--- title: Wells home-based business rules question: "Can I run a business from my home in Wells?" place: Wells, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/wells category: Starting and running a business owner: municipal owner_body: District of Wells sources_read: 2026-11-08 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/home-based-business/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/home-based-business.json" --- # Wells home-based business rules **Question:** Can I run a business from my home in Wells? **Short answer:** Yes. In Wells, the Zoning Bylaw allows a home occupation or home industry in most residential zones. A home occupation must stay within 40% of the floor area, up to 75 m², with at most two non-resident employees. No business licence is posted. **Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Wells, https://www.wells.ca) **Cost:** No fee or licence is posted. See the business-licence answer. **How long:** Not stated. **Where:** - Phone: District Office, 250-994-3330 - Email: District Office, clerk@wells.ca - In person: District Office, 4243 Sanders Ave, Wells, BC V0K 2R0 (Office hours are not stated on the District website.) ## Key facts - **Allowed:** Yes, as a home occupation or home industry ancillary to a residential use: allowed in R 1, R 1A, R 2, RR 1, RR 2, RC and R/A zones. R 3 and R 4 allow a home occupation; home industry only inside the principal dwelling. - Source: [District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7, s. 4.8.1(b)(ii) and similar in 4.9, 4.10, 4.13, 4.14, 4.4](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) - Official wording: "a home occupation or a home industry ancillary to a permitted residential use" … "No person shall, within any R/A zone, use any lot or erect, alter or use any building or structure for any purpose except one or more of the following R/A uses" … "a home occupation or a home industry ancillary to a permitted residential" - Source: [District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7, s. 4.11.1(b)](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) - Official wording: "a home occupation ancillary to a permitted residential use" … "home industry if limited to the interior of the principal dwelling" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Business licence:** Not confirmed. No business licence bylaw or fee was found in the District's posted documents. - **Limits:** Inside the dwelling or an ancillary building only; at most 40% of the floor area, up to 75 m²; at most two non-resident employees; one unilluminated sign up to 0.84 m²; no outdoor storage or display (up to three finished products allowed); no retail except catalogue or own-product sales. - Source: [District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) - Official wording: "a home occupation shall not be permitted in any zone unless such home occupation conforms to the following provisions" … "the activity shall be confined to the interior of the principal dwelling or to the interior of an ancillary building" - Source: [District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7, s. 3.6(g)-(h)](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) - Official wording: "not more than 40% of the gross floor area of the residential dwelling shall be used for the home occupation use, up to a total maximum area of 75 square metres" … "no more than two persons who are not residents of the dwelling to which the home occupation is ancillary may be employed in the activity" - Source: [District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7, s. 3.6(c), (e), (f)](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) - Official wording: "except for one unilluminated sign not larger than 0.84 square metre" … "except for the display of a maximum of three finished products produced on the premises" … "except for catalogue sales, products or commodities produced on the premises" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 - **Businesses not allowed:** None set. Wells' bylaw has no list of banned home businesses. - **Bylaw:** District of Wells Zoning Bylaw (Bylaw No. 26, 2000; the amending bylaws call it the Zoning and Tree Protection Bylaw), s. 3.6 (home occupation) and s. 3.7 (home industry) - Source: [District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) - Official wording: "existing on the date of passing of this bylaw. 3.6 HOME OCCUPATION Notwithstanding any other provisions of this bylaw to the contrary, a home occupation shall" … "residential use, but not ancillary to a permitted non-residential use; District of Wells Zoning Bylaw 26" … "(c) no alteration may be made to the external appearance of the property which indicates" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08 ## How it works The [Zoning Bylaw](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) allows a home occupation or home industry ancillary to a residential use in the R 1, R 1A, R 2, RR 1, RR 2, RC and R/A zones. R 3 and R 4 allow a home occupation, and a home industry only inside the principal dwelling. This applies only to lots in those zones; the zone of a lot is on the Zoning Maps. Home occupation limits (s. 3.6): - Inside the dwelling or an ancillary building only. - At most 40% of the floor area, up to 75 m². - At most two non-resident employees. - One unilluminated sign up to 0.84 m². - No outdoor storage or display (up to three finished products allowed). - No retail except catalogue or own-product sales. - No noise, vibration, dust, smoke, odour, heat or traffic beyond what is normal for a dwelling. A home industry (s. 3.7) has similar limits, but up to 150 m² on lots of 0.4 ha or more, and up to two vehicles for repair outdoors. ## Steps 1. Find your lot's zone and check that it allows a home occupation or home industry. 2. Compare your plans with the limits above. 3. Ask the District Office whether any other approval applies. ## Good to know - No business licence bylaw or fee was found in the District's posted documents. See the business-licence answer. - The bylaw has no list of banned home businesses; the limits above apply to all. ## Official forms and pages - [Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7 (PDF)](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) ## Related questions - [Wells zoning: find your zone and what it allows](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/zoning-lookup.md) - [Wells short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/short-term-rental.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/home-based-business.md) - [Quesnel](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/quesnel/home-based-business.md) - [Williams Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/home-based-business.md) - [McBride](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/home-based-business.md) - [Prince George](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/home-based-business.md) - [100 Mile House](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/home-based-business.md) - [Valemount](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/valemount/home-based-business.md) ## Sources - [District of Wells Zoning Bylaw No. 26, 2000, ss. 3.6 and 3.7 (PDF)](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/5615/9373/3636/Bylaw_No._26_2000_Zoning_Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-08) _Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 3 of 5 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Wells. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/home-based-business/_