--- title: Lions Bay home-based business rules question: "Can I run a business from my home in Lions Bay?" place: Lions Bay, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/lions-bay category: Starting and running a business owner: municipal owner_body: Village of Lions Bay sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/home-based-business/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/home-based-business.json" --- # Lions Bay home-based business rules **Question:** Can I run a business from my home in Lions Bay? **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. **Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Lions Bay, https://www.lionsbay.ca) **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:** - Phone: Village Office, 604-921-9333 - Email: Building Services, building@lionsbay.ca ## Key facts - **Allowed:** 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. - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650), s. 7.1.2(a); definition](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Business licence:** Not confirmed. The Village's site does not describe a licence or fee. - **Limits:** 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.). - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650), s. 4.12](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "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: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Businesses not allowed:** 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. - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650), s. 4.12.7](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "for clarity, automobile body shop, automobile service, automobile salvage or wrecking" … "yard; brewery; distillery; kennel; animal breeding; restaurant; and the parking or storage" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Bylaw:** Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (s. 4.12 and 7.1.2). - Source: [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650), s. 1.1](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “Zoning and Development Bylaw No.520, 2017"." - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works The 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. ## Steps 1. Check that your lot is in the RS-1 zone (see the zoning-lookup answer). 2. Check your business against the conditions below. 3. Ask the Village Office whether anything else applies to your business. ## Good to know - 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). - 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. - No limit on employees, customers or parking was found in the bylaw. - A home-based business that breaks the conditions can get a $300 ticket. - No business licence requirement or fee was found (see the business-licence answer). ## Official forms and pages - [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (PDF)](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) ## Related questions - [Lions Bay zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/zoning-lookup.md) - [Lions Bay short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/short-term-rental.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business.md) - [West Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/west-vancouver/home-based-business.md) - [Bowen Island](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/bowen-island/home-based-business.md) - [District of North Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver-district/home-based-business.md) - [North Vancouver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-vancouver/home-based-business.md) - [Gibsons](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gibsons/home-based-business.md) - [Squamish](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/squamish/home-based-business.md) ## Sources - [Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 520, 2017 (Consolidation BL650) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-07/Bylaw%20520%20-%20Zoning%20and%20Development%20Certified%20%20%28Consolidation%20BL650%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) - [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 385 (Consolidation 640) (PDF), Village of Lions Bay](https://www.lionsbay.ca/sites/2/files/2026-06/Bylaw%20385%20-Bylaw%20Notice%20Enforcement%20Bylaw%20%28Consolidation%20640%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) _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 Village of Lions Bay. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lions-bay/home-based-business/_