Business Licences

A Business Licence is required by every business (resident and non-resident) operating in the Town of Lake Cowichan. A person who carries on business from more than one location shall obtain a licence for each business location.


Why do you need a business licence?

Business licenses are required so the Town can monitor and ensure businesses are in compliance with zoning bylaws, building and fire regulations, and health requirements. This helps ensure that businesses are safe for the public and are operating in the allowable areas.

For home-based businesses, there are regulations as to what type of business can operate in a residential zone. The Town imposes rules to protect the residential nature of neighborhoods.


Mobile Businesses

For mobile businesses, the Town of Lake Cowichan Business Licence Bylaw automatically authorizes operations in Duncan, North Cowichan and Ladysmith (see Intermunicipal Business Licence Bylaw). For those mobile business owners who conduct business further up island or south island, an Inter-Community Business Licence can be purchased for an additional fee. This licence authorizes mobile business owners to operate in participating Vancouver Island communities.


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Applying for a business license

Submit your completed business license application (found under application forms) to:

  • in person to the Town Office at 39 South Shore Road or
  • mail to PO Box 860, Lake Cowichan BC, V0R 2G0 or
  • email to general@lakecowichan.ca

Fees

Yearly License Fee $100
Yearly Inter-Community License Fee $270
Late Fee after February 28 (or Feb 29 in a Leap Year) $25
Pro-Rated Fee (after July 1) $50


Finding the permits & licenses you need for your business

BizPaL is an innovative online service that allows business clients to easily generate a customized list of the permits and licences they require from three levels of government – local, provincial and federal – simply by providing some generic information about the business.

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Benefits of BizPal

Finding out which government requirements apply to a certain business type can be time consuming and frustrating. BizPaL was created to help identify what you may require, quickly and easily. The information you need is available from a single source; entrepreneurs spend less time dealing with red tape – saving effort and money in the process – and more time building their business.

This service is the result of strong collaboration between the Government of Canada and participating provincial/territorial, regional, and municipal governments and is designed with the following benefits in mind:

  • It's free to use
  • It saves time
  • It's available 24/7