---
title: Salt Spring Island short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
question: "Can I rent out my home or a cottage on Airbnb on Salt Spring?"
place: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/salt-spring-island
category: Housing and renting
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/short-term-rental/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/short-term-rental.json"
---

# Salt Spring Island short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

**Question:** Can I rent out my home or a cottage on Airbnb on Salt Spring?

**Short answer:** On Salt Spring Island, vacation rentals are not a permitted use under the Islands Trust Land Use Bylaw. Only a resident-run bed and breakfast in 13 listed zones is allowed. The Province also requires registration and applies its principal-residence rule here.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Cost:** Provincial registration is renewed each year: $100 for the host's principal residence, $450 for each secondary unit.  
**Where:**
- Phone: ServiceBC (provincial short-term rental registry), 1-833-828-2240
- Email: Provincial short-term rental registry, STRregistry@sbc.gov.bc.ca
- Phone: Islands Trust Salt Spring office (zoning), 250-537-9144
- Email: Islands Trust Salt Spring office, ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Vacation rentals are not a permitted use in residential zones: only specifically permitted uses are allowed (s. 2.2.1), and a bylaw note says so. A resident-run bed and breakfast (up to 3 bedrooms, 4 on lots over 1.2 ha) is allowed in 13 listed zones, such as Agriculture 1 and 2, Rural and Residential 6 to 9.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 2.2.1, 3.13 and 3.16.2, s. 3.16.2 Information Note](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "short term vacation rentals are not permitted in residential areas." … "except as specifically permitted in this Bylaw."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 2.2.1, 3.13 and 3.16.2, s. 3.13.7-3.13.8](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "Bed and Breakfast home-based businesses are permitted only in the following" … "Not more than 3 bedrooms may be used to accommodate guests on lots"
  - Source: [Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement, Islands Trust (Salt Spring)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/island-planning/salt-spring/bylaw-compliance-and-enforcement/)
  - Official wording: "Advertising of unlawful land use (such as a short-term vacation rental)."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** None set. There is no regional district business licence for short-term rentals on Salt Spring Island.
- **Provincial registration:** Yes, for stays under 90 consecutive days. Register with the Province and renew each year: $100 a year for the host's principal residence, $450 for each secondary unit. Salt Spring Island is on the Province's list where the principal residence requirement applies (as of June 1, 2026), except farm-class land.
  - Source: [Short-term rental registration, Province of BC, Registration overview](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/registry)
  - Official wording: "Short-term rental hosts, platforms and strata hotel platforms in B.C. must register and pay annual registration fees."
  - Source: [B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of BC, Principal residence and registration fees](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "Fee: $100 annually" … "Fee: $450 annually" … "Plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property" … "Provincial registration requirements apply to short-term rentals offered for fewer than 90 consecutive days" … "Farm Land (Class 9 under BC Assessment Act, Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) designation alone is not exempt)"
  - Source: [B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of BC, List of communities where the principal residence requirement applies](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "Communities with principal residence requirement" … "Salt Spring Island" … "Most Trust areas under the Islands Trust Act (excluding Salt Spring Island and Gabriola Island)"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Operating rules:** Bed and breakfast: one per lot; guest bedrooms only in the main dwelling or a seasonal cottage; breakfast only; parking 1 per guest bedroom plus 1 per non-resident employee, screened from view; the operator must live on the premises. Guest-area limit 50% of dwelling, up to 100 m².
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 2.2.1, 3.13 and 3.16.2, s. 3.13.8](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "Not more than 1 bed and breakfast home-based business is permitted on" … "all bedrooms used to accommodate guests" … "Breakfast meals only may be provided to bed and breakfast guests who" … "Off-street parking for bed and breakfast home-based business uses must" … "maximum of 100 square metres." … "1 per bedroom plus 1" … "Bed and breakfast Operations,"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 2.2.1, 3.13 and 3.16.2, s. 3.13.3](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "A home-based business must be operated by a person permanently residing on"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Islands Trust bylaw notice: non-permitted use in a residential zone (s. 9.9.1) $500 ($375 if paid within 14 days, $750 after 28 days); bed and breakfast unlawful in zone (s. 3.13.7) $350 ($262.50, $575). No line names vacation rentals. Court fine up to $5,000 (s. 2.5.1).
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Bylaw Enforcement Notice Bylaw No. 446, Schedule A (consolidation 2019-04-08), Schedule A (consolidation 2019-04-08), s. 9.9.1 and 3.13.7](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-bylaw-enforcement-notification-bylaw-2023/)
  - Official wording: "9.9.1 Non-Permitted Uses Of Land/Buildings/ $500.00 $375.00 $750.00" … "3.13.7 B&B Unlawful In Zone $350.00 $262.50 $575.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (1999), s. 3.13 and s. 3.16.2 note (Islands Trust); Province of BC Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act and regulation (registration and principal residence).
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 2.2.1, 3.13 and 3.16.2, s. 3.13](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "3.12 ACCESSORY BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES ........................................................................... 31 3.13 HOME-BASED BUSINESSES .................................................................................................... 32 3.14 SEASONAL COTTAGES............................................................................................................ 35" … "Local Trust Committee Bylaw No. 355 Salt Spring Island"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, sections 2.2.1, 3.13 and 3.16.2, s. 2.1.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "The provisions of this Bylaw apply to that portion of Salt Spring Island Local Trust" … "Area that lies within Electoral Area “F” of the Capital Regional District"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Two sets of rules apply on Salt Spring Island, which is not a municipality.

