Stewart short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

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

Stewart, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

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.

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.Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 5.1 and 6.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording The following uses and no others are permitted in the R1 zone: Bed and breakfast;
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).Short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of BC, List of exempt communities · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Communities exempt from the provincial principal residence requirement: Spallumcheen Stewart Sun Peaks
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.Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014, s. 3.55 to 3.62 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 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.
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)Building Permits \| District of Stewart, Building Permits page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 Official wording Zoning Bylaw 881, 2014

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. 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), so they cannot be used for nightly stays.

Steps

Confirm your zone using the zoning-lookup answer.
Call the District office at 250-636-2251 to ask whether your rental needs a business licence and how it is treated.
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 for the current list.
No short-term rental licence or fine was found in the District's materials.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Hazelton · New Hazelton · Terrace · Prince Rupert · Port Edward · Smithers

Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

Zoning Bylaw No. 881, 2014 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
Zoning Amending Bylaw No. 1023, 2024 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
Short-term rental principal residence requirement, Province of BC (read 2026-11-08)
Business Licensing, District of Stewart (read 2026-11-08)
Building Permits | District of Stewart (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. How answers are checked.