Sechelt home-based business rules
Can I run a business from my home in Sechelt?
Short answer
Yes. In Sechelt a home business is a permitted accessory use in any dwelling unit if it follows the Zoning Bylaw conditions, and it needs a business licence ($150 a year). It may use no more than 30% of the floor area or 90 m², whichever is less.
Key facts
| Allowed | Yes. A Home Business is a permitted accessory use in any dwelling unit, if it follows the Zoning Bylaw conditions. No more than two home businesses per property, or one per dwelling unit, whichever is greater.Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022 (PDF, consolidated May 2025), s. 2.7.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wording2.7.1 Home Business are a permitted accessory use in any Dwelling Unit, subject to the following conditions: d) The number of Home Businesses permitted is two per property or one per Dwelling Unit, whichever is greater. |
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| Business licence | Yes. A regular business licence is required for a home business: $150 a year (basic licence fee). Licences run January 1 to December 31; a licence first needed after July 31 is half price (the bylaw reduces it by 50%).Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022 (PDF, consolidated May 2025), s. 2.7.1(b); Business Licences, Home Occupation; Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 575, 2019 (PDF, consolidated March 2026), Schedule M; Business Licence Bylaw No. 520, 2012 (PDF, consolidated February 2026), s. 3.4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingb) A business license is required for a Home Business. A regular business licence is required for home-based businesses. Basic Business Licence Fee $150 shall be reduced by one half (50%) in respect of a person who becomes liable to be licensed after the 31st day of July |
| Limits | Incidental to the residence; no more than 30% of the dwelling's combined floor area or 90 m², whichever is less; employees must live on the property, plus at most one non-resident employee on site; no outdoor storage or display; no external sign beyond what the Sign Bylaw allows; no nuisance (noise, smoke, dust, odour); no assembly uses; 1.0 parking space per business.Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022 (PDF, consolidated May 2025), s. 2.7.1; Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022 (PDF, consolidated May 2025), s. 3.13 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordinge) No external storage or display of materials, equipment, or finished products. up to one non-resident on-site employee may be employed by the business. i) Shall not exceed a total floor area of 30% of the combined Gross Floor Area of the Dwelling Unit or 90 m2 whichever is less. a) A Home Business shall be incidental to the primary residential use. Home Business 1.0 space per business |
| Businesses not allowed | A home business must not include vehicle repair or maintenance, body shops, metal fabrication, selling goods not produced on the premises, or producing or selling highly combustible products. The definition also excludes welding and repair of boats and other equipment.Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022 (PDF, consolidated May 2025), s. 2.7.1(g) and definition · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingg) Must not include vehicle repair or maintenance, body shops, metal fabrication, the sale of goods not produced on the premises, the production or sale of highly combustible products. This does not include body shops, metal fabricating, welding, and repair and maintenance of vehicles, boats, and other equipment. |
| Bylaw | Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022, s. 2.7 (Home Business); Business Licence Bylaw No. 520, 2012Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022 (PDF, consolidated May 2025), s. 2.7; Business Licence Bylaw No. 520, 2012 (PDF, consolidated February 2026), s. 3.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wording2.5 Temporary Buildings and Structures....................................................................................... 78 2.6 Shipping Containers ................................................................................................................ 78 2.7 Home Business ........................................................................................................................ 79 2.8 Short-Term Rental ................................................................................................................... 79 2.9 Urban Agriculture.................................................................................................................... 80 DISTRICT OF SECHELT | ZONING BYLAW Schedule A to Bylaw No. 580, 2022 PAGE | i no person shall carry on a business within the District of Sechelt unless: |
How it works
In the District of Sechelt, a Home Business is a permitted accessory use in any dwelling unit if it follows the conditions in section 2.7 of Zoning Bylaw 580. You may have no more than two home businesses per property, or one per dwelling unit, whichever is greater. A regular business licence is also required.
Conditions:
- Incidental to the residence, using no more than 30% of the dwelling's combined floor area or 90 m², whichever is less.
- Employees must live on the property, plus at most one non-resident employee on site.
- No outdoor storage or display, no assembly uses, and no nuisance (noise, smoke, dust, odour).
- No external sign beyond what the Sign Bylaw allows.
- 1.0 parking space per business.
Steps
- Check your zone allows a home business (zoning-lookup answer).
- Submit the New Business Licence Application Form from the District's Business Licences page.
- Staff review it and contact you to pay.
Good to know
- Not allowed: vehicle repair or maintenance, body shops, metal fabrication, selling goods not produced on the premises, producing or selling highly combustible products. The definition also excludes welding and repair of boats and other equipment.
- The bylaw states no limit on customers or clients. Ask Planning if visits will be frequent.
- Licences run January 1 to December 31. One first needed after July 31 is half price.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Gibsons · Bowen Island · Lantzville · Nanaimo · Lions Bay · West Vancouver
Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw No. 580, 2022 (PDF, consolidated May 2025) (read 2026-11-06)
- Business Licences, District of Sechelt (read 2026-11-06)
- Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 575, 2019 (PDF, consolidated March 2026) (read 2026-11-06)
- Business Licence Bylaw No. 520, 2012 (PDF, consolidated February 2026) (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. How answers are checked.