Staff Report: Home Occupation Regulations Update
Proposal to update the Town's home occupation bylaws to modernize definitions, classifications, and licensing fees.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT
TO: Council
DATE: April 16, 2026
FROM: Leah Curtis, Community Planner
MEETING DATE: May 12, 2026
HOME OCCUPATION REGULATIONS UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT staff prepare the necessary bylaw amendments to amend the home occupation regulations in Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014, Sign Bylaw No. 950, 2018, Business Licence Regulation Bylaw No. 952, 2016, Municipal Ticketing Bylaw No. 643, 2007, and Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958, 2016 to come into effect on January 1, 2027.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:
THAT Council decline the proposed changes to the home occupation regulations in Town bylaws.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to present the proposed changes to home occupation regulations in the Zoning Bylaw No.900, 2014 and other relevant Town bylaws.
BACKGROUND:
During the February 11, 2025, Committee of the Whole Meeting, staff proposed the project scope to review and update the home occupation regulations in section 4.2 of the Zoning Bylaw. At the February 18, 2025, Council passed the following resolution:
THAT the Committee recommend that Council approve the following scope of work for the review of the home occupation regulation in the Zoning Bylaw and Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw:
- Review of the current definition of home occupation within the Zoning Bylaw;
- Review Section 4.2 to determine if the Town’s home occupation regulations are in alignment with other municipalities in the Greater Victoria area while fostering a business-friendly community;
- Determine if there are any additional amendments required related to home occupations elsewhere within the Zoning Bylaw;
- Address the following items within the Business Licence and Regulations Bylaw:
- Align home occupation definition within the Zoning Bylaw; and
- Remove home craft definition.
ANALYSIS:
Summary of Proposed Amendments
Staff reviewed the Home Occupation (Section 4.2) and Bed and Breakfast (Section 4.3) regulations within the Zoning Bylaw and compared them to regulations and definitions of several municipalities including the City of Colwood, City of Courtney, City of Duncan, City of Langford, City of Nanaimo, City of Parksville, City of Victoria, District of Central Saanich, and District of Saanich.
As a result of the review conducted, it is recommended that the following Town bylaws be amended:
- Business Licence and Regulations Bylaw No.952, 2016
- Fees and Charges Bylaw No.958, 2016
- Municipal Ticketing Bylaw No.643, 2007
- Sign Bylaw No.950, 2018
- Zoning Bylaw No.900, 2014
Based on this comprehensive review, a summary of the proposed changes to the Zoning Bylaw and other Town bylaws are provided in the table below.
| Bylaw | Summary of Proposed Changes |
|---|---|
| Zoning Bylaw No.900, 2014 | Schedule A – Text • Section 1.3.1 - replace Bylaw Enforcement Officer with Bylaw Compliance Officer. Definitions • Introducing new home-based business classes and definitions of home-occupation. General Home Occupation Regulations • Rename home occupation to home-based business, • Remove regulations that are unenforceable or subjective, • Reorganize regulations to make the order flow better (i.e. from property to specific business activity), • Remove signage regulations and add them to the Sign Bylaw, • Move parking requirements to Section 5.10 of the Zoning Bylaw, o Home office – no parking requirement, o Minor home-based business – 1 parking space required, and o Major home-based business – 2 parking spaces required. • Include a maximum number of home-based businesses per lot, • Replace Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 home occupation classifications with Home Office, Minor home-based business and Major home-based business classifications, • Remove the list of permitted uses for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 home occupations, o These lists are not all inclusive and can be confusing for applicants trying to determine which classification they must apply for. Furthermore, it is easier to state which home-based businesses are not permitted in the town. • Remove the minimum lot size requirements (1000m²) for Level 3 home-occupations, including bed & breakfasts (Major home-based businesses), • Remove the minimum lot size requirement (850m²) for Level 2 home occupations (Minor home-based businesses) with suites, • Combine the bed and breakfast regulations (section 4.3) with home occupation (Section 4.2) Level 3 home occupations (Major home-based businesses), o This is intended to improve clarity as applicants currently need to meet requirements in both Section 4.2 (Home Occupation) and Section 4.3 (bed and breakfast). • Add daycare, small to minor home-based business, o Our Zoning Bylaw defines Daycare, small to mean a place that provides for the care of 8 or fewer people. The Child Care Licensing Regulations do not permit more than 8 children of various ages in a home-based business. Note: Attachment 5 of this report provides an in-depth review of the previous and proposed home occupation and bed and breakfast regulations along with an explanation for the proposed changes. |
| Sign Bylaw No.950, 2018 | Relocate signage regulations from the Zoning Bylaw to the Sign Bylaw: • Signage is not permitted for a Home Office home-based business • Signage would be permitted for Minor or Major home-based business (which includes Bed and Breakfasts) Note: The Sign Bylaw has regulations which speak to signage for home-based businesses, however, it would be necessary to adjust the language so that only minor or major home-based businesses would be permitted to have signage. |
| Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No.643, 2007 | Primarily general amendments to ensure that the bylaw is aligned with the proposed and previous bylaw amendments. Schedule 1 (List of Schedules) • Remove Schedule 2, and • Update the Designated Bylaws for Schedule 11 to Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw No.952, 2016 (schedule currently refers to the previous bylaw). Schedule 2 (Land Use Bylaw) • Remove schedule o The land use bylaw was replaced by several bylaws and the list of infractions referenced in Schedule 2 were not removed from the Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw after new bylaws were adopted or amended resulting in duplication of potential offences. Schedule 11 (Business Licence Bylaw) • Update the bylaw listed at the top to Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw No.952, 2016 to the current bylaw. Schedule 18 (Zoning Bylaw) • Update the schedule to reflect any changes to Section 4.2 and 4.3 of the Zoning Bylaw. |
| Business Licence and Regulations Bylaw No.952, 2016 | • Remove Home Crafts definition, • Change home occupation to home-based business, and • Section 13 – change Bylaw Enforcement Officer to Bylaw Compliance Officer |
| Fees and Charges Bylaw No.958, 2016 | • Remove Home Crafts as this would fall under one of the home-based business classifications. The annual business license fee for all home-based businesses would be $100, and • Change home occupation to home-based business. |
Currently, there are approximately eight home craft business licences and 60 home occupations including six bed and breakfast business licences in View Royal. Should Council move forward with considering the proposed amendments to the above bylaws, it is recommended that the proposed amendments to the Zoning Bylaw and Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw come into effect on January 1, 2027, for the following reasons:
- business licence holders have already paid their business licence renewal fees for this year (2026).
