---
title: Grand Forks home-based business rules
question: "Can I run a business from my home?"
place: Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/grand-forks
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Grand Forks
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/home-based-business/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/home-based-business.json"
---

# Grand Forks home-based business rules

**Question:** Can I run a business from my home?

**Short answer:** Yes, in most residential zones in the City of Grand Forks, as a "home occupation" under the Zoning Bylaw, with a City business licence ($75 a year). It must stay inside the home or an accessory building, use no more than 30% of the floor area, and have no outdoor storage.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Grand Forks, https://www.grandforks.ca)  
**Cost:** $75 a year for the City business licence (Bylaw 2126). No separate home occupation fee is stated.  
**Where:**
- In person: City Hall, 7217 4th Street, Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Phone: City Hall, 250-442-8266
- Email: City Hall, info@grandforks.ca

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Home occupations are a permitted use in R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-4A, R-5 and AUC zones. In R-3 and R-3A only in dwellings that are individually owned and have direct access to the City's roadway network. Home industries (which may have outdoor storage) are permitted only in R-4 and R-4A.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40), s. 36.1](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "bed and breakfast accommodations; home occupations."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40), s. 40.5](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "40.5 Home occupations are only allowed in dwellings that are individually owned and have" … "direct access to the City's roadway network."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40), s. 42.2](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "kennels; home occupations; home industries;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Yes. Any business, including one run from home, needs a City business licence. The annual fee is $75.
  - Source: [Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw No. 2126, s. 3, Schedule A](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2126Business-Licence-Bylaw-1.pdf)
  - Official wording: "3. No person (for clarity, including a registered society) may carry on any business in the City" … "1. Annual licence fee is $75.00 unless otherwise set out below."
  - Source: [Business Licences, Business license fees](https://www.grandforks.ca/business-licences/)
  - Official wording: "Regular Business and Home Based Business is $75.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Home occupation: entirely within the dwelling or an accessory building; at most 30% of the dwelling's floor area; at most 2 employees who do not live on the parcel; no outdoor storage; 1 parking space per 40 m² used. Signs: Zoning s. 19.2 allows one sign of 1 m² or less; Sign Bylaw 2077 allows two signs of 0.6 m² or less each.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40), s. 19](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "19.2 There shall be no external display or advertisement other than a sign that shall not exceed" … "19.3 A maximum of two persons may be employed in a home occupation, that are not residents" … "19.4 A home occupation shall be conducted entirely within a dwelling or within a building" … "19.5 The floor area of the home occupation shall not exceed 30% of the entire floor area of the" … "19.6 No outdoor storage of materials , containers, or finished products shall be permitted ."
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40), s. 26.10, Table 2](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Home occupation, home" … "one space per every 40 square metres of area used for the"
  - Source: [Sign Bylaw No. 2077, s. 3.4](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2077Sign-Bylaw-2.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Two (2) Home Occupation Signs are permitted for a residential Premises that" … "A Home Occupation Sign must not exceed 0.6m2 (6.46 sq. ft.) in Sign area."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Businesses not allowed:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018 (s. 19 Home Occupations) and Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw No. 2126
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40), title](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW NO. 2039, 2018" … "19 Home Occupations"
  - Source: [Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw No. 2126, title](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2126Business-Licence-Bylaw-1.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUSINESS LICENCE AND REGULATION BYLAW NO. 2126"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Grand Forks [Zoning Bylaw 2039](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf) allows a "home occupation" (an occupation or profession, which may include accessory retail sales, carried out in a dwelling by its residents and secondary to living there) in the R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-4A, R-5 and AUC zones. In R-3 and R-3A, the dwelling must be individually owned and have direct access to the City's roadway network. Home industries, which may have outdoor storage, are permitted only in R-4 and R-4A.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone allows a home occupation (see the zoning lookup answer).
2. Apply for a City business licence, as any business needs one. The annual fee is $75 ([Bylaw 2126](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2126Business-Licence-Bylaw-1.pdf)).
3. Follow the home occupation rules below.

## Good to know

- The business must be carried on entirely within the dwelling or an accessory building, and use at most 30% of the dwelling's floor area.
- At most 2 employees who do not live on the parcel. No outdoor storage.
- Parking: 1 space per 40 m² used for the business.
- Signs: the Zoning Bylaw allows one sign of 1 m² or less; [Sign Bylaw 2077](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2077Sign-Bylaw-2.pdf) allows two signs of 0.6 m² or less each. Ask City Hall which limit to follow.
- Home industry (R-4 and R-4A): up to 4 non-resident employees, operations on no more than 25% of the parcel, and no flammable or explosive vapours.
- The bylaws list no business types barred from home occupations, and no limit on customer visits was found. Tents or recreational vehicles may not be used for business.
- The City's business licence page still cites the repealed Bylaw 1384, though its fees match.

## Official forms and pages

- [Business License Application Form (PDF)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Business-Licence-Application-Form-1.pdf)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, consolidated (PDF)](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Grand Forks business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/business-licence.md)
- [Grand Forks zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Grand Forks secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/secondary-suite.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business.md)
- [Greenwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/greenwood/home-based-business.md)
- [Midway](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/midway/home-based-business.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/home-based-business.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/home-based-business.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/home-based-business.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/home-based-business.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 2039, 2018, unofficial consolidation (Amendments A1-A40) (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/By2039-Zoning-Bylaw-CONSOLIDATED.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw No. 2126 (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2126Business-Licence-Bylaw-1.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Sign Bylaw No. 2077 (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/Bylaw2077Sign-Bylaw-2.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licences, City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/business-licences/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Payment Options (PDF), City of Grand Forks](https://www.grandforks.ca/wp-content/uploads/PAYMENT-OPTIONS.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 5 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Grand Forks. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/grand-forks/home-based-business/_