{"title":"Lions Bay home-based business rules","question":"Can I run a business from my home in Lions Bay?","slug":"home-based-business","place":{"path":"ca/bc/lions-bay","name":"Lions Bay","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"business","name":"Starting and running a business"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Village of Lions Bay","url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca"},"short_answer":"In Lions Bay you can run a home-based business as a secondary use in the RS-1 (single detached residential) zone, if it is carried on inside a wholly enclosed building so it is not evident to passersby. The Village's site does not describe a licence or fee.","aliases":["home business lions bay","work from home business lions bay","home occupation lions bay","home based business bylaw lions bay"],"cost":"No licence fee found on the Village's site or in its Fees Bylaw.","how_long":"Not stated on the Village's site.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Village Office","value":"604-921-9333"},{"type":"email","label":"Building Services","value":"building@lionsbay.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (PDF)","url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf"}],"related":[{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Lions Bay zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"short-term-rental","title":"Lions Bay short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/short-term-rental/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/west-vancouver","name":"West Vancouver","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-vancouver/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/bowen-island","name":"Bowen Island","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/bowen-island/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/north-vancouver-district","name":"District of North Vancouver","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/north-vancouver","name":"North Vancouver","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/gibsons","name":"Gibsons","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gibsons/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/squamish","name":"Squamish","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/squamish/home-based-business/"}],"topic":{"title":"Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business/"},"facts":{"allowed":{"label":"Allowed","value":"Yes, as a secondary use in the RS-1 (single detached residential) zone. It must be an occupation or business carried on for gain within a wholly enclosed building so that it is not evident to passersby.","short":"Yes, in the RS-1 zone only","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay","section":"s. 7.1.2(a); definition","quotes":["home-based business;","carried on for remuneration or financial gain within a wholly enclosed building or structure so that","the business use is not evident to passersby, and which is accessory to the principal residential"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"licence":{"label":"Business licence","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"The Village's site does not describe a licence or fee.","sources":[]},"limits":{"label":"Limits","value":"Carried on by residents of the parcel, entirely within a completely enclosed building; no signs or change from a residential look; floor area up to 100 m² or 40% of the dwelling's floor area, whichever is less; no outdoor storage; nothing that is obnoxious or a nuisance (odour, dust, noise, etc.).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay","section":"s. 4.12","quotes":["the home-based business shall be carried on by persons resident on the parcel;","all home-based business shall be conducted entirely within a completely enclosed building","there shall be no signs or other variations from a primarily residential appearance of the","the gross floor area of the home-based business shall not exceed 100 m2 or 40% of the","outdoor storage of materials or equipment is prohibited, except as provided for in section"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"not_allowed":{"label":"Businesses not allowed","value":"Specifically prohibited: automobile body shop, automobile service, automobile salvage or wrecking yard, brewery, distillery, kennel, animal breeding, restaurant, and parking or storage of industrial or construction equipment or materials.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay","section":"s. 4.12.7","quotes":["for clarity, automobile body shop, automobile service, automobile salvage or wrecking","yard; brewery; distillery; kennel; animal breeding; restaurant; and the parking or storage"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (s. 4.12 and 7.1.2).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay","section":"s. 1.1","quotes":["This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “Zoning and Development Bylaw No.520, 2017\"."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":5,"stated":4,"matched":4,"none":0,"unknown":1},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe Village of Lions Bay allows a home-based business as a secondary use in the RS-1 zone under section 4.12 of its [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf). It must be an occupation or business carried on for gain within a wholly enclosed building so that it is not evident to passersby. It is not listed as a permitted use in the RM-1 or C-1 zones.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Check that your lot is in the RS-1 zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).\n2. Check your business against the conditions below.\n3. Ask the Village Office whether anything else applies to your business.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- Conditions: carried on by residents of the parcel, entirely within a completely enclosed building; no signs or change from a residential look; floor area up to 100 m² or 40% of the dwelling's floor area, whichever is less; no outdoor storage; nothing obnoxious or a nuisance (odour, dust, noise and so on).\n- Specifically prohibited: automobile body shop, automobile service, automobile salvage or wrecking yard, brewery, distillery, kennel, animal breeding, restaurant, and parking or storage of industrial or construction equipment or materials.\n- No limit on employees, customers or parking was found in the bylaw.\n- A home-based business that breaks the conditions can get a $300 ticket.\n- No business licence requirement or fee was found (see the business-licence answer).","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf","title":"Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-06/Bylaw%20385%20-Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20Bylaw%20%28Consolidation%20640%29.pdf","title":"Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 385 (Consolidation 640) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"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."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/home-based-business/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/home-based-business.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/home-based-business.json"}}