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The City of Coquitlam Business Licence Bylaw requires every person carrying on, maintaining, owning or operating within Coquitlam any profession, business, trade or occupation, to hold a valid business licence. The Business Licence must be visibly displayed on the premises. Licence holders operating a mobile business must carry the licence on his or her person while working in Coquitlam. In Coquitlam, licences are valid for one year from the date of commencement of the business.

The first step of starting a commercial or industrial business is confirming that the location is zoned for business use. Applications for Coquitlam businesses are based on the types of the businesses: Commercial/Industrial, Home Based Business, Non-Resident, Special Event Vending. Depending on the type of business operating in Coquitlam, other permits or licences may be required that are not regulated by the City. Depending on the business type, there are often provincial or federal regulators. Examples of these include liquor licences and health permits.

A short-term rental is defined as the rental and occupation of a sleeping unit which is attached to or part of a dwelling unit, either with common cooking facilities, or where regular meals are provided. City of Coquitlam has specific regulations for short-term rentals to ensure the rental does not negatively impact a residential neighbourhood. The Tri Cities Intermunicipal Business Licence program allows mobile businesses based in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam or Port Moody to obtain an add-on business licence and operate legally in all three Tri Cities municipalities. Non-resident businesses based in other municipalities must still obtain non-resident business licences to operate in each Tri Cities municipality. A mobile business is a business that has a location, shop, office, or home -base in either Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam or Port Moody and delivers its services by moving from client to client throughout the Tri Cities. The principal municipality is the community in which the business has its location, shop, office or home base.

This dataset identifies current licensed businesses and trades. The following information are included: business name, licence type and subtype, licence status, license issue date and application date, business type, business location, telephone, and others.

The Open Data Portal of Coquitlam is available to everyone without restrictions with the goal of empowering citizens, helping small businesses, supporting the development community and enhancing service delivery.