GovHandbook

Tahsis short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

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

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

Short answer

In Tahsis, short-term rental (under 31 days) is allowed as an accessory use in the R-1, R-2 and RM-1 zones. It also counts as a home-based business if you live on the lot. Hosts must register with the Province's Short-Term Rental Registry. No Village business licence was found.

Key facts

AllowedYes. Short-term rental (under 31 days) is a listed accessory use in the R-1, R-2 and RM-1 zones, and counts as a home-based business (allowed in any zone) if the operator permanently lives on the lot and meets the home-based business limits.Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, ss. 2.1, 3.2(1), 5.2-5.4 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
means the rental of all or a portion of a dwelling for a period of less
Residential Zone One (R-l)
short-term rental accommodations
h) bed and breakfast accommodation and short-term rental accommodation, and
the home-based business must be operated by a person who permanently resides within a dwelling unit on the lot where the home-based business is situated;
Business licenceNot confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
Provincial registrationYes. Tahsis is on the Province's exempt-community list, so the provincial principal residence requirement does not apply, but hosts of rentals under 90 consecutive days must still register with the Province's Short-Term Rental Registry.Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC, Province page (updated Sept 21, 2026) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Provincial registration requirements apply to short-term rentals offered for fewer than 90 consecutive days, regardless of whether a local business licence is required.
Communities under 10,000 population and ski resort areas
Telkwa Tahsis Tofino
must register with the Short-Term Rental Registry, but are exempt from the principal residence requirement:
Operating rulesParking: 1 space per guest room plus the 2 spaces required for the main dwelling. As a home-based business: at most 50% of the dwelling's floor area, one non-resident employee, one sign up to 3,600 cm². A bed and breakfast is limited to 4 bedrooms with the operator living there.Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, ss. 2.1, 3.2(1), 3.13 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Short-Term Rental 1 space per guest room + the 2 spaces required for the
h) the gross floor area of the home-based business shall not exceed 50% of the
a maximum of one person who does not reside within a dwelling unit located on
means the use of not more than four (4) bedrooms within a dwelling
FineNot confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
BylawZoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020 (definitions, s. 3.2, s. 3.13, zone tables); provincial Short-Term Rentals Accommodation ActZoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
ZONING BYLAW No. 630, 2020

How it works

Under Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020, short-term rental (under 31 days) is a listed accessory use in the R-1, R-2 and RM-1 zones. It also counts as a home-based business, which is allowed in any zone, if the operator permanently lives on the lot and meets the home-based business limits. RM-2 and RU-1 do not list short-term rental as an accessory use. No local principal-residence requirement was found.

Tahsis is on the Province's list of exempt communities, so the provincial principal residence requirement does not apply here. Hosts of rentals under 90 consecutive days must still register with the Province's Short-Term Rental Registry.

Steps

  1. Check your zone (see the zoning-lookup answer).
  2. Meet the parking rule: 1 space per guest room plus the 2 spaces required for the main dwelling.
  3. If you run it as a home-based business, keep to its limits: at most 50% of the dwelling's floor area, one non-resident employee, and one sign up to 3,600 cm².
  4. Register with the Province's Short-Term Rental Registry.

Good to know

  • A bed and breakfast is limited to 4 bedrooms, with the operator living there.
  • Business License Bylaw No. 503 was repealed in 2012 and we found no later business licence bylaw.
  • We found no guest limit, licence-number posting rule or local contact rule, and no ticket amount for short-term rentals. Zoning offences can be punished by a fine up to $50,000 or six months in jail.
  • The Province's list was dated June 1, 2026; check the Province's page for changes.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Gold River · Sayward · Port Alice · Port McNeill · Campbell River · Port Hardy

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

Sources

  1. Zoning Bylaw No. 630, 2020 (PDF), Village of Tahsis (read 2026-11-08)
  2. Short-term rentals, principal residence requirement, Province of BC (read 2026-11-08)
  3. Business Licence Repealing Bylaw No. 503-1, 2012 (PDF), Village of Tahsis (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.