---
title: Port Moody home-based business rules
question: "Can I run a business from my home in Port Moody?"
place: Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/port-moody
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Port Moody
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/home-based-business/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/home-based-business.json"
---

# Port Moody home-based business rules

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

**Short answer:** Yes. Port Moody's Zoning Bylaw allows three kinds of home occupation: Type A (home office), Type B (home-based business) and Type C (low-impact). Every business needs a City licence; home occupation is in the Basic Licence Category at $155 a year.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Port Moody, https://www.portmoody.ca)  
**Cost:** $155 a year (Basic Licence Category); half the fee if you start after July 31 (Fees Bylaw 3524).  
**How long:** Not stated by the City.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Licensing, 604-469-4541
- Email: Licensing, licence@portmoody.ca
- Phone: Planning (land use questions), 604-469-4540

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Yes. Home Occupation Types A (home office) and B (home-based business) are secondary uses in single detached zones such as RS1; Type C (low-impact) is allowed in all zones where residential use is permitted.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 5.2.3 and 8.4.2 (RS1)](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "A Home Occupation – Type C – Low-Impact Home-Based Business shall be permitted in all zones where residential use is permitted" … "Home Occupation – Type B" … "Home Occupation – Type A"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Yes. Every business needs a City licence. Home Occupation falls in the Basic Licence Category at $155 a year; half the fee if you start after July 31.
  - Source: [Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw, 2015, No. 3000 (consolidated), s. 5.1 and 5.15](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=493693)
  - Official wording: "Every person carrying on, maintaining, owning, or operating with the City any profession, business, trade, occupation, calling, or undertaking shall hold a subsisting licence" … "shall be reduced by one half in respect of the person who becomes liable to be licensed after the 31st day of July"
  - Source: [Fees Bylaw, 2025, No. 3524 (consolidated), Business Licence and Bylaw Enforcement](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=669753)
  - Official wording: "Basic Licence Category" … "Home Occupation" … "Home Daycare of 10 children or less 155.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Type B: resident plus up to two non-resident employees; within the dwelling or accessory building, 50 m² max; no significant traffic; 1 parking space per non-resident employee; signs per Sign Bylaw. Type A: resident only, no customer visits, no signs. Type C: resident only, enclosed, up to five visits a day. No outside storage.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 5.2.3](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "not more than two non-resident employees on the premises;" … "not exceed 50m2 of Floor" … "not generate customer visits" … "not involve more than five visits to the premises per" … "outside storage of materials, equipment, or finished products is not permitted"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 6.3.1](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "Home Occupation – 1 space per non-resident employee. Type B"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Businesses not allowed:** Veterinary care, animal daycare or boarding, breeding of animals, and retail sale or lease of goods from the premises unless the goods are produced there.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 5.2.3(a)(iv)](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "Veterinary care, Animal Daycare or boarding, or breeding of animals" … "Retail sale or lease of goods from the premises unless the goods are produced on the premises."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** City of Port Moody Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937, s. 5.2.3; City of Port Moody Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw, 2015, No. 3000
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated), s. 5.2.3](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917)
  - Official wording: "City of Port Moody Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937"
  - Source: [Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw, 2015, No. 3000 (consolidated), s. 1.1](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=493693)
  - Official wording: "City of Port Moody Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw, 2015, No. 3000"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Zoning Bylaw 2937](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917) (s. 5.2.3) treats home occupation as a secondary use. Types A and B are secondary uses in single detached zones such as RS1; Type C is allowed in all zones where residential use is permitted. Other zones list their own secondary uses, so check your zone's table.

- **Type A, home office:** the resident only, no customer visits, no signs.
- **Type B, home-based business:** the resident plus up to two non-resident employees; within the dwelling or an accessory building, 50 m² maximum; no significant traffic; 1 parking space per non-resident employee; signs per the Sign Bylaw. Not allowed on a lot with a Bed and Breakfast, Boarding or Child Care use.
- **Type C, low-impact:** the resident only, enclosed, up to five visits a day.

All types: no outside storage, no offensive noise, smoke or odours, and no exterior alterations inconsistent with residential character.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone and business type in section 5.2.3.
2. Get a City business licence (see the business-licence answer). Under the [Business Licensing Bylaw](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=493693), every business needs one.

## Good to know

- Not allowed as a home occupation: veterinary care, animal daycare or boarding, breeding of animals, and retail sale or lease of goods from the premises unless the goods are produced there.
- Planning (604-469-4540) answers land use questions; Licensing (604-469-4541) handles the licence.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw BL2937, section 5.2.3 Home Occupation (PDF)](https://api.ghdcdn.com/portmoody-edocs/v1/eDocs/Get?docnumber=461917)
- [Business Licence Application (PDF)](https://www.portmoody.ca/media/j5qpvejk/business-licence-application.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Port Moody business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/business-licence.md)
- [Port Moody short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/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)
- [Belcarra](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/belcarra/home-based-business.md)
- [Anmore](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/anmore/home-based-business.md)
- [Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/coquitlam/home-based-business.md)
- [New Westminster](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/home-based-business.md)
- [Port Coquitlam](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-coquitlam/home-based-business.md)
- [Burnaby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/home-based-business.md)

## Sources

- [Business Licences and Permits, City of Port Moody](https://www.portmoody.ca/business-development-and-planning/business-licences-and-permits/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw, 2018, No. 2937 (consolidated)](https://portmoody-edocs.ghdcdn.com/v1/eDocs/PortMoody?docnumber=461917) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw, 2015, No. 3000 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=493693) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Fees Bylaw, 2025, No. 3524 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://www.portmoody.ca/eDocs/Get?docnumber=669753) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning, City of Port Moody](https://www.portmoody.ca/business-development-and-planning/zoning/) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Port Moody. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-moody/home-based-business/_