Page 2
Home Based Business Regulations
Home based businesses are regulated in Section 190.28 of
the Zoning Bylaw. The regulations are as follows:
1. The home based business shall clearly be an accessory
use to the residential use.
2. No more than one non-resident person may be
engaged in one or more home based businesses at the
home. In the case of a house containing a secondary
suite where both dwelling units in the house contain
one or more home based businesses, only one of the
two dwelling units may have a non-residential person
who is engaged in the home based business at the
home.
3. A home based business shall not generate any
noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odours, toxins, heat,
glare, radiation, fire hazard, health hazard or similar
disturbance.
4. No exterior alteration to the appearance of the
structure(s) on the site may be made to indicate that
the site contains anything other than a residential
land use, nor shall the erection of any building,
structure, fence enclosure or portion thereof, other
than those in conformity to the permitted residential
uses of the zoning district allowed.
5. The residential floor space and accessory building area
on a site, including any detached accessory buildings,
occupied or used for any home based business shall
not exceed 500 square feet (46.45 square metres) in
total.
6. No home based business shall have unenclosed
or exterior storage or display of goods, materials,
components, stock-in-trade, equipment or finished
goods.
7. The operation of any home based business shall not
result in or cause more business related vehicle or
pedestrian trips per day to or from the home than is
normal for the residential area.
8. Not more than one Off-Street and one on-street
parking space may be occupied within a dwelling unit
at one time by vehicles associated with one or more
home based businesses within a dwelling unit. In the
case of a house containing a secondary suite and both
dwelling units in the house contain one or more home
based businesses, no more than one Off-Street and
one on-street parking space may be occupied at one
time by any vehicle associated with the home based
businesses on the site.
9. The parking of all vehicles associated with any home
based business shall be in accordance with all City of
New Westminster parking regulations.
10. Every operator of a home based business must
first receive permission from the landlord or strata
corporation in order to operate a home based business.
11. No home based business shall involve the sale of
goods or products where customers regularly enter
the home to inspect, purchase or take possession of
the goods or products, except in the case of the RM-6,
C-2A, C-4 and C-4A districts, where the retail sale of
goods is permitted by a home based business operated
within a dwelling unit located on the street level of a
building, or portion of a building.
12. A home based business shall involve only such
equipment as is ordinarily employed in purely
domestic use, household use, recreational hobbies
or small office uses, and shall not require upgrading,
electrical or plumbing systems beyond the usual for a
residential district.
13. A home based business shall not have any external
displays, advertisements or signage, except for one
non-illuminated identification sign not to exceed 2.2
square feet (0.2 square metres) indicating the name of
the business.
14. A home based business shall not involve:
• adult entertainment uses, adult motion picture
studios, adult theatres, adult video stores or escort
services, or
• automotive repair at the location of the home.
15. A home based business shall not include any
on-site storage of construction materials, hazardous
chemicals or explosives.
16. A bed and breakfast:
• may not accommodate no more than four guests
except that one additional guest for every 500 square
feet (46.45 square metres) of floor space in the
dwelling unit over 2,000 square feet (185.80 square
metres) is permitted, to a maximum of 10 guests,
• may occupy one Off-Street parking or one on-street
parking per bed and breakfast bedroom, provided
that not more than two spaces per every three bed
and breakfast bedrooms are occupied,
• in the case where a house contains a secondary suite,
may be operated in either the principal residence or
the secondary suite, but not both, and
• is not permitted to operate within a detached
accessory dwelling unit or any other detached
accessory building.
Planning Division | 604-527-4532 | plnpost@newwestcity.ca
