Short-term rentals
In 2025, the City of Kelowna updated its short-term rental regulations to align with provincial legislation.
A short-term rental is defined as any rental of a dwelling unit or bedroom for less than 90 consecutive days.Operators must follow rules and regulations to legally rent residences on a short-term basis.
Anyone operating a short-term rental must apply for a business licence. By licensing your short-term rental and following regulations, you are helping limit negative impacts to the long-term rental market, being a good neighbour, and supporting equity among all short-term accommodation providers.
Before applying for a business licence, applicants must meet several requirements. In addition to the City requirements listed below, short-term rental operators must also meet Provincial requirements, including registration with the Province. For more information on provincial requirements visit: Short-term rentals - Province of British Columbia
A primary resident can legally rent their principal residence (or a bedroom within their residence) for periods of less than 90 days if they have a business licence. A principal residence is defined as the usual place where an individual makes their home for the majority of the calendar year (a minimum of 240 days per year).
- If a secondary suite or carriage house is used for short-term rental accommodation, it must be operated by a principal resident that resides at a dwelling unit on the same lot as the secondary suite or carriage house.
- Principal residence does not apply to a property in the case that the operator holds a fractional interest and the fractional ownership agreement prohibits the use of the property as a principal residence.
- For properties within the Agricultural Land Reserve, short-term rental accommodation must be in accordance with City regulations and the Agricultural Land Reserve. Tourist accommodation in the ALR is permitted up to a maximum of 4 bedrooms and can take place in the principal residence or secondary suite but NOT in an additional residence such as a carriage house.
- No more than one booking or reservation is permitted in each dwelling unit at one time.
- No more than two adults may occupy a sleeping unit
- A maximum of 3 bedrooms can be used for short-term rental accommodation per dwelling unit.
- Where a lot contains a single detached dwelling and a carriage house and/or a secondary suite, a maximum of two dwelling units and five sleeping units in total are permitted for short-term rental use.
- Operators must advise if they are providing parking for guests and include this in all online marketing along with the business licence number and the number of permitted sleeping units.
Short-term rental accommodations must have appropriate safety measures in place to protect guests in the event of an emergency. Operators must:
- Provide contact information for someone who is available to respond to incidents 24/7.
- Install a minimum 2A10BC rated fire extinguisher on each floor, which must be wall mounted and visible: it cannot be stored in a closet or cupboard.
- Smoke alarms shall be operated monthly to ensure they are operational. A logbook shall be kept indicating the test dates. Smoke alarms shall be replaced after 10 years
- Test annually, and maintain in working order, all smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and carbon monoxide detectors.
Once you have satisfied the requirements above, you can apply for a business license. For quicker processing of your application, please apply for a business licence online. When applications are made online, the relevant forms will be emailed to you and any required third parties to sign via Docusign.
An application fee of $50 must be paid at the time the application is submitted. If approved, an invoice will be provided and must be paid prior to the release of the licence. Business licences for short-term rentals cost $345 and must be renewed annually. These fees reflect the cost of implementation and compliance oversight activities.
If you are unable to submit an online application, the forms below must all be completed before arriving to the Application Centre at City Hall. If the required forms are not completed in full, we will not be able to accept your application.
Application requirements
- One piece of government issued photo identification: Driver's Licence, BCID, BC Services Card, or any form of government issued photo ID which shows your address.
- One principal residence supportive document: ICBC certificate of insurance and vehicle licence, homeowner grant declaration confirmation, official notice from government agency or Crown corporation.
- Complete the following forms: self-evaluation fire & safety form, good neighbour agreement
- TENANTS applying are required to provide the owner consent form.
- STRATIFIED PROPERTIES are required to provide the strata consent form.
- Prepare a fire evacuation plan of the dwelling unit identifying smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, fire exits, each sleeping unit, the types of bed in each sleeping unit, and the location of any sofa beds.
Short-term rental applications take two to four weeks to receive a final review once a completed application package has been received. Please monitor the email provided on your application for updates.
The City actively works to ensure short-term rental operators comply with rules and regulations. Operators may face municipal fines of up to $500 per day, per offence, and significantly higher amounts if compliance efforts require escalation. Illegal operation may result in enforcement by both the municipality and the province.
