Inter-Community and Non Resident

Do you conduct business in other communities throughout the Okanagan? Is your main office based outside of city limits, but you serve Penticton customers? Find out more about the business licence options for these types of mobile businesses. If you simply need to add an Inter-Community licence to an existing City of Penticton business licence, please contact us (do not go through the online application service).

Types of Licences

We have two different categories of business licences that help serve mobile businesses.

1. Inter-Community Business Licence

If you conduct business in other Okanagan communities as well as Penticton, this type of licence is for you. The City of Penticton is part of the Mobile Business License Program, in partnership with the Provincial Ministry of Small Business and Revenue.

Through this program, eligible businesses will obtain one add-on business license that allows the business to do operations in 19 partner municipalities* (listed below). This is an annual licence that will be issued in addition to your City of Penticton business licence.

Eligibility for an Inter-Community (Mobile) Business Licence is limited to any business that performs a service in more than one of the participating municipalities, and who provides the service by moving from client to client. A business that has a storefront but also provides a service by moving from client to client in more than one of the participating municipalities where they do not have a storefront would be eligible to apply for an Inter-Community (Mobile) Business Licence, but only for the portion of their business that would fall into the criteria (i.e. not the storefront). More specifically, this includes:
- contractors of all types (e.g. tradespeople, landscaping services, janitorial services, pest control, etc.)
- other service providers (e.g. massage therapist, photographer, mobile hair dresser/barber, etc.).
It must be noted that the primary licence would be required for the storefront business and the mobile licence would be approved for only the portion of the business that fell within the Inter-Community (Mobile) Business Licence criteria.

Ineligible Businesses

The following business types are ineligible for the Inter-Community (Mobile) Business Licence:
- Social escort services
- Vehicles for hire (for example, taxis, limousines or buses)
- Body-rub services (which includes the manipulating, touching or stimulating by any means, of a person's body or part thereof, but does not include medical, therapeutic or cosmetic massage treatment given by a person duly licensed or registered under any statute of the Province of British Columbia governing such activities or a therapeutic touch technique)
- Those businesses selling goods or services to clients from the same location and not moving from client to client (e.g., fruit stands/trucks, mobile stores, mobile vendors, flea markets, carnivals, trade shows etc.)
- City of Armstrong
- Regional District of Central Okanagan
- District of Coldstream
- City of Enderby
- City of Kelowna
- Village of Keremeos
- District of Lake Country
- Village of Lumby
- Town of Oliver
- Town of Osoyoos
- District of Peachland
- City of Penticton
- Town of Princeton
- City of Salmon Arm
- District of Sicamous
- Township of Spallumcheen
- District of Summerland
- City of Vernon
- City of West Kelowna

2. Non Resident Business Licence

If your business is based outside of Penticton’s city limits, but you will be conducting business within the city, the “non-resident” business licence is for you.

How to Apply

Note: If you simply need to add an Inter-Community licence to an existing City of Penticton business licence, please contact us (do not go through the online application service).

Before filling out your application, you’ll need to determine which licence category best describes your business (e.g. construction, property management, professional, etc. ). Each of the categories has its own requirements and this will determine which licence you require. You can review all the categories on our Apply for a Business Licence page.
You can apply online through our eApply service. To get started, you will need the following:
- Know your business licence category (described on the Apply for a Business Licence page).
- Know your business address, contact information and business start date.
- Know the number of employees within your business (including full-time, part-time and seasonal).
- Contractors and trades: include a copy of your Trade Qualification Numbers.
- Register with BC Registry Services.
- Have a credit card ready to pay the application fee (a third party credit card processing fee will also apply).
Apply Online

Beach & Mobile Truck Vending

Visit our Beach & Mobile Truck Vending page for information about permits required for mobile food or beach vending operations.

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