---
title: Saanich home-based business rules
question: "Can I run a business from my home in Saanich?"
place: Saanich, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/saanich
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Saanich
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/home-based-business/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/home-based-business.json"
---

# Saanich home-based business rules

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

**Short answer:** Usually yes. Saanich allows a home occupation in most zones if you meet the conditions in Zoning Bylaw s. 5.5, and you need a home-based business licence ($100 a year; $50 for home crafts). In apartment, townhouse and similar zones only office use and child daycare are allowed.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Saanich, https://www.saanich.ca)  
**Cost:** Home-based business licence $100 a year; home crafts $50. The fee is halved for new businesses applying after July 31.  
**How long:** The licence is issued after all approvals. Planning checks zoning; Inspections, Fire and Island Health may need to approve.  
**Where:**
- Online: Home-Based Business licence, https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/business-licence-types/home-based-business-licence.html
- Phone: Business Licences, 250-475-5401
- In person: Saanich Municipal Hall, 770 Vernon Ave., Victoria BC V8X 2W7

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Yes. Any use permitted in any zone may be carried on as an accessory home occupation if it meets the conditions in Zoning s. 5.5. In apartments, townhouses and similar zones (RC, RT, RM, RA, RP and others) only office use and child daycare are allowed.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2003, No. 8200, ss. 5.5, 5.6](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Planning/zone8200.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Any use permitted in any zoned contained in this bylaw may be carried out as an accessory home" … "The only Home Occupation uses permitted in any RC, RT, RM, Ra, RP, MFC-CH, or MFI-Ch" … "Zones are Office Use, and Daycare, Child."
  - Source: [Home-Based Business licence, Home-Based Business page](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/business-licence-types/home-based-business-licence.html)
  - Official wording: "Yes, you can run certain types of businesses from your home."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Yes. Home-based business licence $100 a year; home crafts $50. Licences run January 1 to December 31; the fee is halved for new businesses applying after July 31.
  - Source: [Business licence fees, Fees page](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/fees.html)
  - Official wording: "Home-based: $100" … "Home crafts*: $50" … "We will reduce the license fee by 50% for new businesses that apply after July 31st."
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw, 2002, No. 8213, s. 3](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Bylaws~and~Policies/business-licence-bylaw-2002-no-8213.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person shall carry on within Saanich, any business unless he or she is the holder of a valid"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Residents only; indoors, no outside storage; at most 20% of floor area or 50 m²; no noise, vibration or odour detectable outside; nothing sold or displayed; two clients at a time (not child daycare, up to 12 children, or B&B); one work vehicle parked outdoors, under 4,200 kg. Multi-unit homes: office use only, 15 m², no clients or staff, no sign. (Sources differ: Child daycare, bed and breakfast and other special cases have exceptions (daycare up to 12 children). The Home-Based Business Regulations PDF on the licence pages quotes an older version of s. 5.5 (lettering and some limits differ); the Zoning Bylaw text was followed.)
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2003, No. 8200, ss. 5.5, 5.6](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Planning/zone8200.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Only residents of the dwelling unit shall engage in the Home Occupation Use." … "whichever is lesser." … "There shall be no outside storage of materials, commodities, or finished products." … "No commodity shall be sold or displayed on the premises." … "There shall be no more than two clients or patrons of the home occupation use on the" … "In no case shall the gross vehicle weight of this vehicle" … "Shall not occupy more than 15 m2 (161 ft2) of the Gross Floor Area of the" … "premises at any one time, except for Daycare, Child operations and Bed and Breakfast" … "(i) shall not accommodate more than twelve (12) children in a Home Occupation setting;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Businesses not allowed:** Repair of internal combustion engines or automotive repairs is prohibited, and no commodity may be sold or displayed on the premises. In apartment, townhouse and condo zones only office use and child daycare are allowed. B&B licences are not issued for secondary suites or garden suites.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw, 2003, No. 8200, s. 5.5(i), (k); 5.6](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Planning/zone8200.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A home occupation use involving the repair of any internal combustion engine or" … "automotive repairs shall be prohibited." … "No commodity shall be sold or displayed on the premises."
  - Source: [Bed and Breakfast licence, Bed and Breakfast page](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/business-licence-types/bed-and-breakfast-licence.html)
  - Official wording: "Bed & Breakfast Licences will not be issued to secondary suites and garden suites."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw, 2003, No. 8200 (ss. 5.5 and 5.6); Business Licence Bylaw, 2002, No. 8213
  - Source: [https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Bylaws~and~Policies/ticket-bylaw-2010-no-9029.pdf, Schedule 5](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Bylaws~and~Policies/ticket-bylaw-2010-no-9029.pdf)
  - Official wording: "ZONING BYLAW, 2003, NO. 8200"
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw, 2002, No. 8213, title](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Bylaws~and~Policies/business-licence-bylaw-2002-no-8213.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BUSINESS LICENCE BYLAW, 2002, No. 8213"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Any use permitted in any zone may be carried on as an accessory home occupation if it meets the conditions in s. 5.5 of the [Zoning Bylaw, 2003, No. 8200](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Planning/zone8200.pdf). In apartments, townhouses and similar zones (RC, RT, RM, RA, RP and others), only office use and child daycare are allowed.

Conditions in s. 5.5 include:

- Residents only; carried on indoors, with no outside storage.
- At most 20% of the floor area or 50 m².
- No noise, vibration or odour detectable outside.
- Nothing sold or displayed on the premises.
- Two clients at a time (child daycare, up to 12 children, and B&B have their own rules).
- One work vehicle parked outdoors, under 4,200 kg.

In multi-unit homes: office use only, 15 m², no clients or staff, and no sign.

## Steps

1. Check your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).
2. Apply for a home-based business licence through your MySaanich account.
3. Planning checks zoning; Inspections, Fire and Island Health may need to approve. The licence is issued, and the fee charged, after all approvals.

## Good to know

- Repair of internal combustion engines and automotive repairs are prohibited.
- Licences run January 1 to December 31.
- A B&B licence is not issued for a secondary suite or garden suite.
- Saanich's Home-Based Business Regulations PDF quotes an older version of s. 5.5. If the two differ, the Zoning Bylaw wins; confirm with Planning.

## Official forms and pages

- [Home-Based Business licence, District of Saanich](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/business-licence-types/home-based-business-licence.html)
- [Business licence fees, District of Saanich](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/fees.html)

## Related questions

- [Saanich business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/business-licence.md)
- [Saanich zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/zoning-lookup.md)
- [Saanich short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/short-term-rental.md)
- [Saanich secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/secondary-suite.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business.md)
- [Oak Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/home-based-business.md)
- [Esquimalt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/home-based-business.md)
- [Victoria](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/home-based-business.md)
- [View Royal](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/home-based-business.md)
- [Central Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/central-saanich/home-based-business.md)
- [Colwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/home-based-business.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw, 2003, No. 8200 (PDF)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Planning/zone8200.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Home-Based Business licence, District of Saanich](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/business-licence-types/home-based-business-licence.html) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Business licence fees, District of Saanich](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/fees.html) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Business Licence Bylaw, 2002, No. 8213 (PDF)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Bylaws~and~Policies/business-licence-bylaw-2002-no-8213.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bed and Breakfast licence, District of Saanich](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/business/business-licences/business-licence-types/bed-and-breakfast-licence.html) (read 2026-11-06)
- [https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Bylaws~and~Policies/ticket-bylaw-2010-no-9029.pdf](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Local~Government/Documents/Bylaws~and~Policies/ticket-bylaw-2010-no-9029.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)

_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 District of Saanich. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/home-based-business/_