Starting a food business in Saanich

Opening a shop, café, kitchen or truck in Saanich

Business licence

$100 a year under 5,000 sq ft, $200 over; half price for a new business after July 31.

Applying for the licence

Online through MySaanich. Planning, Inspections, Fire and Island Health all sign off, and the fee is charged once they have. If you are altering the space, the licence waits for the building inspection.

Checking zoning

Find the zone on SaanichMap. A Letter of Zoning Confirmation costs $200 and takes up to 10 working days.

Building permit

$100 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $13 per $1,000 up to $500,000, and an application fee from $100 by project value. Starting without a permit doubles it (up to $20,000 extra).

Fire inspection

A Fire Prevention officer inspects before the licence is approved, and deficiencies must be fixed first. Book at 250-475-5500 once your construction permits are closed. Usually free; a second re-inspection costs $50. Kitchen hoods and ducts must be cleaned at least monthly.

Food truck licence

$100 a year.

Food truck fire inspection

A fire inspection every year, with the certificate displayed. The Saanich licence requires it, and so do park bookings.

Where to ask: Fire Prevention, 250-475-5500

Business licence

All businesses operating in Saanich need a Saanich business licence or an Intermunicipal licence, and operating without one can bring fines of up to $200 a day. Licences run January 1 to December 31; new businesses that apply after July 31 pay half.

Home-based fee: Home-based: $100; Home crafts: $50 (handmade articles — food is not named); Mobile Food Vendors: $100

Running it from home

Where the zone allows it, any use the zoning bylaw permits can run as a home occupation, with no food-specific rule — but nothing may be sold or displayed at the home, only residents may work in the business, and no dwelling may have a second kitchen. The RC, RT, RM, Ra and RP zones (and two others) allow only a home office (or child daycare), which rules out home food production there, houses in RM zones included. Planning reviews every home-based application for zoning.

• No commodity sold or displayed on the premises (s. 5.5(i)).
• Only residents of the dwelling may work in the business (s. 5.5(b)).
• All home occupations together: no more than 20% of the combined floor area of all structures on the lot, or 50 m² (538 ft²), whichever is less (s. 5.5(c)).
• Carried on only inside a building; no outside storage of materials or products (s. 5.5(a), (d)).
• No vibration, heat, glare, odour or electrical interference detectable outside, and no noise beyond a normal dwelling (s. 5.5(f)–(g)).
• No second kitchen in a dwelling unit (s. 5.3(i)).
• No more than two clients or patrons on the premises at a time (s. 5.5(j)).
• One business vehicle parked unenclosed, up to 4,200 kg gross (s. 5.5(l)).
• RC, RT, RM, Ra, RP, MFC-CH and MFI-Ch zones: office use only — no clients, customers or employees on the premises, 15 m² (161 ft²) at most, no sign (s. 5.6).

Markets and events

A temporary farm market needs one Saanich licence per market ($50 a year), and the market operator must make sure food vendors have approval for any higher-risk items; Saanich’s pages do not say in so many words that vendors need no licence of their own. Pocket farm markets work the same way but sell lower-risk farm products only (jams and canned goods included) and bar mobile food vendors. Daily licences for trade shows are $25 a day.

Mobile businesses

A Saanich resident with an eligible mobile business can buy an Intermunicipal licence valid in all 13 Greater Victoria municipalities; Saanich’s form names food trucks among the eligible trades. Saanich is not in the Vancouver Island Inter-Community partnership the Province lists.

Fee: Home-based with intermunicipal: $100; with a commercial location under 5,000 sq. ft.: $200; over 5,000 sq. ft.: $300