**Islands Trust (zoning).** Under [Land Use Bylaw No. 355](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/), only specifically permitted uses are allowed (s. 2.2.1), and the zone tables list no vacation rental use. A resident-run bed and breakfast is allowed in 13 listed zones, such as Agriculture 1 and 2 and Rural and Residential 6 to 9. Commercial guest accommodation zones are separate.

Bed and breakfast limits: up to 3 bedrooms (4 on lots over 1.2 ha); one per lot; guest bedrooms only in the main dwelling or a seasonal cottage; breakfast only; the operator must live on the premises; the guest area is limited to 50% of the dwelling, up to 100 m²; parking is 1 per guest bedroom plus 1 per non-resident employee, screened from view.

**Province (registration).** Salt Spring Island is on the Province's list where the principal residence requirement applies (as of June 1, 2026), except farm-class land. Stays under 90 consecutive days must be registered, and the registration is renewed each year.

## Steps

1. Ask the Islands Trust whether your zone allows a bed and breakfast (250-537-9144).
2. If it does, follow the bylaw limits above.
3. Register with the provincial short-term rental registry before listing.

## Good to know

- There is no CRD business licence for this; we found no business licence bylaw for Salt Spring.
- An Islands Trust bylaw notice for a non-permitted use in a residential zone is $500 ($375 if paid within 14 days, $750 after 28 days). A bed and breakfast unlawful in its zone is $350 ($262.50 early, $575 late). Neither line names vacation rentals. The court fine is up to $5,000.
- The Province's rule is a minimum. The Land Use Bylaw is stricter in residential areas.
- A Temporary Use Permit is a possible route; ask the Trust.

## Official forms and pages

- [Short-term rental registration (Province of BC)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/registry)
- [Provincial principal residence requirement](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
- [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355 (PDF), sections 2.2.1, 3.13 and 3.16.2](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Salt Spring Island Bylaw Enforcement Notice Bylaw No. 446, Schedule A (consolidation 2019-04-08)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/salt-spring-bylaw-enforcement-notification-bylaw-2023/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of BC](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Short-term rental registration, Province of BC](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/registry) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement, Islands Trust (Salt Spring)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/island-planning/salt-spring/bylaw-compliance-and-enforcement/) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set. 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/salt-spring-island/short-term-rental/_