---
title: Clearwater short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
question: "Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Clearwater?"
place: Clearwater, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/clearwater
category: Housing and renting
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/short-term-rental/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/short-term-rental.json"
---

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

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

**Short answer:** In Clearwater the District had adopted no short-term rental bylaw as of April 8, 2026. You need a District business licence, and may need a Temporary Use Permit. The Province also requires hosts to register; the provincial principal-residence rule does not apply here.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Cost:** Provincial registration: $100 a year for your principal residence, $450 a year for a secondary unit. The District's short-term rental licence fee was not found; a bed and breakfast licence is $100 a year.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- In person: District of Clearwater office, 209 Dutch Lake Road, Clearwater, BC V0E 1N0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fees are paid in person.)
- Phone: District of Clearwater office, 250-674-2257
- Phone: TNRD Planning (contracted by the District), 250-377-8673 (Email planning@tnrd.ca, for a Temporary Use Permit.)

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** No short-term rental bylaw had been adopted as of April 8, 2026. A bed and breakfast (operator lives in the same dwelling unit) is an accessory use in RL-1, SH-1, CR-1, R-1 and R-2. The OCP policy allows short-term rentals only in the host's principal residence or an accessory suite, with a District business licence; a Temporary Use Permit may also be needed.
  - Source: [District of Clearwater Statement on Short-Term Rentals (April 8, 2026), District statement, April 8, 2026](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/district-of-clearwater-statement-on-short-term-rentals/)
  - Official wording: "no new short-term rental bylaw package has yet been adopted by Council." … "If the accommodation is a separate whole home, separate self-contained suite, or detached dwelling unit, it is generally not a bed and breakfast under the current bylaw framework."
  - Source: [Short-Term Rental Information Page and Application Package Now Available (May 8, 2026), District notice, May 8, 2026](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/short-term-rental-information-page-and-application-package-now-available/)
  - Official wording: "A Temporary Use Permit is a land use approval." … "A Business Licence is an operating approval."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 133, 2016 (PDF, consolidated to April 1, 2025), s. 5.16; s. 8.1.2](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/105297/)
  - Official wording: "Bed and breakfast use, where permitted in this Bylaw, must comply with the following"
  - Source: [Official Community Plan (PDF, 2026), Tourism policy k](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/107122/)
  - Official wording: "Short-term rentals are permitted only within the host’s principal residence or an accessory" … "residential suite located on the same property (such as a basement suite), provided the operator" … "obtains and maintains a valid business licence from the District."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Business licence:** Yes. The District says a business licence is an operating approval for a short-term rental and does not replace a Temporary Use Permit if one is needed. The short-term rental fee was not found; Bylaw 124 lists bed and breakfast at $100 a year.
  - Source: [Short-Term Rental Information Page and Application Package Now Available (May 8, 2026), District notice, May 8, 2026](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/short-term-rental-information-page-and-application-package-now-available/)
  - Official wording: "A business licence does not replace a required Temporary Use Permit."
  - Source: [Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw No. 124, 2014 (PDF, consolidated), Schedule A, category 15](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/56496/)
  - Official wording: "15. BED AND BREAKFAST As defined in Section 2.1 $100.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Provincial registration:** Yes. The Province requires hosts to register; each unit needs its own registration number. Fee: $100 a year for the host's principal residence, $450 a year for a secondary unit. Clearwater is on the Province's list of exempt communities, so the provincial principal residence requirement does not apply here.
  - Source: [Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC, Province page, registration and exempt list](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "Each short-term rental unit requires its own registration number." … "Fee: $100 annually" … "Fee: $450 annually" … "Municipalities exempt from the principal residence requirement"
  - Source: [District of Clearwater Statement on Short-Term Rentals (April 8, 2026), District statement, April 8, 2026](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/district-of-clearwater-statement-on-short-term-rentals/)
  - Official wording: "The Province now requires hosts to register, requires compliance with local bylaws and business licensing"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Operating rules:** Bed and breakfast (zoning s. 5.16): within the operator's own dwelling unit, up to 8 guests and 4 sleeping units, no cooking facilities in guest rooms, 1 parking space for each bedroom used, no guest stay over 60 days in a calendar year. For other short-term rentals the District says the licence covers local contact, listing information and licence number display.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 133, 2016 (PDF, consolidated to April 1, 2025), s. 5.16](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/105297/)
  - Official wording: "a) accommodation may be provided for not more than eight (8) persons as part of the bed" … "c) a maximum of four (4) sleeping units can be used for the bed and breakfast;" … "e) one (1) onsite parking space must be provided for each bedroom used; and" … "f) no bed and breakfast guest shall stay within the same dwelling unit for more than 60 days"
  - Source: [Short-Term Rental Information Page and Application Package Now Available (May 8, 2026), District notice, May 8, 2026](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/short-term-rental-information-page-and-application-package-now-available/)
  - Official wording: "It reviews the operator and business operation, including local contact information, listing information, licence number display, and ongoing operating requirements."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** No short-term rental ticket exists. Operating without a business licence: municipal ticket $100 ($75 if paid within 30 days).
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 221, 2019 (PDF, consolidated to September 2024), Schedule 4](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/28332/)
  - Official wording: "Business carried on without Licence 3.1 100 75" … "the discounted fines pursuant to section 265(2) of the Community Charter for the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** No short-term rental bylaw adopted as of April 8, 2026 (a Temporary Use Permit and business licence application process was announced May 8, 2026). Applicable: Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw No. 124, 2014; Zoning Bylaw No. 133, 2016 (s. 5.16); Development Procedures Bylaw No. 118, 2014.
  - Source: [District of Clearwater Statement on Short-Term Rentals (April 8, 2026), District statement, April 8, 2026](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/district-of-clearwater-statement-on-short-term-rentals/)
  - Official wording: "no new short-term rental bylaw package has yet been adopted by Council." … "At this time, no new short-term rental bylaw package has yet been adopted by Council."
  - Source: [Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw No. 124, 2014 (PDF, consolidated), s. 1.1](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/56496/)
  - Official wording: "District of Clearwater Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw No. 124, 2014"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 133, 2016 (PDF, consolidated to April 1, 2025), cover](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/105297/)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW NO. 133, 2016"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

