Open a vaping or tobacco retailer business

We encourage all businesses operating in Calgary to register their business with The City of Calgary.

All businesses operating from a location in Calgary are required to obtain location approval for their business, even if a licence is not required. Location approval helps ensure that the space you are operating has been approved for your business and is safe for all occupants.

If your business requires a business licence, registration will occur at the same time as applying for your licence. If you wish to register your business with the City of Calgary, please apply online.

Do you need a business licence?

Yes. All businesses that sell tobacco and vaping products are required to have a licence.

Tobacco and Vaping businesses that do require a licence:

• Corner/convenience stores
  
• Gas stations
• Grocery stores
• Vape retailers
• Tobacco retailers

What is a vaping retailer?

Businesses that sell, offer to sell or direct the sale to the public of any vaping product including vaping equipment, liquids or other substances intended to be vaped, and items ancillary to the activity of vaping.

What is a tobacco retailer?

Businesses that sell, offer to sell or direct the sale to the public of any tobacco product including cigars, cigarettes or cigarette tobacco, chewing or pipe tobacco or snuff.

If you don’t know if your business requires a business licence, contact the Planning Services Centre for assistance.

What are your business activities?

Your business activities will determine what's required to open your business:

• if you need a business licence
• what licence types you need
• what permits you may need

Examples of different licence types you may need:

If you’re selling any vaping products, including vaping equipment, liquids or other substances intended to be vaped, and items ancillary to the activity of vaping.

You will need a Vaping Retailer licence.

If you're selling any tobacco products including cigars, cigarettes or cigarette tobacco, chewing or pipe tobacco or snuff.

You will need a Tobacco Retailer licence.

Your business sells eCigarettes that do not contain tobacco.

You will need a Vaping Retailer licence. Tobacco Retailer licence is not required.

Your business is not selling tobacco products, but is selling items such as cigarette papers, cigarette tubes, filters or pipes.

You will need a Retail Dealer – Premises licence. Tobacco Retailer licence is not required.

Your business sells only wholesale vaping or tobacco products (no public sales).

You will need a Wholesaler licence. Tobacco Retailer and Vaping Retailer licences are not required.

Your business is operating as a Shisha bar.

Businesses cannot add regular tobacco to shisha because it is prohibited in the Province of Alberta. See the Restaurants and Breweries page for more details for businesses serving food and/or alcohol.

If you’re selling any food products or products containing edible items.

You will need a Food Services - Premises licence.

These licence types will be generated as part of your application when you apply. You do not need to apply for them separately.

If your business fits into more than one licence type, you do not need to get multiple approvals. For example, you only need one Fire inspection even if it is required by all of your different licence types.

If you will be selling tobacco, vaping or related products

Your business will be considered R etail and Consumer Service

If your business will be selling food and household necessities

Your business will be considered a C onvenience Food Store

If your business will be selling automotive fuels

Your business will be considered a Gas Bar

Note: Depending on how your business operates, your business may meet one or more Uses.

MyID business account

If you have a myID business account, you can get a digital copy of your business licence through email.

To learn more and to sign-up, visit myID business account.

How much does a business licence cost?

When setting up a new licence, applicable fees apply. Fees are based on the type of licence you need and whether your business is home-based or commercial-based. Business licence fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. Fees are subject to change the next calendar year.

Planning*: $41 Total :

Food Services - Premises

How do you pay for your licence?

You need to pay for your licence when you submit your application. If you are applying online, you can pay using apply.calgary.ca​.

What permits do you need?

Understanding what approvals will be required will help ensure you will be able to open your business with ease and on time. Your business may require Planning Approval or Building Safety Approval, or both in order to be approved to operate from your selected location.

These approvals are based on:

• the location of the business,
• the proposed business activities
• how the space was used before your business.

To learn more about what permits you may need, see the location approval section.

How long will it take to process your application?

To avoid delays, ensure your application includes all the required documents, plans and information.

TIP

Do not sign your lease agreements until you have checked your location approval. We recommend applying for your location approval and building safety approvals before applying for your licence.

Commercial based location timelines

If you require a Tenancy Change

If you require a Building Permit

If you require a Development Permit and a Building Permit

What is the name of your business?

A business name, or trade name, is used to represent your business to the public. You may wish to register your trade name with the province. Read more in Opening a business in Calgary: Register your Trade Name.

Who will own the business?

• Sole proprietor – one person owns the business
• Partnership – agreement between two or more people or companies
• Corporation – a legal entity that is separate from its owners, the shareholders

Where is your business located?

All businesses need to provide a location that is approved for their specific business activities. Review the location approval section to make sure your business activities are allowed at your chosen location.

If you’re running your business from more than one location, you need a separate business licence for each location. Each location may require a different combination of permits to satisfy your location approval requirement.

Location approval

Commercial based location

Your business will be run from a commercial or industrial location in Calgary.

Planning and Building Safety approvals

What is planning approval?

Part of your location approval confirms that your business is allowed to operate from your chosen location. The Land Use Bylaw specifies a list of allowable uses for each land use district based on what the intent is for that location, which will be listed as either permitted or discretionary. If the use is not listed in a land use district, the business will not be allowed to operate from that location.

Permitted or Discretionary? What’s the difference?

In the Land Use Bylaw, Uses are defined as either being Permitted or Discretionary in a Land Use District.

Permitted means that, if a use meets all the rules of the bylaw, it must be approved. The uses listed as permitted were intended for this location and have little to no impact on the surrounding community.

Permitted with Relaxation means a use that is permitted but requires a relaxation of one of more bylaw rules. Evaluations are done on a case-by-case basis to determine if the relaxation is appropriate and how it impacts the surrounding community.

Discretionary use means that the use needs to be reviewed and is evaluated against several factors including applicable policies, appropriateness of the location, the compatibility of the use with others in the surrounding area, access, parking, servicing, and sound planning principles. Each submission is reviewed on its own merit at the time of application as discretionary uses have a higher impact on the surrounding community.

How your business operates will determine what use or uses best fit your business. Types of planning approval include Tenancy Change, Permitted Change of Use, Permitted with Relaxation Change of Use, and Discretionary Change of Use.

What is building safety approval?

Your business will also be reviewed for safe operations. Based on how the commercial building is constructed and the types of tenants it is designed for, a building will have a classification and occupancy based on the National Building Code – Alberta Edition.

Even if you are not planning any construction or changes to the space, the change in business activities may require a building permit application to review the safety of the space and bring it into compliance with the National Building Code – Alberta Edition. If required, you will need to apply for a Building Permit.

TIP

Before you lease a space, it’s important to determine if the use or uses are listed at a proposed business location, if a use isn’t listed in a land use district, it’s not allowed in that district.

If a use is not listed, you could apply for a Land Use Redesignation, or look for another location for your business.