---
title: Mackenzie short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
question: "Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Mackenzie?"
place: Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/mackenzie
category: Housing and renting
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mackenzie/short-term-rental/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mackenzie/short-term-rental.json"
---

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

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

**Short answer:** In Mackenzie, short-term rentals are allowed only as a bed and breakfast in an owner-occupied single-detached home in the A2, RR1, RR2 and R1 zones, with a District business licence ($159 a year). The District has no short-term rental bylaw in force. You must also register with the Province.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Cost:** Business licence for a bed and breakfast: $159 a year (Category Five). Provincial registration: $100 a year for your principal residence, $450 for a secondary unit.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- In person: District Main Office (business licences), 1 Mackenzie Boulevard, Mackenzie, BC V0J 2C0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- Phone: Public Works (Business Licensing), 250-997-3761
- Online: Provincial short-term rental registration, https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Only as a bed and breakfast: owner-occupied single-detached dwelling, in the A2, RR1, RR2 and R1 zones. Suites cannot be rented by the day or week (longer than one month only). Mackenzie is on the Province's exempt list, so the provincial principal residence rule does not apply. The District has no short-term rental bylaw yet; new rules are out for feedback.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1368, 2017, Bed and Breakfasts and Suites (Section 4)](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Bylaw-No.-1368-Zoning-Industrial-and-Townsite-Maps.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A bed and breakfast must be conducted wholly within a single detached dwelling" … "The day-to-day or week-to-week occupancy of suites is prohibited."
  - Source: [Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC, List of exempt communities, Municipalities exempt from the principal residence requirement](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "Municipalities exempt from the principal residence requirement" … "Lumby Mackenzie Masset" … "The expandable menu below lists the communities and land where the Province's principal residence requirement will not apply, unless the local government chooses to opt-in."
  - Source: [Proposed short-term rental regulations, Have Your Say](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/have-your-say-on-proposed-short-term-rental-regulations/)
  - Official wording: "Council is seeking feedback on the proposed amendments before considering adoption of the bylaws."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Business licence:** A business licence is required to carry on a business. A bed and breakfast is in Category Five at $159 a year. The bylaw has no short-term rental category; renting a home or suite under the Residential Tenancy Act is exempt from a licence.
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 1355, 2016, consolidated, s. 4.1 and s. 4.2(i)](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bylaw.1355-Consolidated-Business-Licence-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "a Person shall not carry on a Business within the Municipality unless the Person holds a valid Licence." … "the renting of a singly family dwelling, secondary suite or duplex, if the rental"
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 1355, 2016, consolidated, Schedule A, Category Five](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bylaw.1355-Consolidated-Business-Licence-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A business must pay the following fee for $159.00" … "Bed and breakfast"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Provincial registration:** Yes. Hosts must register with the Province if they offer stays of fewer than 90 consecutive days, whether or not a local licence is required. Registration is $100 a year for the host's principal residence and $450 for a secondary unit.
  - Source: [Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC, Business licence exemptions](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "Provincial registration requirements apply to short-term rentals offered for fewer than 90 consecutive days, regardless of whether a local business licence is required." … "Fee: $100 annually" … "Fee: $450 annually"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Operating rules:** B&B: owner lives in the house; up to 3 guest rooms and 6 adult guests; one extra parking space per bedroom used; breakfast is the only meal; no stay over 30 consecutive days; no change to the outside of the property. (Sources differ: Conflict flagged: the Business Licence Bylaw (2016) s. 17.4 caps a B&B at 2 rooms and 4 people in an 'RB1' zone and 3 rooms and 6 people in an 'RRB1' zone, and refers to Zoning Bylaw 1114, 2006. The current Zoning Bylaw 1368 has no RB1 or RRB1 zone and allows 3 rooms and 6 adults. Value follows the Zoning Bylaw. No rule on posting a licence number or a local contact found.)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 1368, 2017, Bed and Breakfasts (Section 4)](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Bylaw-No.-1368-Zoning-Industrial-and-Townsite-Maps.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The maximum number of guest rooms permitted in a bed and breakfast will be three" … "accommodating up to a maximum of six adult guests combined" … "Breakfast will be the only meal permitted to be served to guests" … "The maximum length of stay for any guest will not exceed thirty (30) consecutive days"
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 1355, 2016, consolidated, s. 17.4](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bylaw.1355-Consolidated-Business-Licence-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "provide no more than 2 guest rooms to accommodate a maximum of 4 persons if the" … "provide no more than 3 guest rooms to accommodate a maximum of 6 persons if the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** $100 for carrying on business without a licence; $50 for failing to display a licence (Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw, Schedule 3).
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1465, with amendments, Schedule 3 (Business Licence Bylaw)](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Bylaw-No.-1465-1488-1502-Municipal-Ticket-Information.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Carry on business without a Licence. 4.1 $100" … "Failure to display a Licence. 8. $50"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 1368, 2017 (Bed and Breakfasts and Suites); Business Licence Bylaw No. 1355, 2016. No short-term rental bylaw is in force.
  - Source: [Bylaws and Regulations, Frequently requested bylaws](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/government-town-hall/bylaws-and-regulations/)
  - Official wording: "Bylaw No. 1355, Amended by 1390, 1399, 1475" … "Bylaw No. 1368, Amended by 1517, 1518"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The District of Mackenzie has no short-term rental bylaw in force. The Zoning Bylaw ([No. 1368](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Bylaw-No.-1368-Zoning-Industrial-and-Townsite-Maps.pdf)) allows renting rooms only as a bed and breakfast, in an owner-occupied single-detached dwelling in the A2, RR1, RR2 and R1 zones. Suites cannot be rented by the day or week; rentals must be longer than one month.

