How to Get a Business Licence in Richmond, BC

The short answer

If you carry on business in Richmond, get a City of Richmond business licence before you start operating, and post it where it can be seen. That rule covers commercial, industrial, home-based, and non-resident businesses. The simplest route is MyBusiness, the City's online licencing service in the MyRichmond portal, where you can apply, renew, update, pay, and check your application status. Paper applications are still accepted by mail or in person, but they are not processed without the application fee — and for a paper application, the City does not post one flat fee. You get that fee by calling the Licence Division at 604-276-4328.

Who needs one

The City's test is straightforward: are you carrying on business in Richmond? If the answer is yes, you need a Richmond licence before you conduct business activities. That includes a business based elsewhere that operates in Richmond (a non-resident business), a business run from home, and a regular shop, office, or industrial operation in the city.

A Richmond licence is a municipal licence. It does not replace other approvals your type of business may need. The City points mobile food vendors to their own page, and a complete application can require Zoning, Building, Health, and Fire approvals. Processing time varies with the complexity of the requirements and the approvals involved. If your business touches one of those areas, check that requirement separately rather than assuming the business licence covers it.

Before you apply

Have the basics ready: the business name, the Richmond business address, and how the business will operate. That determines which route and which supporting details the City needs, and it avoids a stalled application over a missing piece.

If you plan to apply on paper, call first. The Licence Division number is 604-276-4328. Ask for the application fee for your business, because that fee must go in with the completed form. The City is explicit on this point: applications will not be processed without the application fee. Do not mail a form and expect the City to bill you later.

If you plan to apply online, set up MyRichmond first, then use MyBusiness. Use the email address the City already has on file for you — for a business owner, that is the owner's email on file; for an administrator or previous applicant, it is the original applicant's email on file. The City warns against registering with a generic business email, because that can stop it matching you to its licencing records.

How to apply online

MyBusiness is the City's online business licencing service, inside the MyRichmond portal. It is built for new and existing business owners who do not want to come to City Hall. Through it you can:

• Apply for a new business licence
• Renew your business licence
• Change or update your business licence
• Make online payments
• Check your application status

That last point matters after you file. If the City needs more information, your application status in MyBusiness is where you can track where things stand, rather than guessing from silence.

How to apply by mail or in person

For a paper application, complete the fillable Business Licence Application Form. The City provides the forms in PDF format, which you can save to your computer or view online.

By mail, send the completed form to:

City of Richmond Business Licence Division, 6911 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2C1

Include a cheque payable to the City of Richmond, for the application fee quoted by the Licence Division.

In person, bring the completed form and payment to Richmond City Hall during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:15am to 5:00pm. The same rule applies in person as by mail: no fee, no processing.

What it costs

There is no single price in this guide for a standard Richmond licence, because the City does not publish one flat fee on its business licences page. The fee depends on the application, and for paper applications the City directs you to the Licence Division at 604-276-4328 for the figure. Fees are set by category in the Consolidated Fees Bylaw No. 8636, listed in Chapter 5 of the City Bylaws section, with business licence fees in its Schedule – Business Licence. Check the current bylaw schedule for your category rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere. Processing for a complete application takes about 4 to 6 weeks, except for non-resident and home-based applications. Budget for the Licence Division call before you mail anything, and keep the quoted fee with your copy of the form so the payment matches.

The one fixed fee the City does publish in this area is the Metro West add-on, covered below: $300.00, not pro-rated. Treat that as an extra on top of your Richmond licence, not as the price of the Richmond licence itself.

Paying and the licence calendar

Pay by cheque, money order, Interac card, or credit card — cash is not accepted. The licence fee is an annual fee based on the calendar year from the date the licence is issued, and no tax is charged on the licence fee. The fee itself is set by category in the Consolidated Fees Bylaw No. 8636 (Schedule – Business Licence); this guide does not quote a category figure because the City directs applicants to the Licence Division for the fee that applies to their application.

Renewal timing runs on a monthly cycle: licences expire on the 1st of every month, and a renewal notice is mailed about 30 days before expiry. If you have a MyBusiness account, the renewal arrives online instead. Check the notice when it arrives — the top part is the licence for posting and the bottom part is the invoice — and, for an offline renewal with no changes, pay by mail, at your bank or credit union, or in person. If you stop operating, tell the Business Licence office rather than letting the licence lapse silently.

Renewal and changes

Richmond business licences must be renewed annually. MyBusiness handles renewals online, along with updates and payments. Use it when your business details change as well — a change or update through MyBusiness keeps the licence on file accurate, which is cheaper and simpler than letting the record drift and sorting it out at renewal.

