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

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

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

**Short answer:** In Cranbrook, short-term rentals (fewer than 90 consecutive days) are limited to your principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the property, under the Province's rules. You must register with the Province. The City has no short-term rental bylaw, but a bed and breakfast needs a City business licence.

**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. City annual business licence for a bed and breakfast $150 plus taxes.  
**Where:**
- Online: Provincial short-term rental information and registry, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals
- Phone: Service BC short-term rental line, 1-833-828-2240
- Phone: City of Cranbrook business licence inquiries, 250-489-0263
- In person: City Hall (business licence applications), 40 10th Avenue South, Cranbrook, BC V1C 2M8

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Cranbrook is on the Province's list: short-term rentals are limited to the host's principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the property (farm class land is exempt). A bed and breakfast (up to 4 guest rooms, no guest over 30 days in 12 months) is a home based business under the Zoning Bylaw.
  - Source: [B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, Overview; community list](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "The usual place where they make their home day-to-day home" … "Plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property" … "Cranbrook Creston Cumberland" … "Farm Land (Class 9 under BC Assessment Act, Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) designation alone is not exempt)"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019, Part 3 Interpretation, s. 3.04 Bed and Breakfast](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/2000)
  - Official wording: "BED AND BREAKFAST means a home based business carried on in a single" … "family dwelling which provides not more than four (4) rooms for the temporary" … "length of occupancy by any guest is not more than thirty (30) days in any twelve"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** A bed and breakfast needs a business licence: no one may carry on business in the City without one, and the bylaw defines a bed and breakfast as a home-based business with up to four guest rooms. Annual licence $150 plus taxes. Other short-term rentals are not named.
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 3194, 1994, Schedule A](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/91364)
  - Official wording: "means a home-based business carried on in a single family" … "dwelling which provides not more than four (4) rooms for the accommodation for sleeping purposes only" … "No person shall carry on a business within the City without first:" … "dwelling which provides not more than four (4) rooms for the"
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 3194, 1994, Schedule B](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/91364)
  - Official wording: "Annual Business Licence *1* $150.00"
  - Source: [Licencing, Business Licence Fees](https://www.cranbrook.ca/business/licensing-permits)
  - Official wording: "Annual Business Licence $150"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Provincial registration:** Yes. Short-term rental hosts must register with the Province and pay an annual fee: $100 for the host's principal residence, $450 for a secondary unit (suite, cottage or carriage home). Registration applies to rentals of fewer than 90 consecutive days.
  - Source: [Short-term rentals, Province of British Columbia, Short-term rental registration](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals)
  - Official wording: "Short-term rental hosts, platforms and strata hotel platforms in B.C. must register and pay annual registration fees."
  - Source: [B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, Registration fees](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "Fee: $100 annually" … "Fee: $450 annually" … "Provincial registration requirements apply to short-term rentals offered for fewer than 90 consecutive days"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Operating rules:** No City short-term rental rules found. A bed and breakfast may have at most four guest rooms, with no guest staying more than 30 days in any 12 months, plus one parking space per guest room, and must follow the home based business rules in Zoning s. 4.06.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019, Part 3 Interpretation, Zoning Bylaw s. 3.04 Bed and Breakfast](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/2000)
  - Official wording: "which provides not more than four (4) rooms for the temporary" … "length of occupancy by any guest is not more than thirty (30) days in any twelve"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Doing business without a business licence: $100 municipal ticket (Municipal Ticketing Information System Bylaw, Schedule B3, s. 5.01).
  - Source: [https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106172/, Schedule B3](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106172/)
  - Official wording: "BUSINESS LICENCE BYLAW NO. 3194, 1994 SECTION FINE" … "No Business Licence 5.01 100.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Business Licence Bylaw No. 3194, 1994; Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019 (s. 3.04, s. 4.06); Province of BC Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 3194, 1994, s. 1.01](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/91364)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as the "City of Cranbrook Business Licence Bylaw No. 3194,"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019, Part 3 Interpretation, s. 3.04 Home Based Business](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/2000)
  - Official wording: "HOME BASED BUSINESS means an occupation, service, profession or craft which"
  - Source: [Short-term rentals, Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals)
  - Official wording: "Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

British Columbia regulates short-term rentals, meaning stays of fewer than 90 consecutive days. Cranbrook is on the Province's list of communities, so short-term rentals are limited to the host's principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the property (farm class land is exempt). Hosts must register with the Province and pay an annual fee.

The City of Cranbrook has no bylaw specific to short-term rentals. Under its [Zoning Bylaw](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/2000), a bed and breakfast is a home-based business in a single family dwelling with up to four guest rooms, where no guest stays more than 30 days in any 12 months.

## Steps

1. Confirm the rental is your principal residence (or the one allowed secondary unit).
2. Register with the Province's short-term rental registry ($100 a year for a principal residence, $450 for a secondary unit).
3. For a bed and breakfast, get a City business licence: no one may carry on business in the City without one. It is $150 a year plus taxes. The City asks about 2 weeks for processing.
4. For a bed and breakfast, provide one parking space per guest room and follow the home-based business rules in Zoning s. 4.06.

## Good to know

- The City's pages do not say whether other short-term rental hosts need a business licence. Ask the City.
- No City operating rules (guest limits, posting a licence number, local contact) were found.
- Doing business without a licence draws a $100 municipal ticket. Provincial fines are separate.
- Questions about provincial rules: 1-833-828-2240.

## Official forms and pages

- [Provincial principal residence requirement and list of communities](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
- [City of Cranbrook Licencing page (Business Licence Application)](https://www.cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/licensing-permits)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019 (consolidated)](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/573)

## Related questions

- [Cranbrook business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/business-licence.md)
- [Cranbrook home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/home-based-business.md)
- [Cranbrook zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Cranbrook secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cranbrook/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)
- [Kimberley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kimberley/short-term-rental.md)
- [Fernie](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fernie/short-term-rental.md)
- [Canal Flats](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/canal-flats/short-term-rental.md)
- [Creston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/creston/short-term-rental.md)
- [Elkford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/elkford/short-term-rental.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Short-term rentals, Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Licencing, City of Cranbrook](https://www.cranbrook.ca/business/licensing-permits) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licence Bylaw No. 3194, 1994 (PDF), City of Cranbrook](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/91364) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 3977, 2019, Part 3 Interpretation (PDF), City of Cranbrook](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/2000) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Municipal Ticketing Information System Bylaw No. 3856, 2016 (PDF), City of Cranbrook](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106172) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Request for Service, Bylaw Services, City of Cranbrook](https://www.cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/bylaw-services/service-requests) (read 2026-11-05)
- [https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106172/](https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/document/106172/) (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/cranbrook/short-term-rental/_