Esquimalt short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Esquimalt?
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.
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).Secondary Suites, Secondary Suites page; Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), s. 11(3)(c) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingshort term rentals for less than 30-days are still prohibited until bylaws are updated permitted only within the operator's principal dwelling unit no Bed and Breakfast residential Uses are permitted in any other Zone |
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| 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.Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC, Provincial STR page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingEach short-term rental unit requires its own registration number. Fee: $100 annually Fee: $450 annually Communities with principal residence requirement Duncan Esquimalt Gabriola Island |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), s. 36.1(2)-(4) RS-4A · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingNo 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. |
| 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).Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839 (PDF, consolidated), Schedule D, Zoning Bylaw · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingBed and Breakfast operating unlawfully $400.00 $350.00 $450.00 Unlawful Use of Building, Structure or Parcel $400.00 $350.00 $450.00 |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050; Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), Title; Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839 (PDF, consolidated), Title · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingZONING BYLAW, 1992, NO. 2050 OFFENCE NOTICE ENFORCEMENT BYLAW, 2014, NO. 2839 |
How it works
Esquimalt has not adopted a short-term rental bylaw. Under the Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050, 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
- Check your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer). Outside RS-4 and RS-4A, rentals under 30 days are not allowed.
- If you run a bed and breakfast in RS-4 or RS-4A, keep to the zone rules below.
- 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
The same question in other places
View Royal · Victoria · Colwood · Saanich · Oak Bay · Langford
Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050 (PDF, consolidated Sept. 3, 2026), Township of Esquimalt (read 2026-11-06)
- Secondary Suites, Township of Esquimalt (read 2026-11-06)
- Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw, 2014, No. 2839 (PDF, consolidated), Township of Esquimalt (read 2026-11-06)
- Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC (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. How answers are checked.