Do not assume a licence carries over indefinitely because nothing went wrong last year. Annual renewal is the City's requirement, and operating after a licence has lapsed leaves you without the valid licence the City requires before business activities.

Working in other Metro West cities

If you are an eligible trades contractor, construction-related professional, health care service provider, or health care professional who visits clients in their homes, the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence may save you a set of separate municipal licences. Richmond partners with Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Delta, and Burnaby in this program.

The conditions are specific:

• You must hold a valid City of Richmond business licence for trade or construction-related services, or as a health care professional or provider.
• The service or product must be related to the construction industry or health care services.
• The Metro West licence is valid for the term of the City licence and is not pro-rated.
• The fee is $300.00.

Apply with the fillable Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence Application Form, by mail with a cheque payable to the City of Richmond to the Business Licence Division address above, or in person at Richmond City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8:15am to 5:00pm. As with a standard application, it will not be processed without the application fee. If your work does not fit the construction or home-visit health care categories, this add-on does not apply — check the standard Richmond licence route instead.

Mistakes that slow an application down

The avoidable delays are small. Mailing a form without the fee, so the City cannot process it. Registering for MyRichmond with a generic business email that does not match the City's records. Starting work in Richmond before the licence is in place, on the assumption that a licence from another city covers it. And for Metro West applicants, assuming the $300.00 add-on replaces the Richmond licence — it does not. You need the valid Richmond licence first, and the Metro West licence runs for its term.

Get the fee quoted, file through the route that fits how you work, post the licence in a conspicuous place once it is issued, and renew it every year through MyBusiness.

Sources

• City of Richmond, Business Licences — to conduct business in Richmond you must hold a valid business licence and post it in a conspicuous place in accordance with city bylaws; for a paper application, contact the Licence Division at 604-276-4328 for the application fee, which must be submitted with the completed form, and applications will not be processed without the application fee; mail the form to the Business Licence Division at 6911 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC V6Y 2C1 with a cheque payable to the City of Richmond, or apply in person at City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8:15am to 5:00pm; processing time for complete applications (except non-resident and home-based businesses) is about 4 to 6 weeks, with required approvals that can include Zoning, Building, Health, and Fire approvals; pay by cheque, money order, Interac card, or credit card, and cash is not accepted; the licence fee is an annual fee based on the calendar year from the date the licence is issued, no tax is required on the fee, and fees are in the Consolidated Fees Bylaw (Chapter 5 of the City Bylaws section); licences expire on the 1st of every month, a renewal notice is mailed about 30 days before expiry as a two-part form (the top part is the licence for posting, the bottom part is the invoice), and MyBusiness account holders receive the renewal online.
• City of Richmond, MyBusiness — MyBusiness is the City's online business licencing service in the MyRichmond portal, for applying for, updating, and renewing licences online, making online payments, and checking application status; to sign up, the email address on your MyRichmond account must be the same as the email the City has on file for the business owner, or for the original applicant if you are an administrator or applied previously, and you should not use a generic business email, so the City can identify you from its licencing records.
• City of Richmond, Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence — the add-on lets eligible trades contractors and professionals related to the construction industry, and health care service providers or professionals who visit clients in their homes, work in multiple authorized jurisdictions under one licence; you must hold a valid City of Richmond business licence, the service or product must be related to the construction industry or health care services, and Richmond partners with Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Delta, and Burnaby; submit the fee of $300.00 (not pro-rated), the licence is valid for the term of the City licence, and an application will not be processed without the application fee.
• City of Richmond, Business Licence Application Form (BL-11) — the fillable paper application form (rev. October 16, 2024), covering business and ownership information and, for commercial and home occupation uses, the premises questions on page 2; the form prints no dollar fee and notes that the application will not be processed without the application fee, with the fee amount obtained from the Licence Department.
• City of Richmond, Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence Application Form (BL-1) — the fillable add-on application form (rev. March 24, 2025): the licence is valid only while the City of Richmond business licence remains valid and only in the participating municipalities of Vancouver, New Westminster, Delta, Surrey, and Burnaby, for services or products related to the construction industry and for health care professionals or providers who visit clients in their homes, and the application will not be processed without the fee of $300.00.
• City of Richmond, Consolidated Fees Bylaw No. 8636 — listed in Chapter 5 (Finance and Budgets) of the City Bylaws section; business licence fees are set per category in the Schedule – Business Licence, assessed by measures such as floor area, seats, and employees, which is why this guide quotes no single flat fee for a Richmond licence.

Related guides: how to register a business in British Columbia, how to get a business number in Canada, do freelancers need a business licence in Canada, how to start a sole proprietorship in BC.