Mackenzie is on the Province's list of municipalities exempt from the principal residence rule, unless the District opts in. Provincial registration still applies. The District has put proposed short-term rental regulations out for feedback; none are in force, so check its website for updates.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone is A2, RR1, RR2 or R1 (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. Get a District business licence. A bed and breakfast is Category Five, $159 a year, under the [Business Licence Bylaw](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bylaw.1355-Consolidated-Business-Licence-Bylaw.pdf).
3. Register with the Province if you offer stays shorter than 90 consecutive days: $100 a year for your principal residence, $450 for a secondary unit.

## Good to know

- Bed and breakfast rules: the owner lives in the house; up to 3 guest rooms and 6 adult guests; one extra parking space per bedroom used; breakfast is the only meal; no stay over 30 consecutive days; no change to the outside of the property.
- The Business Licence Bylaw gives older, lower limits for some zones (2 rooms and 4 people), citing a zoning bylaw that has been replaced. Confirm the limit with the District.
- Fine for operating without a licence: $100 (municipal ticket). Failing to display a licence: $50.
- No rule on posting a licence number or naming a local contact was found.

## Official forms and pages

- [Proposed short-term rental regulations (feedback notice), District of Mackenzie](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/have-your-say-on-proposed-short-term-rental-regulations/)
- [Business Licence Bylaw No. 1355, 2016 (PDF)](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bylaw.1355-Consolidated-Business-Licence-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1368, 2017 (PDF)](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Bylaw-No.-1368-Zoning-Industrial-and-Townsite-Maps.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/short-term-rental.md)
- [Chetwynd](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/chetwynd/short-term-rental.md)
- [Hudson's Hope](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hudsons-hope/short-term-rental.md)
- [Tumbler Ridge](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tumbler-ridge/short-term-rental.md)
- [Fort St James](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/short-term-rental.md)
- [Vanderhoof](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vanderhoof/short-term-rental.md)
- [Prince George](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 1368, 2017 (PDF), District of Mackenzie](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Bylaw-No.-1368-Zoning-Industrial-and-Townsite-Maps.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Business Licence Bylaw No. 1355, 2016, consolidated (PDF), District of Mackenzie](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bylaw.1355-Consolidated-Business-Licence-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 1465, with amendments (PDF), District of Mackenzie](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Bylaw-No.-1465-1488-1502-Municipal-Ticket-Information.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Proposed short-term rental regulations, District of Mackenzie](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/have-your-say-on-proposed-short-term-rental-regulations/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [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 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws and Regulations, District of Mackenzie](https://districtofmackenzie.ca/government-town-hall/bylaws-and-regulations/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. 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/mackenzie/short-term-rental/_