- staff are proposing to remove the home crafts business licence classification. A home craft business licence will either become a home office home-based business or a minor home-based business depending on if clients/customers visit to the property or not. However, the current home crafts business licence holders have an annual business licence fee of $50.00, and it is proposed that the annual fee be increased to $100.00 to be consistent with the other home-based business license fees.
- the delayed start date for the changes would give staff time to make all necessary system changes for the proposed classification system; and
- as per the Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw, renewal notices are sent out to current licence holders by December 15th of each year, which would provide staff the opportunity to notify current business licence holders of changes to the regulations and communicate the changes on the Town website and newsletter, and social media platforms.
Community Consultation
A public hearing would be required for the zoning bylaw amendments. The public would have an opportunity to provide comments on the proposed amendments for Council’s consideration at the public hearing. If Council wishes to carry out further public consultation on the proposed changes, then this should occur prior to introducing the bylaws for first and second reading.
Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:
Community Impact:
- The proposed amendments to Section 4.2 and Section 4.3 of the Zoning Bylaw will impact all residents that hold a current home craft and/or home occupation business licence.
- The proposed changes include a maximum number of home-based businesses per dwelling unit and per lot.
- The proposed amendments will impact Home Craft business licensee holders specifically as their business licence fee will increase from $50.00 to $100.00 due to the removal of the home crafts. No other home occupation fee has been increased.
Financial Implication: A legal review of the draft zoning regulations may be required. Additionally, should Council request any public engagement on the proposed bylaw amendments, then there may be financial implications associated with these activities. No other financial implications are associated with this report.
Inter-governmental Relations Impact: There are no anticipated impacts to inter-governmental relations.
ALIGNMENT:
The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:
Strategic Plan: Strategic Priority B, Goal 3c) Review home occupation business zoning regulations and licensing.
Strategic Priority D, Goal 2a) Continue to improve relationships with business community to build business friendly reputation – consider expanded Home Occupation definition.
Official Community Plan: Policy ED1.3 – Pursue opportunities to attract new businesses to View Royal that meet the community’s economic development and land use goals and objectives.
Policy ED4.1 – Support home-based businesses that are compatible with residential uses throughout View Royal as a means of providing alternative employment options, reducing commutes and providing more services locally.
Other Policy Documents: NA
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:
The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is: [ ] Inform [X] Consult [ ] Involve [ ] Collaborate [ ] Empower [ ] N/A
TIME CRITICAL:
There are no time critical considerations for the Town.
CONCURRENCE:
| CONCURRENCE: | Initials | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Administrative Officer | SS | I concur with the recommendation. |
REVIEWED BY:
| REVIEWED BY: | Initials |
|---|---|
| Director of Corporate Administration | N/A |
| Director of Finance & Technology | SV |
| Director of Development Services | LT |
| Director of Engineering | N/A |
| Director of Protective Services |
ATTACHMENTS:
- Report dated January 21, 2025, titled “Home Occupation – Scope of Bylaw Review” by the Community Planner.
- Zoning Bylaw No.900 2014 – Section 4.2 and 4.3
- Home Occupation Regulations – Red Line Version
- Home Occupation Regulations – Proposed Changes
- Home Occupation Regulations – Comparison Table
Document Images
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Related Documents
(5)Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014
Bylaw No. 900 · Referenced in 4 sections
Sign Bylaw No. 950, 2018
Bylaw No. 950 · Referenced in 2 sections
Business License and Regulation Bylaw No. 952, 2016
Bylaw No. 952 · Referenced in 2 sections
Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw, No. 643, 2007
Bylaw No. 643 · Referenced in 2 sections
Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 958, 2016 - Schedule A
Bylaw No. 958 · Referenced in 2 sections