Starting a Business in B.C.

Use the province's order

The Province of B.C.'s Start your business page lays out the practical sequence: develop the idea, choose a structure, pick a name, register or incorporate, apply for permits and licences, register for taxes, and handle employee obligations. That order is useful because it prevents a common founder tangle: buying tools, signing a lease, building a website, and only then discovering the name, licence, PST, or zoning problem.

Start with the boring map. It saves expensive cleanup.

Choose the entity before the brand hardens

B.C. recognizes common for-profit structures such as sole proprietorship, general partnership, and corporation. The right structure depends on liability, ownership, tax, financing, and administrative tolerance. Once you choose, your name process and registration path follow. B.C. says you can submit a business name request online through BC Registries or in person at Service BC, and you can search existing names through OrgBook BC and other sources.

PST is not GST/HST

Federal GST/HST and B.C. PST are separate systems. B.C. says you may need PST registration if you sell or lease taxable goods, provide software or taxable services, or provide accommodation in B.C.; the PST page should be checked for the current categories and registration timelines. The B.C. business-start page also notes GST registration may be needed when annual worldwide GST taxable sales are more than $30,000.

Do not use the GST threshold to make a PST decision. Do not use a PST registration to assume GST is handled. Keep the accounts separate in your setup notes.

Licences and WorkSafeBC depend on what you do

Permits and licences depend on activity and location. B.C. points founders to BizPaL as a free tool that can generate suggested permits and licences and identify relevant legislation. Still, check with the local government or First Nation for zoning and licence requirements, especially for food, childcare, health, construction, home-based businesses, short-term rentals, alcohol, transportation, or regulated work.

WorkSafeBC says all employers are legally required to have coverage unless exempt, and that whether you need coverage depends on the business type and whether you hire and pay workers. If you will hire employees, use contractors, or operate in a sector where coverage questions are not obvious, verify before work starts.

Make one B.C. setup folder

Your folder should include: name approval, registration or incorporation documents, business number, CRA program accounts, PST account if required, municipal business licence, zoning confirmation if needed, permits, WorkSafeBC account or exemption reasoning, insurance, lease, bank account, bookkeeping setup, and professional contacts. If that sounds excessive, imagine trying to gather it all two days before a grant deadline, tender close, inspection, bank meeting, or audit.

The best B.C. setup is not fancy. It is easy to prove.

Sources to keep open