GovHandbook

Delta short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

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

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

Short answer

Delta has no short-term rental bylaw or web page that we found, so the Province's rules apply. In the City of Delta you may rent only your principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit, and you must register with the Province each year. Confirm zoning with the City.

Key facts

AllowedThe Province's principal residence requirement applies in Delta: rentals limited to the host's principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit. Class 9 farm land is exempt, and a B&B may continue if the owner lives there. Delta zoning lists a bed and breakfast as an A1 accessory use. No Delta short-term rental bylaw was found.B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, BC principal residence requirement page; Delta Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, 2017, s. 10.10.3 (A1 zone accessory uses) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
B.C. has a provincial principal residence requirement in some areas of the province which limits short-term rentals to:
Plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property
Cumberland Delta Duncan
Farm Land (Class 9 under BC Assessment Act, Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) designation alone is not exempt)
A B&B may continue to operate if the owner lives on the property.
Bed and breakfast operation
Business licenceA Delta business licence is required to carry on any business (s. 5.1). Schedule 4 has no short-term rental line; the nearest lodging lines are Bed and Breakfast $23 per room and Apartment, Motel, or Hotel $23 per unit, per year.Delta Business Licence Bylaw No. 7670, 2017 (consolidated), s. 5.1; Delta Consolidated Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 8386, Schedule 4, Schedule 4, Part B item 6 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
no person may carry on, maintain,
own, or operate a Business without holding a valid and subsisting Licence.
(6) Bed and Breakfast $23.00 /room
(6) Bed and Breakfast $23.00 /room
(3) Apartment, Motel, or Hotel $23.00 /unit
Provincial registrationYes. Short-term rental hosts must register with the Province, pay an annual fee and renew each year. Each rental unit needs its own registration number. Without registration, listings are removed and bookings cancelled.Short-term rental registration, Province of British Columbia, Provincial registration page; B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, Principal residence page · 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.
If you have a short-term rental registration, you must renew it each year to continue operating.
Your listings will no longer be advertised,
Each short-term rental unit requires its own registration number.
Operating rulesFor a bed and breakfast: no more than six guests at once; one parking spot per bedroom reserved for guests; a fire evacuation plan posted in each guest room; guest records kept; premises inspection requested with the licence application.Delta Business Licence Bylaw No. 7670, 2017 (consolidated), s. 6.12 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
accommodate no more than six patrons at the premises at any one time;
provide one designated parking spot for each bedroom, to be used
post a copy of the fire evacuation plan, showing the location of exits, fire
request inspection of the premises at the time the Licence application is
FineOperating without a business licence: $1,000 under the Municipal Ticket Information bylaw; $500 under the Bylaw Notice Enforcement bylaw ($450 if paid within 14 days, $550 after 28 days). Unauthorized use of land or buildings under the Zoning Bylaw is $1,000 (ticket) or $500 (notice).Delta Municipal Ticketing Information Bylaw No. 6639, Schedule 1, Schedule 1, Business Licence Bylaw 7670; Delta Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 7009, 2011, Schedule A, Business Licence Bylaw 7670; Delta Municipal Ticketing Information Bylaw No. 6639, Schedule 1, Schedule 1, Zoning Bylaw 7600; Delta Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 7009, 2011, Schedule A, Zoning Bylaw 7600 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
5.1 No Business Licence 1,000
5.1 No Business Licence 500 450 550
4.2.1 Unauthorized use of land, buildings, structures or surface of 1,000
4.2.1 Unauthorized use of land, 500 450 550
BylawDelta Business Licence Bylaw No. 7670, 2017 (s. 6.12 Bed and Breakfast); Delta Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, 2017; and the Province's Short-Term Rental Accommodations ActDelta Business Licence Bylaw No. 7670, 2017 (consolidated), s. 1.1; Delta Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, 2017, cover; Short-term rentals, Province of British Columbia, Provincial page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
This Bylaw may be cited as “Delta Business Licence Bylaw No. 7670, 2017”.
Delta Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, 2017
Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act and regulations

How it works

The City of Delta has no short-term rental bylaw or web page that we found. The Province's Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act applies, and its principal residence requirement covers Delta: rentals are limited to the host's principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property. Farm land in Class 9 is exempt, and a bed and breakfast may continue if the owner lives there. Local rules can be stricter than the Province's.

Steps

  1. Check that you live in the unit you want to list. A whole second home generally cannot be a short-term rental.
  2. Register with the Province's short-term rental registry and renew each year. Each rental unit needs its own registration number. Without registration, listings are removed and bookings cancelled.
  3. Get a City business licence: every business in Delta needs one (Business Licence Bylaw s. 5.1). Schedule 4 of the fees bylaw has no short-term rental line; the nearest lodging lines are Bed and Breakfast $23 per room and Apartment, Motel or Hotel $23 per unit, per year. Whether other short-term rentals are licensed is not stated.
  4. Ask the City whether your zoning allows it: call 604-946-4141.

Good to know

  • Delta zoning lists a bed and breakfast as an accessory use in the A1 zone. For a licensed bed and breakfast the licence bylaw (s. 6.12) allows no more than six guests at once, one guest parking spot per bedroom, a fire evacuation plan posted in each guest room, guest records, and a premises inspection requested with the licence application.
  • No Delta rule on posting a licence number or local contact for other short-term rentals was found.
  • Fines: operating without a business licence is $1,000 as a municipal ticket or $500 as a bylaw notice ($450 if paid within 14 days, $550 after 28 days). Unauthorized use of land or buildings under the Zoning Bylaw is $1,000 as a ticket or $500 as a notice.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Richmond · Vancouver · Burnaby · White Rock · New Westminster · Surrey

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

Sources

  1. Short-term rentals, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-05)
  2. B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-05)
  3. Short-term rental registration, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-05)
  4. Delta Business Licence Bylaw No. 7670, 2017 (consolidated) (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
  5. Delta Consolidated Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 8386, Schedule 4 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
  6. Delta Zoning Bylaw No. 7600, 2017 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
  7. Delta Municipal Ticketing Information Bylaw No. 6639, Schedule 1 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
  8. Delta Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 7009, 2011 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
  9. How Can We Help?, City of Delta (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.