Starting out in Vancouver
Everything below is about the City of Vancouver itself: its licences, permits, and tickets. BC-wide guides live on the British Columbia hub instead. Start with the three Vancouver rules that trip up new businesses, then browse the guides.
Any organization doing business in or from Vancouver must have a business licence — commercial, industrial, home-based, and out-of-town operations alike. A home-based business is licensed like any other business location; running the business from your home is not an exemption.
Source: City of Vancouver: Business licences (vancouver.ca)
Vancouver business licences all expire on December 31 each year, whatever day you applied. Renewal notices go out in November, and any payment received after December 31 carries a late penalty of $47 or 10% of the licence fee, whichever is greater.
Source: City of Vancouver: Renew your business licence (vancouver.ca)
The City charges a one-time, non-refundable $77 application fee with the general business licence application. The annual licence fee itself depends on your business type and is set by Licence By-law No. 4450, Schedule A. A licence may also need engineering, fire, health, or police approvals before it is issued.
Source: City of Vancouver: Business Licence General Application (vancouver.ca)
No tools built for this city yet. The guides below cover the ground.
The guides and tools below are about Vancouver itself: its own licences, permits, and programs. Province-wide and Canada-wide guides live on their own hubs.
Got a City of Vancouver parking ticket and want to fight it? A 2026 guide to the 14-day pay-or-dispute deadline, the screening call, the adjudication hearing, and the $25 fee if you lose — from vancouver.ca and By-law No. 10201.
Vancouver building permits: when you need one, the development permit question, the application package, fees after intake, and inspections.
How to get a residential parking permit in Vancouver: check your zone, meet the ICBC insurance test, buy online or by phone, and wait 3 hours.
Start a bakery in Vancouver: check zoning first, get FOODSAFE Level 1, win Vancouver Coastal Health approval for the floor plan before you build, then apply for the City business licence.
A Vancouver caterer needs a City of Vancouver business licence in the Caterer class and a Vancouver Coastal Health annual food service permit for the kitchen. VCH must approve the floor plan before construction, and the owner or operator must hold FOODSAFE Level 1.
A Vancouver coffee shop needs a City business licence under Licence By-law No. 4450 and an annual Vancouver Coastal Health food service permit, with floor plans approved before construction starts.
How to start a food truck in Vancouver: the roaming food vending permit, 2026 fees, Vancouver Coastal Health approval, and where trucks may and may not sell.
Open a restaurant in Vancouver: City business licence and zoning, Vancouver Coastal Health food premises approval, and the LCRB food-primary or liquor-primary licence.
Trade schools in Vancouver with verified apprenticeship and foundation training: Vancouver Community College in Vancouver and BCIT at its Burnaby campus, the trades each covers, and where to confirm current intakes.