Yes: you need an Edmonton short term rental licence for every dwelling you rent out for 30 consecutive days or less, in the City's Residential Rental Accommodation (Short-Term) business licence category. The City must approve an Operational Plan before it issues the licence, the licence number must appear on every ad, and fines under Bylaw 20002 start at $250.
At a glance: Edmonton short-term rentals
- Who needs it: anyone renting all or part of a home for 30 consecutive days or less, host on site or not.
- How many: one licence for each dwelling.
- Before it is issued: the City must approve your Operational Plan (guest management).
- Fee: $101 for a one-year licence or $191 for two years (Tier 2 in the City's fee schedule).
- Every ad: must show the licence number.
- Fines: from $250, doubled for a repeat offence.
This guide is for Edmonton owners and managers who host on Airbnb, Vrbo or similar platforms, or are thinking about it. It sets out what the City's licence covers, how to apply, what the Operational Plan asks, the operating rules and the fines, and what changes if you switch a unit to long-term tenants.
Edmonton Short-Term Rental Licence Checklist
For hosts renting a home or room for 30 consecutive days or less, under City of Edmonton Bylaw 20002.
Get Free PDF →Who needs a short-term rental licence in Edmonton?
Anyone renting all or part of a residential property in Edmonton for 30 consecutive days or less needs a Residential Rental Accommodation (Short-Term) business licence. The City's business licence categories describe this as temporary lodging, including bed and breakfasts and stays arranged through home-sharing services.
The City recognises two kinds of short-term rental:
- Whole home rental: guests have the home to themselves, the host does not live there while it is rented, and only one guest or group books it at a time.
- Shared home rental: guests rent part of a home they may share with the host or other guests. Bed and breakfasts fall here.
The licence is needed for each dwelling, and the City says it is required whether or not the host lives at the property. A dwelling includes a house, an apartment or condo unit, a townhouse, and a secondary or garden suite. If you rent a basement suite and the main floor separately as short stays, plan on two licences.
How do you apply for an Edmonton short-term rental licence?
You apply online through the City's business licence portal, choosing the home-based business licence type, and the application is complete only when the City has three things:
- The application for the Residential Rental Accommodation (Short-Term) category.
- The licence fee. Short-term rentals are a Tier 2 category in the fee schedule for Bylaw 20002.
- A completed Operational Plan (Guest Management for Short-Term Home Rentals). The City asks you to download the form before you fill it in.
What the licence costs
| Tier 2 fee | 1 year | 2 years |
|---|---|---|
| New licence | $101 | $191 |
| Renewal, on or before the expiry date | $91 | $176 |
A licence runs for one or two years (Bylaw 20002 s.18). Renew it on or before the expiry date to pay the lower renewal fee; a late renewal is charged the full licence fee. If more than one business category applies to what you do, the highest tier sets the fee. Fees are from the City's current fee schedule as read on October 24, 2026, so confirm them when you apply.
The City notifies Alberta Health Services of short-term rental applications, and AHS may have its own requirements.
What does the Operational Plan ask for?
The Operational Plan is a 10-page City form that describes how you will manage guests, and Bylaw 20002 says your licence cannot be issued until the City has reviewed and approved it. Staff may contact you to clarify answers or suggest changes before approving it.
The plan asks about:
- The property: its type, whether it is a whole or shared home, the maximum number of guests, and the bedrooms and bathrooms available.
- Check-in and check-out: how you explain them to guests and whether a host meets guests in person.
- Care and control: the name and phone number of each host who can help guests, and how far away the host will be.
- Noise: how you will keep guests within the Community Standards Bylaw limits (65 dB(A) at the property line from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 50 dB(A) overnight).
- Waste: how guests will sort and set out garbage, recycling and food scraps.
- Parking: whether there are guest stalls and how guests will follow parking rules.
- Advertising: the platforms you plan to use.
You sign it, agreeing to follow the approved version. If anything in the approved plan changes, you must send the City an updated plan, even while your licence is still valid.
What rules apply once you are licensed?
Section 60 of Bylaw 20002 makes five rules a condition of every short-term rental licence. The licensee must:
- comply with the approved Operational Plan;
- make a copy of the approved plan available to all employees and managers;
- give every guest an up-to-date copy of the City's Information for Guests guide;
- post a phone number for the licensee where guests can easily find it; and
- display the licence number on any advertisement.
