Business licence
Business licences, town by town
Before you need money, you need permission, and nobody explains this part. Every town here with its own town hall issues its own licence, with its own rules. Outside those towns, you usually don't need a licence at all. This page shows which office is yours. I don't list fees, because they change every year. Your town hall is the only place that can tell you the real one.
Your town
Tell me where you are and I'll tell you whose licence you need. The full list is below either way.
Towns that issue their own licence
Everywhere else
Most of this region is rural and outside any town's limits, so there is no town hall to ask. A rural property usually needs no business licence at all. Your regional district is in charge out there. If you run something from a rural property and aren't sure what applies, ask them. Asking is free.
Regional District of Central Kootenay
Covers the rural areas around Nelson, Castlegar, Creston, Kaslo, the Slocan Valley and the Arrow Lakes.
Regional District of East Kootenay
Covers the rural East Kootenay, the Elk Valley and the Columbia Valley.
Regional District of Kootenay Boundary
Covers the rural areas around Trail and Rossland, and the rural Boundary.
Your chamber of commerce
Joining costs money, and you don't have to. But in a small town, the chamber is how you meet other business owners. Several chambers also run the visitor centre that sends tourists your way. These are the chambers on the List.
The other permissions
A business licence is often not the only permission you need. Here are three more, depending on what you're opening.
Serving or making food
Any business that serves, makes or sells food needs an Interior Health permit before it opens. Search their site for food premises permits, or call your local health protection office.
Building or renovating
Your town hall, or your regional district
In a town with its own town hall, building permits come from the same office as your business licence. Everywhere else, they come from your regional district's building department. The offices above are the right places to ask.
Liquor and cannabis
Liquor and cannabis licences come from the Province, not your town. They take a long time, so start here well before you plan to open.
How this page is kept
I checked every office here against its own live site on 23 AUG 2026. I link to each town's front page on purpose. While building this page, I tried five town licence-page addresses from memory, and four were already dead. Every city hall front page was still there. Front pages last longer, so those are what I link.
I leave out fees for the same reason the funding page leaves out grant deadlines. If you find a link that has stopped working, tell me and I'll fix it.
Who actually funds a business here · Add or claim your listing