Short Term Rental Project

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The City is seeking to complete an update to its Short Term Rental regulations. This section of TalkRevelstoke will inform you of key upcoming dates on things like Council meeting and public engagement as it relates to the Short Term Rental Project. In addition, check out the "Short Term Rental Documents" section of this page to stay up to date with things like Council reports, presentations, and other pertinent documents related to Short Term Rental.

Public engagement details are now available and you can sign up to provide feedback through interactive group sessions. Six (6) sessions will be held, with four (4) in person and two (2) online. If you aren’t able to attend any sessions, no worries, a public survey is available to complete that will be open until February 13, 2026. To sign up for an interactive group session, email building@revelstoke.ca or call 250-837-3637 with your name, email, along with the time you are requesting to join. Spaces are limited to ensure constructive discussion, so we request no more than one individual per household attends. More information about the public engagement events and survey is provided below.

Click here to access the public survey that is available until end of day, February 13, 2026.

Looking for more information? Sign up for email updates, review the contents of this page, and signup for the City’s newsletter. If you have done all of this and are still keen to learn more, please contact the project manager by emailing str@revelstoke.ca

Public Engagement Details

The City will be hosting interactive group sessions to gather feedback from the community about the opportunities and risks associated with three policy scenarios that have been developed, detailing how Short Term Rentals can be managed in our community. Four sessions will be held in person, and two will be held online. 16 spaces are available for each in person session, and 20 spaces are available for each online session. The sessions will be 1.5 hours in length, and structured with a brief 10 minute presentation by staff, followed up facilitated group discussion about each policy scenario. Details of each policy scenario are provided below.

The sessions will be held during the following times:

• Monday January 26: 10:00AM-11:30 AM (Macpherson Room, Revelstoke Community Centre)
• Monday January 26: 6:30 PM-8:00 PM (Macpherson Room, Revelstoke Community Centre)
• Wednesday January 28: 10:00AM-11:30AM (Macpherson Room, Revelstoke Community Centre)
• Wednesday January 28: 6:30 PM-8:00 PM (Macpherson Room, Revelstoke Community Centre)
• Monday February 2: 10:00AM-11:30 AM (ONLINE)
• Tuesday February 3: 6:30 PM-8:00 PM (ONLINE)

Staff will compile notes from each engagement session for reporting to Council. The intent of the interactive group sessions is for staff to understand the opportunities and risks so that when bylaws are drafted, these items can be accounted for to mitigate impacts and maximize opportunities.

In addition to the interactive group sessions, a public survey will be available until February 13, 2026. The survey is available for all members of the community, including those that attend the interactive group sessions. The intent of the survey is to allow the community to provide specific feedback under each scenario and highlight which scenario they think is most suitable for Revelstoke.

Policy Scenario Summary

On November 13, 2025, Staff presented three (3) revised policy scenarios for how Short Term Rental can be regulated in Revelstoke based on feedback from Council at the October 16, 2025 Committee of the Whole meeting. A high level summary of the three policy scenarios is provided below. The staff report from November 13, 2025 that includes more details is available in the document section of this page.

• Policy Scenario #1: Allow Short Term Rentals (with a principal resident requirement) in all low-density residential areas of the City
• Policy Scenario #2: Allow Short Term Rentals (with a principal resident requirement) in specific low-density residential areas of the City that are deemed more suitable for this type of business
• Policy Scenario #3: Allow Short Term Rentals (with a principal resident requirement) in all low-density residential areas of the City, with a maximum cap on the number of licenses issued

Under each policy scenario, regulations pertaining to 24/7 property management, parking, good neighbour agreements, and advertising will be required. Staff continue to work with the project team to develop an economic / housing impact model to better understand the implications for the community associated with each policy scenario.

