---
title: Montrose home-based business rules
question: "Can I run a business from my home in Montrose?"
place: Montrose, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/montrose
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Montrose
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/home-based-business/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/home-based-business.json"
---

# Montrose home-based business rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes. Montrose's Zoning Bylaw allows a home occupation in the R1, R2, R2(d) and RU zones, if it stays inside the home or an accessory building, uses no more than 25% of the floor area and only residents work in it. You also need a Village business licence.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Montrose, https://www.montrose.ca)  
**Cost:** Business licence fee not stated.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office, 565 11th Ave., Montrose, BC V0G 1P0 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed statutory holidays))
- Phone: Village Office, 250-367-7234
- Email: Village Office, admin@montrose.ca

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Yes, as a "home occupation" in the R1, R2 (single or two family dwellings), R2(d) and RU zones.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, Part 4](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "b) Home occupations; c) In-law suites;" … "Home occupations if located within a single or two family dwelling" … "c) Home Occupations;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Business licence:** Yes. Everyone who operates a business, including a home-based business, needs a business licence from the Village Office. No fee is stated.
  - Source: [Community, Quick Facts](https://www.montrose.ca/community-2/)
  - Official wording: "Everyone who operates a business (including home based) within the Village requires a business license available at the Village Office."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Limits:** Entirely inside the dwelling or an accessory building (storage too); no outside sign of it except one 0.3 m² sign; no more than 25% of the home's floor area; no noise, odour, vibration or traffic congestion detectable outside; only residents of the home may work in it.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.7.1](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "be conducted entirely within a dwelling unit or an accessory building" … "not occupy a total area" … "greater than 25 percent of the finished floor area of the principle dwelling" … "generate no vibration, noise, heat, glare or radiation detectable from beyond the lot" … "employ only residents of the dwelling within"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Businesses not allowed:** None set. Montrose's Zoning Bylaw gives no list of banned business types.
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw #771, 2022, s. 3.7 (Home Occupation)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022, s. 3.7](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "3.7 Home Occupation" … "3.7.1 A home occupation shall:"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Village of Montrose allows a "home occupation" under [Zoning Bylaw 771](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (s. 3.7) in the R1, R2 (single or two family dwellings), R2(d) and RU zones. Other zones were not checked. Bed and breakfasts and family child care homes have their own limits in s. 3.7.2 and 3.7.3.

## Limits

- The business is entirely inside the dwelling or an accessory building, including storage.
- No outside sign except one 0.3 m² sign.
- No more than 25% of the home's floor area.
- No noise, odour, vibration or traffic congestion detectable outside.
- Only residents of the home may work in it.

## Steps

1. Check your zone on the Village Zoning Map.
2. Get a business licence from the Village Office, 565 11th Ave. The Village says everyone who operates a business, including a home-based one, needs one.

## Good to know

- No fee is stated, and no business licence bylaw is posted. The Zoning Bylaw gives no list of banned business types; an occupation that breaks the limits above is not a home occupation.
- No parking rule for home occupations was found.
- Call 250-367-7234 to confirm.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf)
- [Community, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/community-2/)

## Related questions

- [Montrose short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/short-term-rental.md)
- [Montrose zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/home-based-business.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/home-based-business.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/home-based-business.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/home-based-business.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/home-based-business.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/home-based-business.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 771, 2022 (PDF), Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/771-Zoning-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Community, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/community-2/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Permits and Licenses, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/permits-and-licenses/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contacts, Village of Montrose](https://www.montrose.ca/contacts/) (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 is recorded as not set. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Montrose. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/home-based-business/_