---
title: Esquimalt short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
question: "Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Esquimalt?"
place: Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/esquimalt
category: Housing and renting
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/short-term-rental/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/short-term-rental.json"
---

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

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

**Short answer:** In Esquimalt, short-term rentals of under 30 days are not generally allowed. The only exception is a bed and breakfast in the RS-4 and RS-4A zones. The Province also requires a registration number and a principal residence for short-term rentals here.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Cost:** Provincial registration is $100 a year for a principal residence, $450 a year for a secondary unit. The Township lists no short-term rental licence or fee.  
**How long:** Not applicable; no local process is stated.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Development Services (zoning), 250-414-7103
- Phone: Bylaw enforcement, 250-414-7161
- Online: Province of BC, short-term rentals (principal residence requirement), https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Not generally. Short-term rentals of under 30 days are still prohibited, according to the Township, until bylaws are updated. Bed and breakfast is permitted only in the RS-4 and RS-4A zones. Council has been considering allowing short-term rental in the operator's principal dwelling only (up to 180 days a year for a whole-home rental, no secondary or garden suites).
  - Source: [Secondary Suites, Secondary Suites page](https://www.esquimalt.ca/business-development/development/residential-development/secondary-suites)
  - Official wording: "short term rentals for less than 30-days are still prohibited until bylaws are updated" … "permitted only within the operator's principal dwelling unit"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), s. 11(3)(c)](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-1992-no-2050-september-3-2026pdf)
  - Official wording: "no Bed and Breakfast residential Uses are permitted in any other Zone"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Not confirmed. The Township's business licence bylaw is a scan that could not be read.
- **Provincial registration:** Yes. The Province requires each short-term rental unit to have its own registration number. Fee: $100 a year for the host's principal residence, $450 a year for a secondary unit. Esquimalt is on the Province's list of communities where the principal residence requirement applies.
  - Source: [Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC, Provincial STR page](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" … "Communities with principal residence requirement" … "Duncan Esquimalt Gabriola Island"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Operating rules:** If operating as a bed and breakfast in an RS-4 or RS-4A zone: at most 3 rooms and 6 transient guests, and no room rented to one family for more than 2 weeks continuously. Other short-term rental rules: none adopted.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), s. 36.1(2)-(4) RS-4A](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-1992-no-2050-september-3-2026pdf)
  - Official wording: "No more than six (6) transient guests shall be accommodated, not including" … "No more than three (3) rooms shall be provided for Bed and Breakfast." … "for a continuous period of more than two (2) weeks."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** No short-term rental ticket is listed. Bylaw notices: bed and breakfast operating unlawfully $400 ($350 early, $450 late); unlawful use of a building, structure or parcel $400 ($350 early, $450 late).
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839 (PDF, consolidated), Schedule D, Zoning Bylaw](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/2026-09-bylaw-2839-bylaw-notice-enforcement-consolidation)
  - Official wording: "Bed and Breakfast operating unlawfully $400.00 $350.00 $450.00" … "Unlawful Use of Building, Structure or Parcel $400.00 $350.00 $450.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050; Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), Title](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-1992-no-2050-september-3-2026pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW, 1992, NO. 2050"
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839 (PDF, consolidated), Title](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/2026-09-bylaw-2839-bylaw-notice-enforcement-consolidation)
  - Official wording: "OFFENCE NOTICE ENFORCEMENT BYLAW, 2014, NO. 2839"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Esquimalt has not adopted a short-term rental bylaw. Under the [Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-1992-no-2050-september-3-2026pdf), the Township says short-term rentals of under 30 days are still prohibited until bylaws are updated. A bed and breakfast is permitted only in the RS-4 and RS-4A zones.

Council has been considering allowing short-term rental in the operator's principal dwelling only (up to 180 days a year for a whole-home rental, no secondary or garden suites). That is a council direction, not a bylaw change. The Township page predates the April 27, 2026 Council meeting it mentions, and the zoning bylaw consolidated to September 3, 2026 shows no amendment, so check the current status with Development Services.

## Steps

1. Check your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer). Outside RS-4 and RS-4A, rentals under 30 days are not allowed.
2. If you run a bed and breakfast in RS-4 or RS-4A, keep to the zone rules below.
3. Check provincial registration at the Province's short-term rental page.

## Good to know

- Bed and breakfast limits in RS-4 and RS-4A: at most 3 rooms and 6 transient guests, and no room rented to one family for more than 2 weeks continuously.
- The Province requires each short-term rental unit to have its own registration number: $100 a year for a host's principal residence, $450 a year for a secondary unit. Esquimalt is on the Province's list of communities where the principal residence requirement applies. Local bylaws also apply.
- The pages read show no Township short-term rental licence, fee or ticket. Bylaw notices list a bed and breakfast operating unlawfully at $400 ($350 if paid early, $450 if late) and unlawful use of a building, structure or parcel at $400 (same early and late amounts). Whether a short-term rental would be ticketed under the second is not stated.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF)](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-1992-no-2050-september-3-2026pdf)

## Related questions

- [Esquimalt zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Esquimalt secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/secondary-suite.md)
- [Esquimalt home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/home-based-business.md)
- [Esquimalt business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/business-licence.md)
- [Esquimalt bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/short-term-rental.md)
- [View Royal](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/short-term-rental.md)
- [Victoria](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/short-term-rental.md)
- [Colwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/short-term-rental.md)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/short-term-rental.md)
- [Oak Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/short-term-rental.md)
- [Langford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), Township of Esquimalt](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-1992-no-2050-september-3-2026pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Secondary Suites, Township of Esquimalt](https://www.esquimalt.ca/business-development/development/residential-development/secondary-suites) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839 (PDF, consolidated), Township of Esquimalt](https://www.esquimalt.ca/media/file/2026-09-bylaw-2839-bylaw-notice-enforcement-consolidation) (read 2026-11-06)
- [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 2026-11-06)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. 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/esquimalt/short-term-rental/_