Previous Project Updates

• Between October 2024 and February 2025, staff had worked on completing background research for the project while the Development Services department was wrapping up the Zoning bylaw Comprehensive Re-Write Project. This resulted in a comparative analysis against other resort municipality short term rental regulations, which you can find in the document section of this page. Staff prepared a short summary of this analysis and a more comprehensive summary.
• The City had a successful initial Public Information Meeting on February 26 where the community learnt more about the project and had the opportunity to ask questions. Missed the meeting? No worries it was livestreamed and can be viewed on the City of Revelstoke Youtube page. Staff have answered all questions asked and have prepared a Questions and Answers sheet.
• The City wishes to extend its appreciation to all community members who participated in the public survey that closed March 31, 2025. In total, 517 individuals completed the survey, with the vast majority being permanent residents of Revelstoke. The results of the survey have been posted to the documents section of this page.
• Staff presented a report to Council on April 22, 2025 outlining potential goals for the Short Term Rental project. The staff report and presentation are uploaded to the documents center of this page.
• On May 13, 2025, Council endorsed the following goal for the Short Term Rental project: To allow permanent residents in Revelstoke to participate in the tourism economy by utilizing a “made in Revelstoke” solution while accounting for the unique needs of the community as a resort municipality
• On October 16, 2025, staff presented a report to Committee of the Whole (Council) outlining the high level principles associated with three policy scenarios for how Revelstoke could manage Short Term Rentals into the future. Council provided feedback on the scenarios, which were revised and brought back for Council consideration in November 2025. Council directed that staff undertake public engagement in the new year. The staff report is available in the document section of this page.
• On November 13, 2025, Staff presented three (3) revised policy scenarios for how Short Term Rental can be regulated in Revelstoke based on feedback from Council at the October 16, 2025 Committee of the Whole meeting. A high level summary of the three policy scenarios is provided below. The staff report from November 13, 2025 that includes more details is available in the document section of this page.

In a Hurry? Here is What You Need to Know!

The City is completing a review of its Short Term Rental regulatory framework and needs feedback from the community!

Short Term Rental refers to the use of a dwelling unit on a temporary basis (less than 30 days at any one time) for the financial benefit of the property owner to provide accommodation to the traveling public. Short Term Rental differs from a Bed and Breakfast in that a Short Term Rental involves the renting of an entire dwelling unit (whether that’s a single-detached home, condo, or secondary suite), whereas a Bed and Breakfast involves renting rooms within a single-detached home that is occupied by a principal resident.

Revelstoke updated its Short Term Rental regulations in April 2022, clarifying where this use is permitted, expanding allowances in the downtown area and Hay Road area. In October 2023, the Province of BC enacted the Short Term Rental Accommodations Act, giving municipalities more tools to regulate Short Term Rental. In October 2024, Council directed staff to review potential updates to the City’s existing Short Term Rental regulations in light of the new legislation. Through 2025, staff will work to complete public engagement, research with other municipalities in BC, and economic analysis guide any potential bylaw changes. The general phasing of the project is outlined below:

Overview of the Project

The City of Revelstoke is completing a comprehensive review of its Short Term Rental regulations. The project is anticipated to take approximately 12 months to complete and will be using internal resources at the City with some external consultant support to complete an economic analysis.

The scope of the STR review includes:

• Review of existing STR regulations to identify complexities that can be streamlined;
• Review of options to regulate STR with a focus on regulations for whole home rentals and those where they are operated by a permanent resident onsite operator, accounting for recent changes introduced by the Province through Bill 35;
• Public engagement to inform the community of the new provincial legislation, existing STR regulations, and to gather feedback on what the desired intent of STRs; and
• Review options for regulating STR and present to Council for feedback to be embedded via bylaw.

The objectives of the project include:

• Improve community understanding of the existing Short Term Rental regulatory framework, the provincial legislation, as well as the implications for opting into the permanent residency requirement.
• Provide objective information to council and the community on the implications associated with significant restrictions on STR including but not limited to opting into the permanent residency requirement under the Short Term Rental Accommodations Act.
• Establish a clear objective of what the community is seeking to achieve by updating Short Term Rental regulations.
• Create a more clear and comprehensive STR regulatory framework in Revelstoke.

How will the public be engaged?

The public engagement strategy is multi-faceted for this project. Staff have developed a project management plan that allows for ample time for the community to provide feedback at key milestones. Below provides specific details and the estimated timing of major public engagement events. While the intent is to follow the engagement process as shown below, these tactics and specific timing of events may be subject to change as the project progresses to ensure that the community has sufficient time to be informed and work with staff to provide feedback. Staff will update TalkRevelstoke should there be any changes to the engagement strategy or timing. In addition to the items below, the City will use the community newsletter, social media, mailouts, newspaper advertisements, Committee of the Whole updates, online surveys, online Q & As, and the Mayor’s YouTube videos to increase awareness about the project and key events.

1. February 26, 2025: Initial Public Information Meeting that will be held in-person at the Revelstoke Community & Aquatic Centre, MP3 Room (600 Campbell Avenue) as well as online. This meeting was livestreamed provided opportunity for the community to become informed about the project, understand the key milestones and engagement activities, and to ask questions.
2. February – March 2025: Initial community survey to gather high level feedback about what the community is seeking to achieve by regulating Short Term Rental in Revelstoke.
3. Fall 2025 / Winter 2026: Targeted stakeholder engagement with operators, hoteliers, tourist accommodation industry, City commissions etc. and broader community engagement through Public Information Meetings, surveys (as needed) to gauge support for draft bylaw amendments in advance of formal Council consideration.