White Rock home-based business rules
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.
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.Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingAn 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. |
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| 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.Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1(10)-(11); Business Licence Bylaw 1997, No. 1510 (PDF, consolidated April 2020), Sch. A, Group 5 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingall home occupation uses will be required to possess a valid business license; written consent by the Owner or the Owner The fee for each licence period shall be: $150.00 plus $25.00 for each employee. |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingshall 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; |
| 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.Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), s. 5.3.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingthe 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 |
| Bylaw | White Rock Zoning Bylaw, 2024, No. 2506 (s. 5.3); Business Licence Bylaw, 1997, No. 1510Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), Title; Business Licence Bylaw 1997, No. 1510 (PDF, consolidated April 2020), Title · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingWHITE ROCK ZONING BYLAW, 2024, No. 2506 White Rock Business Licence By-law, 1997, No. 1510 |
How it works
Zoning Bylaw 2506 (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, and none is issued without the owner's written consent.
Steps
- Check your plan against section 5.3 (see below).
- If you rent, get the owner's written consent.
- 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
The same question in other places
Surrey · Langley City · Township of Langley · Delta · New Westminster · Burnaby
Home-based business rules in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Zoning Bylaw 2024, No. 2506 (PDF, section 5.3), City of White Rock (read 2026-11-05)
- Business Licence Bylaw 1997, No. 1510 (PDF, consolidated April 2020), City of White Rock (read 2026-11-05)
- Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw 1929 (PDF, consolidated November 2024), City of White Rock (read 2026-11-05)
- Business Licences and Permits, City of White Rock (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. How answers are checked.