If you suspect that a short-term rental operator is operating contrary to regulations, please see the link below to file a complaint.
- Operating without a valid business licence.
- Operating contrary to zoning restrictions.
- Listing or advertising a short-term rental without displaying a valid business licence.
- Listing or advertising a short-term rental exceeding approved bedroom count on business licence.
- Listing or advertising a short-term rental without indicating if parking is available or not.
- Operating a short-term rental contrary to your business licence.
- Operating in an unsafe or nuisance property.
- Refusing entry for inspection by a Licence Inspector or City representative.
Operators exceeding licensing requirements or restrictions, and those with repeat offences, may be subject to escalated prosecution and higher fine amounts per offence per day.+ Inspection
The City actively inspects short-term rentals. Operators must provide access to their short-term rental accommodation for the City to inspect, upon request.
- Operators understand that City staff may:
- Audit short-term rental licences and all required documentation.
- Request evidence that supports the information in a licence application
- Request records of the short-term rental bookings and operation dates
- Request records showing fire safety inspections and safety maintenance
City bylaws ensure our community is a safe and enjoyable place for residents and visitors. Hosts must ensure guests are aware of the following rules, as well as any other rules set by your strata, if applicable.
Noise
Because many short-term rental properties are near other residential homes, please ensure your guests are considerate of the public and their neighbours at all times of day. View the Good Neighbour Bylaw to learn more.
Parking
Hosts should ensure guests know where they can and can’t park. If you provide guest parking, the parking provided must be on your property. Guests are responsible for abiding by parking regulations including any on-street parking time limits or restrictions.
Bylaw: Section 4 of the Traffic Bylaw.
Dogs
Guests must control their dogs at all times and keep on a leash when outside, unless within a designated off-leash dog park. Guests must also pick up after their dog.
Garbage and recycling
Hosts should ensure guests have access to recycling and garbage bins. Learn more about garbage, recycling and yard waste options.
Direct any nuisance complaints to Bylaw Services at 250-469-8686. If you're aware of a short-term rental business operating without a licence, contact our Licensing Branch at [email protected].
The City prepared these regulations based on Council-endorsed guiding principles, in consultation with the public and stakeholders and in alignment with provincial regulations. The regulations aim to balance the interest in having short-term rentals in our community with measures that protect long-term rentals and limit impacts on neighbouring properties and uses.
- Ensure short-term rental accommodations do not impact the long-term rental housing supply in a negative way. Ensure short-termrental accommodations are good neighbours.
- Ensure equity among short-term accommodation providers.
| Public opinion survey | Fall 2017 |
| Council review of Guiding Principles & public survey results (July 16, 2018) | Summer 2018 |
| Draft regulations, stakeholder engagement | Summer & Fall 2018 |
| Staff policy recommendations (Dec. 3, 2018 & Feb. 25, 2019) | Winter 2018/2019 |
| Council bylaw consideration (March 12 & April 8, 2019), public hearing | Winer-Spring 2019 |
| Implementation & business licence intake | April 23, 2019 |
| Staff policy recommendations: Secondary suites and carriage houses | May 6, 2019 |
| Report to Council - Staff recommend amendments to short-term rental accommodation | October 23, 2023 |
| Public Hearing | November 21, 2023 |
| Report to Council - Provincial Regulatory Changes | January 15, 2024 |
| Bylaw Adoption - Adoption of short-term rental bylaw changes | January 22, 2024 |
| Report to Council - Short-term Rental Property Exemptions | February 5, 2024 |
| Provincial legislation under Bill 35 – Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act came into effect. | May 1, 2024 |
| Report to Council - Staff presented recommendations to align local regulations with provincial standards | January 20, 2025 |
| Report to Council – Council approved staff recommendations to align Zoning Bylaw regulations with Provincial Regulations | March 3, 2025 |
| Report to Council – Staff recommend changes to the Short-Term Rental and Enforcement Bylaws | March 17, 2025 |
| Report to Council – Adoption of Short-Term Rental Bylaw changes | April 14, 2025 |
