Running short-term rentals in Tofino, where the district's own bylaw is stricter than the province's
If you manage or clean short-term rentals in Tofino, the district's business licence bylaw sets the limits: no more than three guest bedrooms and six overnight guests, a permanent resident living at the premises, and someone in Tofino who can respond to guests or police within two hours. British Columbia's page, updated September 21, 2026, lists Tofino among the municipalities exempt from the provincial principal residence requirement, after the district asked in 2025 to opt back out. Upbridge's AI operations assistant, Cleo, works over WhatsApp with vacation rental operators and cleaning companies and organizes the cleanings and the inventory for each place.
The rules here
The district decides which properties qualify and licenses each one; the province runs the registry. We read both on October 24, 2026.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning | Zoning Bylaw No. 770 decides which properties may be used for a short-term rental, bed and breakfast, guest house or temporary accommodation, and under what conditions. | In force | Bylaw No. 770, 1996 | District of Tofino |
| Business licence | Every business in Tofino holds a business licence and displays it. For a short-term rental, section 7.2 allows at most three guest bedrooms and six overnight guests, children and visitors included, and requires a permanent resident to live at the premises. | In force | Bylaw No. 1239, 2022 | District of Tofino |
| Response and guest information | Whenever guests are staying, a permanent resident or a licensed property manager has to be in Tofino and able to respond to guests or law enforcement within two hours. Every guest gets the Good Neighbour Guide and the district's water conservation information. | In force | Bylaw No. 1239, 2022 | District of Tofino |
| Provincial rule | The province's page lists Tofino among the municipalities exempt from the principal residence requirement. Hosts still register with the provincial short-term rental registry, and compliance with local bylaws is a condition of registration. | In force | Page updated September 21, 2026 | Province of British Columbia, Ha-Shilth-Sa |
We did not find the business licence fee or the hotel tax rate on a page we read, so neither is here. This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.
How it works on the ground
The province's rule has changed twice here. Daily Hive reported in March 2024 that Tofino opted in to the principal residence requirement even though it was exempt as a resort community. Ha-Shilth-Sa reported in June 2025 that council voted 4-3 on March 27, 2025 to ask the province to put Tofino back on the exempt list, with November 1, 2025 as the earliest date it could take effect.
The district's own bylaw did not move with the province. A permanent resident still has to live at the premises, so a Tofino licence is for a home where someone lives, whether guests take a suite or a few rooms.
Ha-Shilth-Sa cited a district estimate of 2,767 residents and 711,200 visitors in 2024, 632,400 of them staying overnight. With six guests at most per rental, that demand is spread across many small units.
Where Upbridge fits
Surf trips leave sand, wetsuits dripping in the shower and a lot of towels. Upbridge turns each checkout from Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify, Uplisting or an iCal link into a cleaning task with a room-by-room photo checklist, and the copy of the Good Neighbour Guide in the suite can be one of the items to photograph.
Inventory per property deducts what each stay used, so the next restock is a list rather than a guess. Guests open the guest guide on their phone with how to get in, where to park and the water conservation notes the district asks you to share.
If you run a cleaning company in Tofino
Your work is a long list of small suites, each attached to a home with someone living in it. The cleaning company account puts every host's turnovers on one dated list, so you can group the suites by street for the day, and every host stays your client.
Questions about short-term rentals in Tofino
Does BC's principal residence rule apply in Tofino?
The province's page, updated September 21, 2026, lists Tofino among the municipalities exempt from it. Tofino's own business licence bylaw still requires a permanent resident to live at the premises.
How many guests can a Tofino short-term rental take?
No more than six overnight guests at a time, children and visitors included, in at most three guest bedrooms.
Who has to be available when guests stay in a Tofino rental?
A permanent resident or a licensed property manager who is in Tofino and can respond to guests or law enforcement within two hours, at any time guests are on the premises.
Sources
Checked on October 24, 2026
- District of Tofino, “Short-Term Rental Regulations”, undated, read October 24, 2026.
- Government of British Columbia, “Principal residence requirement for short-term rentals”, last updated September 21, 2026.
- Nora O'Malley, Ha-Shilth-Sa, “‘The town will fail if this carries on’: Tofino’s short-term rental flip-flop”, June 13, 2025.
- Daily Hive, “Tofino is first resort community to opt into BC's short-term rental crackdown”, March 13, 2024.