{"title":"Tofino home-based business rules","question":"Can I run a business from my home in Tofino?","slug":"home-based-business","place":{"path":"ca/bc/tofino","name":"Tofino","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"business","name":"Starting and running a business"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"District of Tofino","url":"https://tofino.ca"},"short_answer":"In Tofino you can run a home occupation as an accessory use if the zone allows it and a Permanent Resident lives on the lot. It still needs a business licence. It may use at most 40% of the main dwelling and have at most one non-resident employee.","aliases":["home occupation tofino","home business licence tofino","work from home business tofino"],"cost":"Business licence fee follows the business type (for example $233.70 for professional services in 2026) plus a $77.90 processing fee. There is no separate home-based class.","how_long":"Not stated for this question; see business-licence.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"District of Tofino (business licensing)","value":"250-725-3229"},{"type":"email","label":"Business licensing","value":"business@tofino.ca"},{"type":"online","label":"Business licence portal","value":"https://citywideportal.com/auth/signup/tofino"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (PDF), s. 4.3.2","url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/"},{"title":"Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 1239, 2022 (PDF)","url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/163656/"}],"related":[{"slug":"business-licence","title":"Tofino business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/business-licence/"},{"slug":"zoning-lookup","title":"Tofino zoning: find your zone and what it allows","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/zoning-lookup/"},{"slug":"short-term-rental","title":"Tofino short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/short-term-rental/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/ucluelet","name":"Ucluelet","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ucluelet/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/gold-river","name":"Gold River","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/gold-river/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/port-alberni","name":"Port Alberni","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-alberni/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/cumberland","name":"Cumberland","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/cumberland/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/courtenay","name":"Courtenay","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/courtenay/home-based-business/"},{"place":"ca/bc/comox","name":"Comox","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/comox/home-based-business/"}],"topic":{"title":"Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business/"},"facts":{"allowed":{"label":"Allowed","value":"Yes, as an accessory use to an established residence in zones that list home occupations, run by a Permanent Resident living on the lot. Up to 3 home occupations on a lot zoned for single-family only; 2 per dwelling unit on two-family or multi-family lots.","short":"Yes, in zones that list it","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.3.2","section":"s. 4.3.2","quotes":["Home occupations are only permitted as an accessory use to an established","The maximum number of home occupations on a lot that is zoned to permit","only single family dwellings is 3.","two-family dwellings or multi-family dwellings is 2 per dwelling unit.","Shall only be permitted when operated by a Permanent Resident"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"licence":{"label":"Business licence","value":"Yes. Every business needs a licence (s. 3(1)). The fee schedule has no separate home-based class; the fee follows the business type, for example Professional Services $233.70 (2026) or Artists and Artisans I, no employees or retail space, $116.90 (2026), plus a $77.90 processing fee.","short":"Yes: by business type, e.g. $116.90 to $233.70","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/163656/","title":"Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 1239, 2022 (PDF, consolidated)","section":"s. 3(1), Schedule A","quotes":["A person must not carry on any business within the District unless that person holds a valid and","Professional Services $226.90 $233.70 $240.70","Artists and Artisans I - No Employees or Retail Space $113.50 $116.90 $120.40","Processing Fee $75.60 $77.90 $80.20"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"limits":{"label":"Limits","value":"At most 40% of the main dwelling unit's area; at most one employee who is not a Permanent Resident; all parking off-street; only a sign allowed by the sign bylaw; no change to the dwelling's look; no noise, dust, smell or fire hazard beyond a normal dwelling.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.3.2","section":"s. 4.3.2(f) and (g)","quotes":["Shall not exceed, except in the case of a Short Term Rental use, an","area of more than 40% of the principal dwelling unit on the lot;","employ on","the lot more than one non-Permanent Resident employee;","Shall provide all off street parking necessary for the operation of the","No alterations shall be made to the principal building, that","changes its character as a dwelling."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"not_allowed":{"label":"Businesses not allowed","value":"Anything selling goods not made on the premises, and cannabis retail or production. A bed and breakfast and a short-term rental cannot run on the same lot at once.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.3.2","section":"s. 4.3.2","quotes":["Shall not involve the sale or offering for sale, of any article which is","not produced on the premises.","A Bed and Breakfast use and Short Term Rental use cannot be operated on","the same lot at the same time.","which is carried on within a dwelling unit by a permanent resident of the dwelling unit, and excludes","Cannabis Retail and Cannabis Production."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (s. 4.3.2) and Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 1239, 2022","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.3.2","section":"s. 4.3.2","quotes":["Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997"]},{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/163656/","title":"Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 1239, 2022 (PDF, consolidated)","section":"Title","quotes":["District of Tofino Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 1239, 2022"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":5,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":0,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nUnder section 4.3.2 of the District of Tofino's [Zoning Bylaw No. 770](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/), a home occupation is allowed as an accessory use to an established residence in zones that list it, and must be run by a Permanent Resident living on the lot. A single-family-only lot may have up to 3 home occupations; two-family and multi-family lots may have 2 per dwelling unit. Some downtown core comprehensive zones (CD-DC1, CD-DC3, CD-DC4) allow none. Check your zone on the zoning map.\n\nEvery business also needs a licence under the [Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 1239](https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/163656/).\n\nThe limits are:\n\n\n- At most 40% of the main dwelling unit's area.\n- At most one employee who is not a Permanent Resident.\n- All parking off-street, and only a sign allowed by the sign bylaw.\n- No change to the dwelling's look, and no noise, dust, smell or fire hazard beyond a normal dwelling.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- Not allowed: selling goods not made on the premises, and cannabis retail or production.\n- A bed and breakfast and a short-term rental cannot run on the same lot at once.\n- Permitted examples include professional offices, artist and craft studios, woodworker or locksmith shops, urban agriculture, residential childcare, bed and breakfast and short-term rental.\n- Artists and Artisans I (no employees or retail space) is $116.90 in 2026, plus the $77.90 processing fee.","sources":[{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/157800/","title":"Zoning Bylaw No. 770, 1997 (consolidated, PDF), s. 4.3.2","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://tofino.civicweb.net/document/163656/","title":"Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 1239, 2022 (PDF, consolidated)","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/home-based-business/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/home-based-business.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/tofino/home-based-business.json"}}