Nanaimo short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Nanaimo?

Nanaimo, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

Short answer

Yes, but only in your primary residence, with a City of Nanaimo short-term rental business licence ($165 a year) and a provincial registration. Stays must be under 30 days, with up to four guests aged 19 or older.

Key facts

Allowed	Yes, in the operator's primary residence only: an entire dwelling unit or bedrooms. Where there is also a suite, one short-term rental is allowed per lot. Stays must be under 30 consecutive days. The Province's principal residence requirement also applies in Nanaimo.Zoning Bylaw 4500, section 6.10 Fence Height (consolidated), s. 6.16.1, 6.16.2, 6.16.4; Provincial short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, List of communities where the principal residence requirement applies · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording A Short-Term Rental is permitted to be accommodated in an entire dwelling unit or bedroom(s) provided it is located within the short-term rental operator’s primary only one short-term rental is A short-term rental stay must be less than 30 consecutive days. Nanaimo Nelson New Westminster
Business licence	Yes. A short-term rental business licence must be issued before you operate or advertise. The fee is $165 for the year, pro-rated by quarter in the first year. Licences are renewed by December 31 each year.Business Licence Bylaw 7318 (consolidated), s. 3.2; Short-Term Rentals, How much is the business licence fee? · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording A short-term rental operator must not operate or advertise a short-term rental The business licence fee for a short-term rental is $165 for the entire year. the fee is pro-rated quarterly for your first year of business licence fees are due by December 31st each year
Provincial registration	Yes. Short-term rental hosts in B.C. must register with the Province and pay an annual fee: $100 a year for the host's principal residence, $450 for a secondary unit such as a suite or carriage home. Without registration, listings are removed and bookings cancelled.Short-term rental registration, Province of British Columbia, Registration overview, Failure to register; Provincial short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia, Principal residence requirement and registration fees · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Short-term rental hosts, platforms and strata hotel platforms in B.C. must register and pay annual registration fees. Your listings will no longer be advertised, The unit the host lives in is their principal residence. The guests have access to the host's space (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room). Fee: $100 annually This includes: Any accommodation that is separate from the home where the host lives, sleeps, and eats is considered a secondary unit, even if it is located on the same property or connected by an interior door. Guests stay in their own private space and do not have access to the host's bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen. Fee: $450 annually This includes:
Operating rules	Whole unit: up to 4 guests aged 19 or older. Rooms only: up to 2 bedrooms, run as one rental, up to 4 guests aged 19 or older. The licence account number must be on all platform ads, and the licence posted where guests can see it. Parking: 1 off-street space per rental unit, in addition to the spaces the dwelling needs, all on the property.Sources differ: Parking conflict: the City's short-term rental page (updated March 11, 2026) lists 1 space per guest booking under the old Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw, while the current Bylaw No. 7453 (adopted 2026-JUL-27) says 1 space per rental unit; the bylaw is followed here. The City page also says guest parking is not permitted on the street and that all parking must be on the property.Zoning Bylaw 4500, section 6.10 Fence Height (consolidated), s. 6.16.5, 6.16.6; Business Licence Bylaw 7318 (consolidated), s. 13.2, 13.3; Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw 2026 No. 7453, Table 2; Short-Term Rentals, What is a parking plan? · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording a maximum of four (4) persons, 19 years of age or older are permitted to occupy the short- A maximum of two (2) bedrooms are permitted to be rented in the primary The two (2) bedrooms must be operated as one (1) short-term rental The short-term rental business licence account number must be displayed on all short-term rental platform advertising. Short-Term Rental 1 space per rental unit Short-Term Rental \| 1 per guest booking you'd require 4 off-street parking spaces guest parking is not permitted on the street
Fine	Operating or advertising without a business licence: $500 ($375 if paid early, $625 if paid late). Not following licence conditions: $500. Not showing the licence number on platform ads: $500.Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 2012 No. 7159 (PDF, consolidated 2026-JUL-27), Business Licence Bylaw 2021 No. 7318 schedule · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording 3.2 Operate or advertise a short-term rental $500 $375 $625 3.5 Fail to comply with short-term rental $500 $375 $625 13.3 Fail to display short-term rental $500 $375 $625
Bylaw	Business Licence Bylaw 2021 No. 7318; Zoning Bylaw No. 4500, s. 6.16; Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw 2026 No. 7453Business Licence Bylaw 7318 (consolidated), s. 1; Zoning Bylaw 4500, section 6.10 Fence Height (consolidated), s. 6.16; Bylaw Search Results (complete list), Bylaw list · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Business Licence Bylaw 2021 No. 7318 Zoning Bylaw No. 4500 6.16 SHORT-TERM RENTAL OFF-STREET PARKING REGULATIONS BYLAW 2026 NO. 7453

How it works

The City of Nanaimo allows short-term rentals (stays under 30 consecutive days) in the operator's primary residence only: an entire dwelling unit or bedrooms. Where there is also a suite, one short-term rental is allowed per lot. The City's page says they are allowed in zones where residential use is permitted. Bed and breakfast was deleted from the Zoning Bylaw in 2025. The Province's principal residence requirement also applies in Nanaimo.

Steps

Check that the home is your primary residence and, in a strata, get strata approval.
Draw a parking plan showing the required off-street spaces.
Get a short-term rental business licence ($165 a year) before you operate or advertise, using the City's application form.
Register with the Province and pay the annual fee. Without registration, listings are removed and bookings cancelled.
Put the licence account number on every platform ad and post the licence where guests can see it.

Good to know

Whole unit: up to 4 guests aged 19 or older. Rooms only: up to 2 bedrooms, run as one rental, up to 4 guests aged 19 or older.
Parking: 1 off-street space per rental unit, in addition to the spaces the dwelling needs, all on the property. The City's page says 1 space per guest booking, which differs from the new Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw; confirm with Business Licensing.
Operating or advertising without a licence is a $500 ticket ($375 if paid early, $625 if paid late). Not following licence conditions, or not showing the licence number on ads, is $500 each. Not displaying the licence itself is $100.

What you'll need

Parking plan showing the required off-street spaces
Strata Authorization Form, if you live in a strata
Property Owner Authorization Form, if you are not the owner

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Lantzville · Ladysmith · Parksville · Sechelt · Qualicum Beach · Lake Cowichan

Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

Short-Term Rentals, City of Nanaimo (read 2026-11-05)
Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw 2012 No. 7159 (PDF, consolidated 2026-JUL-27) (read 2026-11-05)
Off-Street Parking Regulations Bylaw 2026 No. 7453 (PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
Short-term rental registration, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-05)
Provincial short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-05)
Zoning Bylaw 4500, section 6.10 Fence Height (consolidated) (read 2026-11-05)
Business Licence Bylaw 7318 (consolidated) (read 2026-11-05)
Bylaw Search Results (complete list), City of Nanaimo (read 2026-11-05)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.