The City of Fernie has updated its Business Licence fees to better reflect the increased costs to administer and enforce the program.

On November 25, 2025, Council adopted Business Licensing and Regulation Bylaw No. 2028, 2006, Amendment Bylaw 2539. 2025. The bylaw amendment increases annual business licence fees to $150, effective January 2026.

As part of the fee review project, we engaged with the business community and opened a public survey to gather input on two approaches to updating Business Licence fees, an across-the-board increase from $100 to $150, or a tiered approach ranging from $75 - $250 based on business size or impact.

The project page and survey received sixty-eight page visits and forty-eight responses, split closely between the two approaches. Council opted for an across-the-board increase.

Fernie’s Business Licence Fees were previously $100/year and had not been significantly adjusted since 2017.

This fee increase will help support administration and enforcement of the program, reducing the burden on the general taxpayer, and ensures all business contribute evenly to regulatory costs.