaw_.1179.Municipal-Ticketing-2.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No business licence $200 $100" … "Carry on business while licence suspended $400 $200"
  - Source: [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 15.2](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf)
  - Official wording: "conviction thereof, be liable to a penalty of not less than $100.00 (one hundred" … "dollars) nor more than $2,000.00 (two thousand dollars), as provided under the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Business Licencing Bylaw No. 1337, 2020 (Part 10, Short Term Rental Licence Applications) and Zoning Bylaw No. 1428
  - Source: [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 1.1](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as ‘Business Licencing Bylaw No. 1337, 2020’."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 1.1.1](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Consolidated.Branded.Bylaw_.1428-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This Bylaw may be cited as “Zoning Bylaw No. 1428”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Castlegar treats short-term rental of accommodation as a business, so a licence is required under [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf), Part 10. Short-term means under 90 consecutive days in that bylaw. The Zoning Bylaw defines a short-term vacation rental as under 30 days.

You can rent a principal residence, a non-principal residence, plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit. The City does not require the host's principal residence, and the Province lists Castlegar as exempt from its principal-residence rule. Provincial registration still applies. The Zoning Bylaw refers short-term rentals to the Business Licencing Bylaw rather than listing them as a use by zone.

## Steps

1. Call or email Development Services to confirm your property can be used for short-term rental.
2. Apply for a business licence. Show proof of ownership, and in a strata or multi-unit building a consent letter. Schedule A has no separate short-term rental fee, so ask Development Services what applies.
3. Register with the Province. Since May 1, 2025, all hosts must register and show the registration number on their listing. The provincial fee is $100 a year for the host's principal residence and $450 a year for a secondary unit.
4. Show your City business licence number on every platform listing.
5. Give one or two local contacts who can respond within 15 minutes.

## Good to know

- Parking: 0.5 space per bedroom, up to 4 spaces.
- The City may require a platform to remove a listing that has no valid licence.
- Licences run January 1 to December 31.
- A municipal ticket for operating without a business licence is $200, or $100 if paid within 30 days. Carrying on business while a licence is suspended is $400 ($200 within 30 days). On conviction in court the fine is $100 to $2,000.
- Using a Residential Boarding Home for short-term rental is barred by the Zoning Bylaw and carries a $200 ticket for a first offence and $400 for a second.
- A bed and breakfast is a home-based business: up to 4 guest rooms, with the operator living on site and the property being their principal residence.

## Official forms and pages

- [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (PDF)](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf)
- [BC short-term rental legislation](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/short-term-rental-legislation)
- [BC principal residence requirement and registration fees](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)

## Related questions

- [Castlegar business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/business-licence.md)
- [Castlegar home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/home-based-business.md)
- [Castlegar secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/secondary-suite.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/short-term-rental.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/short-term-rental.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/short-term-rental.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/short-term-rental.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/short-term-rental.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/short-term-rental.md)
- [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [Apply for a Business Licence, City of Castlegar](https://castlegar.ca/planning-building-business/business-resources/apply-for-a-business-licence/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), City of Castlegar](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Consolidated-Bylaw1337-Business-Licencing.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), City of Castlegar](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Consolidated.Branded.Bylaw_.1428-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticketing Bylaw 1179 (consolidated, PDF), City of Castlegar](https://castlegar.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Consolidated.Branded.Bylaw_.1179.Municipal-Ticketing-2.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [B.C.'s short-term rental legislation, Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/short-term-rental-legislation) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Principal residence requirement and registration fees, Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with any government. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/short-term-rental/_