Dawson Creek short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

Can I rent out my home or a room short-term (Airbnb) in Dawson Creek?

Dawson Creek, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

Short answer

Yes. Dawson Creek's Zoning Bylaw allows short-term rentals (under 30 days) in all residential zones, but you need a City business licence ($239.78 per unit or room in 2026) and must register with the Province. Dawson Creek is on the Province's exempt list, so the principal-residence rule does not apply.

Key facts

Allowed	Yes. Short-term rentals (under 30 days) are permitted in all residential zones. The City sets no principal-residence rule in the documents read, and the Province lists Dawson Creek as exempt from the provincial principal residence requirement.Zoning Bylaw 4625, 2026, s. 5.16.1; Zoning Bylaw 4625, 2026, Definition; Provincial principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, Exempt communities · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Short-term rentals are permitted in all residential zones. SHORT TERM RENTAL means the rental of a dwelling unit or portion thereof for periods of less than 30 days. Daajing Giids Dawson Creek Enderby
Business licence	Yes, a City business licence is required. Fee 2026: $239.78 per unit or room ($244.58 in 2027), plus taxes. Owners need a licence unless a property management company manages the unit.Zoning Bylaw 4625, 2026, s. 5.16.2; Fees and Charges Bylaw 3932 (consolidated), Schedule F, Schedule F, 01-04; Annual Business Licence & Regulation Bylaw 4288, 2016, s. 12.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Short-term rentals are required to hold a City business license. Short-term rentals (per unit or room) $235.08 $239.78 $244.58 $249.47 ALL FEES ARE PLUS APPLICABLE TAXES All owners of a rental unit are required to obtain a business licence unless the rental unit is managed by a property management company.
Provincial registration	Yes. Short-term rental hosts must register with the Province and renew yearly, for stays under 90 consecutive days, whether or not a local licence is needed. Provincial fees are $100 a year for your principal residence and $450 a year for a secondary unit.Short-term rental registration, Province of British Columbia, Registration; Provincial principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, Business licence exemptions · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Short-term rental hosts, platforms and strata hotel platforms in B.C. must register and pay annual registration fees. you must renew it each year to continue operating. Provincial registration requirements apply to short-term rentals offered for fewer than 90 consecutive days, regardless of whether a local business licence is required. Fee: $100 annually Fee: $450 annually
Operating rules	At licence application, give a contact who can respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and a parking plan for each rented unit or room. List the City licence number on every online listing. Fire safety: posted evacuation plan, smoke alarms, fire extinguisher on each floor, carbon monoxide detector if gas appliances, compliant bedroom windows.Annual Business Licence & Regulation Bylaw 4288, 2016, s. 12.4; Annual Business Licence & Regulation Bylaw 4288, 2016, s. 12.5-12.6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Contact information for someone who is able to respond to incidents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; and A parking plan showing the location of parking spaces for each rented unit/room Operators of short-term rentals or rooming houses are required to meet the following fire safety Operators listing a short-term rental online are required to list the City of Dawson Creek business licence number on every online listing.
Fine	Bylaw notices (Bylaw 4277): no licence $125 ($100 if paid within 14 days, $150 late); failing to list the licence number online $100 ($50 early, $150 late); failing fire safety requirements $200 ($150 early, $300 late). Municipal ticket (Bylaw 4278): fire safety failure $750.Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 4277, Schedule B; Municipal Ticket Information System Bylaw 4278, Schedule, Schedule D; Annual Business Licence & Regulation Bylaw 4288, 2016, s. 23.9 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording 4288 3.1 Fail to obtain and maintain a licence 125 100 150 Yes 4288 12.6 Fail to list Business licence number 100 50 150 Yes 4288 12.5 Fail to meet Fire Safety requirements 200 150 300 Yes 4288 12.5 Fail to meet Fire Safety requirements 750 A person who contravenes any provision of this bylaw is liable to a fine of not more than $10,000.00 and not less than $100.00 for each offence.
Bylaw	Zoning Bylaw No. 4625, 2026 (s. 5.16); Annual Business Licence & Regulation Bylaw No. 4288, 2016 (s. 12); Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 3932, 2007 (Schedule F); provincial Short-Term Rental Accommodations ActZoning Bylaw 4625, 2026, s. 1; Annual Business Licence & Regulation Bylaw 4288, 2016, s. 1.1; Short-term rental registration, Province of British Columbia, Helpful links · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording This Bylaw may be cited as “ZONING BYLAW NO. 4625, 2026 ANNUAL BUSINESS LICENCE & REGULATION BYLAW NO. 4288, 2016 Learn more about B.C.'s Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act

How it works

Zoning Bylaw 4625 (s. 5.16) permits short-term rentals, meaning rentals under 30 days, in all residential zones. A City business licence is required under Bylaw 4288 (s. 12), unless a property management company manages the unit, and operators must follow provincial rules. The Province lists Dawson Creek as exempt from its principal-residence requirement, so you do not need to live in the unit. Registration with the Province still applies.

Steps

Apply for a City business licence for each rental unit or room. Give a contact who can respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and a parking plan for each unit or room.
Meet the fire safety rules: a posted evacuation plan, smoke alarms, a fire extinguisher on each floor, a carbon monoxide detector if you have gas appliances, and compliant bedroom windows.
Register with the Province's short-term rental registry and renew yearly. This applies to stays under 90 consecutive days, whether or not a local licence is needed.
List the City licence number on every online listing.

Good to know

A unit offered for both short-term and long-term rental pays the short-term fee.
Bylaw notices (Bylaw 4277): no licence $125 ($100 if paid within 14 days, $150 late); not listing the licence number online $100 ($50 early, $150 late); failing fire safety requirements $200 ($150 early, $300 late). A municipal ticket (Bylaw 4278) for a fire safety failure is $750.
The bylaw sets no guest or bedroom limit that we found. Zoning s. 5.16 offences are not itemized in the ticket schedules, and the general zoning ticket is $500 as a bylaw notice or $750 as a municipal ticket.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Pouce Coupe · Taylor · Fort St. John · Chetwynd · Tumbler Ridge · Hudson's Hope

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

Sources

Zoning Bylaw 4625, 2026 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Annual Business Licence & Regulation Bylaw 4288, 2016 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Fees and Charges Bylaw 3932 (consolidated), Schedule F (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 4277, Schedule B (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Municipal Ticket Information System Bylaw 4278, Schedule (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Provincial principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-05)
Short-term rental registration, 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.