As of April 8, 2026 the District had adopted no short-term rental bylaw. On May 8, 2026 it announced a short-term rental information page and an application package for a Temporary Use Permit and business licence. We could not read that page, which returned an error on 2026-11-08, so ask the District for current rules.

What we can confirm:
- **Business licence:** the District says a business licence is an operating approval for a short-term rental. It does not replace a Temporary Use Permit if one is needed. For other short-term rentals, the licence covers local contact, listing information and licence number display. See the business-licence answer.
- **Bed and breakfast:** an accessory use in the RL-1, SH-1, CR-1, R-1 and R-2 zones, if the operator lives in the same dwelling unit. Limits (Zoning Bylaw s. 5.16): up to 8 guests and 4 sleeping units, no cooking facilities in guest rooms, 1 parking space for each bedroom used, and no guest stay over 60 days in a calendar year.
- **OCP policy:** the Official Community Plan says short-term rentals should be allowed only in the host's principal residence or an accessory suite on the same property, with a valid business licence.
- **Province:** hosts must register with the Province, and each unit needs its own registration number. It costs $100 a year for the host's principal residence and $450 a year for a secondary unit. Clearwater is on the Province's list of exempt communities, so the provincial principal residence requirement does not apply here. Local bylaws and licences still apply.

## Steps

1. Call the District office (250-674-2257) to ask about the current short-term rental process and fees.
2. Get a District business licence. Fees are paid in person at the District office.
3. Ask TNRD Planning (250-377-8673) whether you also need a Temporary Use Permit.
4. Register with the Province and show your registration number in your listing.

## Good to know

- A Bylaw 124 bed and breakfast licence is $100 a year. That bylaw has no short-term rental category, so the short-term rental fee is not confirmed.
- The Temporary Use Permit fee in Development Procedures Bylaw No. 118 is $1,500, but the documents we read do not say it applies to short-term rentals.
- Operating without a business licence is a municipal ticket of $100 ($75 if paid within 30 days). There is no ticket specific to short-term rentals. Provincial penalties are separate.

## Official forms and pages

- [District statement on short-term rentals (April 8, 2026)](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/district-of-clearwater-statement-on-short-term-rentals/)
- [Short-term rental information page and application package notice (May 8, 2026)](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/short-term-rental-information-page-and-application-package-now-available/)
- [Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw No. 124, 2014 (consolidated)](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/56496/)
- [Short-term rentals, Province of BC](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)

## Related questions

- [Clearwater business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/business-licence.md)
- [Clearwater home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/home-based-business.md)
- [Clearwater secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clearwater/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)
- [Barriere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/barriere/short-term-rental.md)
- [Sun Peaks](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sun-peaks/short-term-rental.md)
- [Chase](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chase/short-term-rental.md)
- [100 Mile House](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/short-term-rental.md)
- [Kamloops](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/short-term-rental.md)
- [Clinton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/clinton/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [District of Clearwater Statement on Short-Term Rentals (April 8, 2026)](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/district-of-clearwater-statement-on-short-term-rentals/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Short-Term Rental Information Page and Application Package Now Available (May 8, 2026)](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/short-term-rental-information-page-and-application-package-now-available/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 133, 2016 (PDF, consolidated to April 1, 2025)](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/105297/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw No. 124, 2014 (PDF, consolidated)](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/56496/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Official Community Plan (PDF, 2026), District of Clearwater](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/107122/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 221, 2019 (PDF, consolidated to September 2024)](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/28332/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Planning Department, District of Clearwater](https://www.districtofclearwater.com/developers/planning-department/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Development Procedures Bylaw No. 118 (PDF), Schedule A fees](https://districtofclearwater.civicweb.net/document/24118/) (read 2026-11-08)

_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/clearwater/short-term-rental/_