---
title: White Rock home-based business rules
question: "Can I run a business from my home?"
place: White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/white-rock
category: Starting and running a business
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of White Rock
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/home-based-business/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/home-based-business.json"
---

# White Rock home-based business rules

**Question:** Can I run a business from my home?

**Short answer:** Yes. In White Rock an accessory home occupation is permitted in all zones that allow a residential use, if it meets the Zoning Bylaw's section 5.3 conditions and has a City business licence. It must be fully inside the home, use no more than 40% of the floor area, and sell no goods from the dwelling.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of White Rock, https://www.whiterockcity.ca)  
**Cost:** No home-occupation fee is named in the Business Licence Bylaw. A business not named in any group pays $150 plus $25 per employee, but that schedule is from April 2020 and the City does not say whether it applies to home businesses.  
**Where:**
- Online: MyWhiteRock business licence portal, https://my.whiterockcity.ca/TempestApps/LoginManager/
- Phone: Business Licence, 604-541-2139
- Email: Business Licence, licences@whiterockcity.ca

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Yes. An accessory home occupation is permitted in all zones that allow a residential use, under the s. 5.3 conditions. In multi-unit and mixed commercial/residential zones, and on SSMUH lots with a bed and breakfast or short term rental, no clients may come to the building. Where an SSMUH lot has more than 2 units including a suite or detached unit, only a home office is allowed.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024)
  - Official wording: "An accessory home occupation use is permitted in all zones permitting a residential use," … "no home occupation shall be permitted which involves clients directly" … "to a home office only."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Yes. Every home occupation needs a valid business licence, and none is issued without the owner's written consent. Fees are set by business type in Schedule A of the Business Licence Bylaw; a business not named in any group pays $150 plus $25 per employee. No home-occupation fee is named.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1(10)-(11)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024)
  - Official wording: "all home occupation uses will be required to possess a valid business license;" … "written consent by the Owner or the Owner"
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw 1997, No. 1510 (PDF, consolidated April 2020), Sch. A, Group 5](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/272/Consolidated---Business-License-Bylaw-1997-Number-1510-PDF)
  - Official wording: "The fee for each licence period shall be: $150.00 plus $25.00 for each employee."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Limits:** Fully inside the home and no more than 40% of the residential floor area. One non-illuminated sign under the Sign Bylaw. No outdoor storage or display. Only residents plus at most one resident or non-resident employee. Parking on site, with no more than one extra space. No noise, dust, odours or extra traffic beyond a normal home.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024)
  - Official wording: "shall not occupy more than 40% of the residential gross" … "there shall be no exterior storage or display of goods or materials;" … "one non-illuminated sign in" … "and not more than one resident or non-resident employee;" … "No more than one additional off-street" … "vehicular traffic other than that normally associated with a residential dwelling;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Businesses not allowed:** No wholesale or retail sale of goods or materials from the dwelling. No assembly uses, and nothing that generates noise, vibration, dust, odours, vapours, heat, on-street parking or traffic beyond a normal home. Client visits are barred in the zones and lots noted above.
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024)
  - Official wording: "the wholesale or retail sale of any goods or materials from the dwelling unit is not" … "permitted;" … "used for any assembly related uses or occupancies, or for any"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** White Rock Zoning Bylaw, 2024, No. 2506 (s. 5.3); Business Licence Bylaw, 1997, No. 1510
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), Title](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024)
  - Official wording: "WHITE ROCK ZONING BYLAW, 2024, No. 2506"
  - Source: [Business Licence Bylaw 1997, No. 1510 (PDF, consolidated April 2020), Title](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/272/Consolidated---Business-License-Bylaw-1997-Number-1510-PDF)
  - Official wording: "White Rock Business Licence By-law, 1997, No. 1510"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

[Zoning Bylaw 2506](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024) (section 5.3) permits an accessory home occupation in all zones that allow a residential use. Every home occupation needs a valid business licence under [Business Licence Bylaw 1510](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/272/Consolidated---Business-License-Bylaw-1997-Number-1510-PDF), and none is issued without the owner's written consent.

## Steps

1. Check your plan against section 5.3 (see below).
2. If you rent, get the owner's written consent.
3. Apply for a business licence through MyWhiteRock, or call 604-541-2139.

## Good to know

- The business must be fully inside the home and use no more than 40% of the residential floor area.
- One non-illuminated sign under the Sign Bylaw. No outdoor storage or display.
- Only residents plus at most one resident or non-resident employee.
- Parking must be on site, with no more than one extra space, additional to the home's required parking.
- No wholesale or retail sale of goods or materials from the dwelling, no assembly uses, and nothing that creates noise, vibration, dust, odours, vapours, heat, on-street parking or traffic beyond a normal home. The bylaw does not list banned business types by name.
- In multi-unit and mixed commercial/residential zones, and on SSMUH lots with a bed and breakfast or short-term rental, no clients may come to the building. Where an SSMUH lot has more than 2 units including a suite or detached unit, only a home office is allowed.
- A ticket for failing to comply with the home occupation requirements is $500, then $1,000, then $2,000 for a third and later offence (Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw 1929).

## Official forms and pages

- [Zoning Bylaw 2506, section 5.3 Accessory Home Occupation Use (PDF)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024)
- [Business Licences and Permits page](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/901/Business-Licences-Permits)

## Related questions

- [White Rock business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/business-licence.md)
- [White Rock short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/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)
- [Surrey](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/surrey/home-based-business.md)
- [Langley City](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langley/home-based-business.md)
- [Township of Langley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langley-township/home-based-business.md)
- [Delta](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/delta/home-based-business.md)
- [New Westminster](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/home-based-business.md)
- [Burnaby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/home-based-business.md)

## Sources

- [Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), City of White Rock](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/8003/Zoning-Bylaw-2024-No-2506-Adopted-June-27-2024) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licence Bylaw 1997, No. 1510 (PDF, consolidated April 2020), City of White Rock](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/272/Consolidated---Business-License-Bylaw-1997-Number-1510-PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw 1929 (PDF, consolidated November 2024), City of White Rock](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/2072/Consolidated---Ticketing-for-Bylaw-Offences-2011-No-1929-PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Business Licences and Permits, City of White Rock](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/901/Business-Licences-Permits) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 5 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of White Rock. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/home-based-business/_