---
title: "Silverton business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply"
question: "Do I need a business licence in Silverton, and how do I get one?"
place: Silverton, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/silverton
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Silverton
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/business-licence/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/business-licence.json"
---

# Silverton business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply

**Question:** Do I need a business licence in Silverton, and how do I get one?

**Short answer:** Yes. Anyone carrying on business in the Village of Silverton needs a municipal business licence. Annual fees run from $50 to $275 by type of business. Complete the application form and pay the fee; call the Village Office at 250-358-2472.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Silverton, https://silverton.ca)  
**Cost:** Annual: restaurant $75; coffee shop or catering $50; retail merchant $100 (GST registrant) or $50 (small supplier); professional $100; motel and resort $100; hotel complex $275; home occupation $50; miscellaneous $50.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Village Office, 250-358-2472
- Email: Village Office, info@silverton.ca
- In person: Village Office, 421 Lake Ave, Silverton, BC V0G 1S0

## Key facts

- **Who needs one:** Anyone carrying on business in the Village needs a municipal business licence.
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007, s. 4](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/)
  - Official wording: "No person shall carry on business within the Village without first having obtained and paid for a"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fee:** Annual fees by class: restaurant $75; coffee shop or catering $50; retail merchant $100 (GST registrant) or $50 (small supplier); professional $100; motel and resort $100; hotel complex $275; home occupation $50; miscellaneous $50.
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007, Schedule A](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/)
  - Official wording: "Consulting Engineer Real Estate Agent Dentist Veterinarian 10. $75.00 / year Restaurant means any food premises, whether permanent or temporary, fixed or movable, in which food and drink is served to the public on the" … "located in a residential zone pursuant to the Village of Silverton Zoning Bylaw. 5. $275 / year Hotel Complex means a building normally occupied temporarily by tourists or transients and which shall include one or more of the" … "mechanical device or game of skill or chance or any side show. 2. $50.00 /year Coffee Shop, Catering means serving food or drink or the act of" … "preparing and/or serving food or drink for public. 3. $100.00 / year Door to Door, Mobile Vendor and Direct Seller means a business or or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **How to apply:** Complete the application form (Schedule B) and pay the fee in Schedule A. Zoning requires a licence for home occupations and short-term rentals.
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007, s. 5](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/)
  - Official wording: "Application for a municipal business license shall be made by completing an application in the form" … "attached as Schedule “B’ and by tendering the appropriate license fee as set out in Schedule “A”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Renewal:** The licence runs January 1 to December 31. Renewal fee is due February 28, with a $10 penalty after that. Businesses starting after July 31 pay 50%. A change of ownership pays a 20% transfer fee.
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007, ss. 6, 8, 9, 11](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/)
  - Official wording: "commence on the first day of January and terminate on the thirty first day of December in each year." … "A penalty of ten dollars ($10.00) will be added to the Business License" … "A fifty percent (50%) reduction in fee will be made on account of any person commencing business" … "twenty per cent (20%) of the regular annual license fee"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Inter-community licence:** Yes. The Inter-Community Business Licence lets a mobile business (trades, cleaners, etc.) work in other participating Kootenay communities without a standard licence there. Fee: $100, in addition to the standard licence.
  - Source: [Inter-Community Business Licence Bylaw, Parts 2, 3](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22189/)
  - Official wording: "Business that performs a service or activity" … "The fee for an Inter-Community Business Licence is $100 and shall be paid in" … "is separate and additional to"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** None set. The Village's Business Licence Bylaw No. 444 has no offence section or ticket amount.
- **Bylaw:** Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007, Heading](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/)
  - Official wording: "THE CORPORATION OF THE VILLAGE OF SILVERTON BYLAW NO. 444 - 2007 BUSINESS LICENSE A Bylaw to regulate the carrying on of business in the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

[Business Licence Bylaw No. 444](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/) requires anyone carrying on business in the Village to hold a licence. Zoning also requires a licence for home occupations and short-term rentals.

Annual fees by class are in the cost line above. The licence runs January 1 to December 31. The renewal fee is due February 28, with a $10 penalty after that. Businesses starting after July 31 pay 50%. A change of ownership pays a 20% transfer fee.

A mobile business (trades, cleaners and similar) can buy an [Inter-Community Business Licence](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22189/) to work in other participating Kootenay communities without a standard licence there. It costs $100, in addition to the standard licence. The bylaw does not list the participating communities; the list is on mobilebusinessregistry.ca.

## Steps

1. Check that your zone allows the business (see zoning-lookup).
2. Complete the application form (Schedule B of the bylaw).
3. Pay the fee from Schedule A.
4. Renew each year by February 28.

## Good to know

- No official page we found says where to submit the form; ask the Village Office at 250-358-2472.
- The bylaw has no offence section, and no ticket amount for operating without a licence was found.

## Official forms and pages

- [Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/)
- [Inter-Community Business Licence bylaw](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22189/)

## Related questions

- [Silverton home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/home-based-business.md)
- [Silverton short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/short-term-rental.md)
- [Silverton zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Business licence fees in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/business-licence.md)
- [New Denver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-denver/business-licence.md)
- [Slocan](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/slocan/business-licence.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/business-licence.md)
- [Nakusp](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nakusp/business-licence.md)
- [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/business-licence.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/business-licence.md)

## Sources

- [Business Licence Bylaw No. 444, 2007, Village of Silverton](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22178/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Inter-Community Business Licence Bylaw, Village of Silverton](https://silverton.civicweb.net/document/22189/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [OCP and Zoning Bylaw Update (Village contact details), Village of Silverton](https://silverton.ca/ocpupdate) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Silverton. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/business-licence/_