Your Guide to Business

All great ideas start with a conversation. Bring us your business and building plans so we can help you get started as quickly as possible.

Come speak with us. Drop in to City Hall, phone or send us an email. Our Economic Development Office will answer your questions, review your proposal and help guide you through the steps. We’ll connect you with any other departments required.

Does your proposal involve renovations or construction? Our building department is standing by. It’s this hands-on approach that makes the difference. We do things differently here – and that’s part of the magic of doing business in Penticton.

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Contact Information

City Hall, 171 Main Street, Penticton, B.C., V2A 5A9
Business hours: Monday – Friday, 9 - 4 p.m. excluding holidays

Contact	Phone #	Email
Economic Development	250-490-2400	economic.development@penticton.ca
Business Licensing Clerk	250-490-2488	businesslicences@penticton.ca
Planning & Development Services	250-490-2501	development@penticton.ca
Utilities	250-490-2489	utilities@penticton.ca

Penticton is a place where big ideas grow into big business. Our vibrant city has strong entrepreneurial spirit, where local companies are doing business around the world.
Penticton is the business hub of B.C.’s Okanagan-Similkameen region, with more than 3,000 businesses serving 100,000 people. We’re also a destination of choice to the tens of thousands who flock here each year to enjoy our sun-swept great outdoors, attend a world-class event or sip award-winning wines.
Read Penticton's Economic Profile page for more information.

Bid & Business Opportunities

Bid opportunities and requests for proposals can be found on the following websites. Visit our Bid Opportunities page for more information about working with the City of Penticton.

City of Penticton - Bonfire
British Columbia Government – BC Bid
Canadian & US Public Tenders – Merx
Civic Info BC
Government of Canada

Business Licensing

We can help you get your business up and running as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Here are some steps you can take to get started with the necessary licences and permits.

Start by using BizPal online service, a free online service that helps you determine which permits and licences are required from all levels of government (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal). To contact the provincial ministry you can go to gov.bc.ca, phone 1-800-663-7867 or use this handy online list. For more information about federal licence requirements, visit canada.gc.ca or call 1-800-622-6232.
Here are some other points to consider when starting a new business.
GST & PST: If you will be selling more than $10,000 a year in goods, you will have to collect and pay PST. Also, if your annual sales are more than $30,000, you may be required to collect and pay GST. You can apply for accounts through OneStop Business Registry.
Payroll account: If you will be paying salary or wages to employees, you’ll need to register with the Canada Revenue Agency for a payroll deductions account.
Employers’ Insurance: If you have employees, you’ll need to register with WorkSafeBC.
BC Registry Services: Apply for your business name at bcregistryservices.gov.bc.ca.
For more resources, visit our Business Resources page.

Zoning

Are you looking to subdivide your property into two or more lots? Build a multi-family development? Add a carriage house or secondary suite to your property? Change the zoning on your property? All of these developments involve the Planning Department. Visit our Building pages for more.
A pre-application meeting is the first step in your process. It helps us have a shared understanding of your development proposal. We can also provide you with preliminary guidance involving specific requirements. Contact the Planning Department at 250-490-2501 or development@penticton.ca. We’re here to help!
The Official Community Plan (OCP) is a detailed, collective vision for development in the City of Penticton.
This document informs the Planning Department’s decisions and keeps us focused on our long-term goals. The plan emerged from an extensive community consultation process, outlining Council’s policy direction for land use, servicing and the form and character of development within specific areas of the City. Each property has an OCP future land use designation which informs future development on that land.
Zoning regulations place limits on land use to help the City develop strategically and to protect the character of our neighbourhoods.
One of the requirements for a successful business licence application is operating in the right zone. Depending on the zoning of your location, your business idea may or may not be a good fit for the area – or you might need special permits. Visit our Planning pages for more.
Zoning determines what land uses are permitted on a given property at the moment, while the OCP determines what land uses will be permitted in the future. For some properties, the Zoning and OCP will be the same.
In others, they could be different (for example, single-family residential properties in the downtown core could transition into commercial/residential mixed-use properties over time). This information is important for business owners because it can limit or create opportunities for business growth.
Have questions? Contact the Planning Department or visit our Community Planning pages.

Permits

Are you planning to renovate your commercial property before opening your business? Depending on the extent of your upgrades, a building permit may be required (including plumbing and mechanical, electrical, signage, etc.). Some buildings will also require an inspection from the Fire Department.

Utilities

Both the electric and water utilities are owned and operated by the City of Penticton. Our customer base includes residential, commercial and industrial users.

The City of Penticton bills utilities on a monthly schedule. The bills are made up of two types of charges – a fixed charge for your electric and water service and variable charges based on the amount of power or water you have consumed. Currently electric consumption is read and billed every month, but water consumption is only read and billed twice a year (usually June and October).
Visit our Electric & Water Accounts page for further information.

Property Taxes

Property taxes are collected to pay for many of our essential community services such as hospitals, libraries, schools, parks, sidewalks, policing, fire protection and emergency rescue. Visit our Property Taxes page for full details.

Your property taxes are determined by the value and class of your property, as well as the tax rate (all three discussed below). In its simplest form, the equation used to calculate your property tax is:
(property value / 1000) x the class property tax rate
You can also use our online property tax estimator if you have your last two property assessment notices on hand. At this time, the estimator is only available for residential properties.
Property Value
In British Columbia, property values are reviewed annually by BC Assessment. Your property assessment notice is mailed out on Dec. 31 every year. Visit our BC Assessment page for more details.

Plan Your Event

Have Questions?

How to Contact Us

We hope you’ll find this guide a useful resource to start, grow or relocate your business. Have questions? Our Economic Development Office is here to help.

Contact	Phone #	Email
Economic Development	250-490-2579	economicdevelopment@penticton.ca
Business Licensing Clerk	250-490-2488	businesslicences@penticton.ca
Planning & Development Services	250-490-2501	development@penticton.ca
Utilities	250-490-2489	utilities@penticton.ca

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