Castlegar short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

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

Castlegar, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

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.

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.Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 10.4, 10.5; Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 5.2.4; Apply for a Business Licence, Short Term Rentals · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 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 Short-Term Vacation Rentals are regulated separately through the Business Licensing except for the principle residency requirement.
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).Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 2 (Business); Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 10.1, 10.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording includes mobile vending, busking, and short term rental of 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
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.B.C.'s short-term rental legislation, Province of British Columbia, Provincial short-term rental registry; Principal residence requirement and registration fees, Province of British Columbia · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 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. 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:
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.Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 10.3, 10.6, 10.7; Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), Table 6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 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. Bed & Breakfast / Short-Term Rental Units 0.5 space per bedroom to a maximum of 4 spaces
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.Municipal Ticketing Bylaw 1179 (consolidated, PDF), Schedule B-3, s. 3.1; Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 15.2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording No business licence $200 $100 Carry on business while licence suspended $400 $200 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
Bylaw	Business Licencing Bylaw No. 1337, 2020 (Part 10, Short Term Rental Licence Applications) and Zoning Bylaw No. 1428Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), s. 1.1; Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), s. 1.1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as ‘Business Licencing Bylaw No. 1337, 2020’. This Bylaw may be cited as “Zoning Bylaw No. 1428”.

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, 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

Call or email Development Services to confirm your property can be used for short-term rental.
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.
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.
Show your City business licence number on every platform listing.
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

The same question in other places

Fruitvale · Trail · Warfield · Rossland · Montrose · Nelson

Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

Apply for a Business Licence, City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
Business Licencing Bylaw 1337 (consolidated, PDF), City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
Zoning Bylaw 1428 (consolidated, PDF), City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
Municipal Ticketing Bylaw 1179 (consolidated, PDF), City of Castlegar (read 2026-11-05)
B.C.'s short-term rental legislation, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-05)
Principal residence requirement and registration fees, Province of British Columbia (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. How answers are checked.