---
title: Stewart short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
question: "Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Stewart?"
place: Stewart, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/stewart
category: Housing and renting
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Stewart
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/short-term-rental/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/short-term-rental.json"
---

# Stewart short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

**Question:** Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Stewart?

**Short answer:** Stewart allows bed and breakfast in the R1 and R2 zones, with limits. No separate rule for renting a whole home short term was found. The provincial principal residence requirement does not apply in Stewart.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Stewart, https://districtofstewart.com)  
**Cost:** No short-term rental licence or fee was found. Business licence fees vary; see the business-licence answer.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- In person: District office, 705 Brightwell Street, Stewart, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
- Phone: District office, 250-636-2251
- Email: Clerk, clerk@districtofstewart.com
- Email: CAO, cao@districtofstewart.com

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Bed and breakfast is a permitted use in the R1 and R2 zones. No separate short-term rental (whole-home) rule was found.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 5.1 and 6.1](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/)
  - Official wording: "The following uses and no others are permitted in the R1 zone:" … "Bed and breakfast;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Business licence:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Provincial registration:** Stewart is on the Province's list of exempt communities, so the provincial principal residence requirement does not apply (list as of June 1, 2026).
  - Source: [Short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of BC, List of exempt communities](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)
  - Official wording: "Communities exempt from the provincial principal residence requirement:" … "Spallumcheen Stewart Sun Peaks"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Operating rules:** Bed and breakfast: no guest for more than 28 consecutive days; wholly within the dwelling unit; no more than 3 guestrooms; breakfast the only meal served; one parking space per guestroom in addition to those required for the house; no cooking facilities in bedrooms; must not alter the residential character.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 3.55 to 3.62](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/)
  - Official wording: "A bed and breakfast shall not accommodate any guest for more than 28 consecutive days." … "The maximum number of guestrooms permitted in a bed and breakfast is 3 (three)." … "Breakfast shall be the only meal served to guests in a bed and breakfast." … "The bedrooms within a bed and breakfast shall not contain any cooking facilities."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Bylaw:** Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (bed and breakfast, s. 3.55 to 3.62)
  - Source: [Building Permits | District of Stewart, Building Permits page](https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits)
  - Official wording: "Zoning Bylaw 881, 2014"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The District of Stewart has no separate short-term rental rule that we could find. Bed and breakfast is a permitted use in the R1 and R2 zones under [Zoning Bylaw No. 881](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/). A bed and breakfast:

- may have no guest for more than 28 consecutive days
- must be wholly within the dwelling unit and have no more than 3 guestrooms
- may serve breakfast only
- needs one parking space per guestroom, in addition to those required for the house
- may have no cooking facilities in bedrooms
- must not alter the residential character

Detached and secondary suites must be rented for periods of not less than one month ([Bylaw 1023, 2024](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/)), so they cannot be used for nightly stays.

## Steps

1. Confirm your zone using the zoning-lookup answer.
2. Call the District office at 250-636-2251 to ask whether your rental needs a business licence and how it is treated.
3. If it is allowed, see the business-licence answer.

## Good to know

- Stewart is on the Province's list of communities exempt from the provincial principal residence requirement (list as of June 1, 2026). Check the [Province's page](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement) for the current list.
- No short-term rental licence or fine was found in the District's materials.

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/)
- [Principal residence requirement, Province of BC](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals/principal-residence-requirement)

## Related questions

- [Stewart business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/business-licence.md)
- [Stewart home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/home-based-business.md)
- [Stewart secondary suite and carriage house rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/secondary-suite.md)
- [Stewart zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/zoning-lookup.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/short-term-rental.md)
- [Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/short-term-rental.md)
- [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/short-term-rental.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/short-term-rental.md)
- [Prince Rupert](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/short-term-rental.md)
- [Port Edward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/short-term-rental.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/928/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024 (PDF)](https://districtofstewart.civicweb.net/document/32025/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [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 2026-11-08)
- [Business Licensing, District of Stewart](https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/business-licensing) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Building Permits | District of Stewart](https://districtofstewart.com/business-resources/developing-in-the-district/building-permits) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Stewart. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/stewart/short-term-rental/_