Under section 61, you must not let guests run another business from the property unless they hold their own licence for it. The City's hosts page adds limits for host-occupied homes: if you live there, you may rent up to 2 sleeping units, each for up to 2 people, and more than that needs a Major Home-Based Business development permit before the licence is issued. A development permit and a building permit are both needed if 4 or more sleeping units are rented out separately in one building.
The licence-number rule reaches every listing. The Operational Plan form says it covers home-sharing apps and websites, online classifieds and print ads, and a listing that shows several properties must show each one's number. Under section 62, an ad offering a property as a short-term rental is evidence that the registered owner posted it or agreed to it.
What are the fines for an unlicensed short-term rental in Edmonton?
Schedule C of Bylaw 20002 sets the minimum fines, and section 67(3) doubles them for a subsequent offence:
| Offence | Section | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Operating without a valid business licence | 4(1) | $500 |
| Not following the approved Operational Plan | 60(a) | $250 |
| Not giving employees and managers the approved plan | 60(b) | $500 |
| Not giving guests the City's information guide | 60(c) | $500 |
| Not posting the licensee's phone number | 60(d) | $500 |
| No licence number on an advertisement | 60(e) | $500 |
| Letting another business run in the rental without a licence | 61 | $1,000 |
A continuing offence counts as a separate offence for each day it continues (s.66). Operating under a suspended or cancelled licence carries $5,000 (s.67(2)(c)), and the City can also attach conditions to, suspend or cancel a licence. Separately, the Community Standards Bylaw carries a $250 fine for an owner who permits or causes noise that disturbs a neighbour.
What changes if you switch to long-term tenants?
A stay of 31 consecutive days or more falls in the City's Residential Rental Accommodation (Long-Term) category instead, and the City's categories page says a business renting three or more units to tenants in Edmonton must hold a business licence. If you have one or two units, the long-term category's three-unit threshold does not reach you.
Once a guest stays for months, the safe course is to treat the arrangement as a residential tenancy under Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). Section 2(2)(d) of the RTA excludes tourist homes and bed and breakfasts only where a person resides there for less than 6 consecutive months. For a long-term tenancy that means a written lease, move-in and move-out inspection reports (s.19), a security deposit of no more than one month's rent (s.43) and the rest of the provincial rules in our Alberta landlord guide.
Common mistakes Edmonton hosts make
- One licence for two units. A suite and the main home rented separately are two dwellings.
- Listing before approval. The licence cannot be issued until the Operational Plan is approved, and an ad is evidence the business is operating.
- Leaving the number off one platform. Every ad needs it, on every site.
- Letting the plan go stale. A new host phone number or a new parking arrangement means an updated plan.
- Renewing late. After the expiry date you pay the full licence fee, not the renewal fee.
How Tenon10 helps
If you move a unit from short stays to long-term tenants, Tenon10 lets you create an Alberta lease, run the move-in and move-out inspection reports and track the deposit's 10-day return date. You can also browse our free landlord and tenant forms and the Canadian Landlord Resource Center. Hosting in British Columbia as well? BC runs a provincial registry; see The BC Short-Term Rental Registry.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence for an Airbnb in Edmonton if I live in the home?
Yes. The City says a licence is required for each short-term rental dwelling whether or not the host lives there. A host who lives on site may rent up to 2 sleeping units of up to 2 people each without a Major Home-Based Business development permit.
How much is an Edmonton short-term rental licence?
Short-term rentals are Tier 2 in the City's fee schedule: $101 for one year or $191 for two years, with lower renewal fees of $91 and $176 if you renew on or before the expiry date. Confirm the current amounts when you apply.
Do I need a separate licence for each property?
Yes. Each dwelling used for short-term rental needs its own licence, and each property's licence number must appear on its ads.
Where do I put my licence number?
On every advertisement, including listings on home-sharing apps and websites, online classifieds and print ads. A single ad for several properties must show each property's number.
Is my short-term guest a tenant under Alberta law?
Usually not for a short holiday stay, because RTA s.2(2)(d) excludes tourist homes and bed and breakfasts for stays under 6 consecutive months. For a longer stay, the safe course is to follow the RTA and use a written lease.
Edmonton Short-Term Rental Licence Checklist
For hosts renting a home or room for 30 consecutive days or less, under City of Edmonton Bylaw 20002.
Get Free PDF →
Switching an Edmonton unit to long-term tenants?
Create the Alberta lease, run both inspection reports and keep the 10-day deposit date in view in Tenon10.
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