Business Licence Fee Review

August 21, 2025

The City of Fernie is reviewing its business licence fees to ensure they remain fair, competitive, and reflective of the actual costs of administering the business licence program. As part of this review, we are seeking input from local businesses on two proposed approaches to updating fees.

Background

The City’s current business licence fee is $100 per year. This base fee has remained static, despite increases in administrative costs and expanded enforcement needs. Staff time spent on the business licensing process is estimated at over $89,000 annually, not including other costs such as postage or materials. Updating the fee structure will help ensure the program is financially sustainable and better aligned with the services provided to the business community.

A review of comparable municipalities also shows that Fernie’s fees are below average.

What’s Being Considered

The City is exploring two options for updating business licence fees:

Option 1: Across-the-Board Increase
This approach would increase the base annual fee for all businesses from $100 to $150. This would apply the same increase to all businesses (except STRs,) regardless of size or type.

Option 2: Tiered Fee Structure
This option introduces a range of fees based on business type and impact:

  • Home-based businesses: $75
  • Standard businesses: $200
  • High-impact businesses (e.g. high-traffic commercial operations): $500–$700

This structure is intended to reflect the differing levels of oversight and service required by different types of businesses.

Why Your Input Matters

Engaging with the business community is an important step in ensuring the updated fee structure is fair, transparent, and aligned with the needs of Fernie’s diverse business sectors.  Your feedback will help inform the final proposal that is brought forward to Council for consideration in fall 2025.

How to Participate

A short survey is available to gather feedback on the two proposed approaches. The survey will remain open until September 12.

To learn more or complete the survey go to our Let'sTalk page.