Business licences & permits across Nova Scotia
Do I need a business licence or permit? What does it cost?
33 of 49 municipalities in Nova Scotia have an adopted bylaw on business licences & permits on file. Each row links the municipality's answer page and, where transcribed, the full text of the document.
| Municipality | Adopted document | Key facts | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst Town |
Mobile Vending on Town Property Bylaw (C-10)
+1 more adopted 2023-04-24 |
licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending on public street, sidewalk, public parking area or park in Town of Amherst · fee: 2 hundred dollars ($200.00) | 2026-06-05 |
| Annapolis Royal Town |
Vending By-law #208
adopted 2026-02-20 |
licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending in public places, mobile canteens, stands, flea markets, excluding busking, door-to-door, children's lemonade, non-profit fundraisers, abutters on Schedule A. · renewal: not more than one year from the date of issuance | 2026-06-05 |
| Antigonish County municipality |
Special Events By-Law (Antigonish County) | licence required: True · who must license: Persons promoting, organizing or holding a large special event (750+ people) within the Municipality. | 2026-06-05 |
| Argyle District municipality |
Transient Vendor By-Law No. 13A | licence required: True · who must license: Transient vehicles vendors and transient traders (persons without permanent place of business temporarily selling merchandise), subject to specific exclusions. · fee: $100 a day to a maximum of fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500.00) for vehicles; $25 a day to a maximum of Four Hundred Dollars ($400) for traders | 2026-06-05 |
| Barrington District municipality |
Trade and Licensing By-Law No. 13 | licence required: True · who must license: Non-resident auctioneers, peddlers, hawkers, traders, photographers, book agents, magazine salesmen, amusement rides, automotive sales · fee: $40.00 annual; Automotive Vehicle Sales $100.00 per day | 2026-06-05 |
| Berwick Town |
Licenses (Hawkers and Peddlars) By-Law | licence required: True · who must license: Non-resident hawkers, peddlers, solicitors; all auctioneers; rag or junk dealers · fee: $25.00 per three month period; $100.00 per year; Ten Dollars for one year; $1,000/day | 2026-06-05 |
| Cape Breton Regional municipality |
V-200 Vendors By-Law
adopted 2016-05-17 |
licence required: True · who must license: Every person operating a vending stand, vending vehicle, or transient vendor in the Municipality · fee: Mobile motor vehicle: $450/vehicle/year ($1,000 fleet fee for 3+ vehicles); Stationary motor vehicle: $450/year (+ min. $350/month site rental on CBRM property, or $175/month metered); Pedestrian power stand: $225/year; Bicycle: $50/vehicle/year; Special events/craft fairs: $100/event; Christmas tree & seafood: $100/season; Auctioneer: $100/auction; Transient vendor: $500/day | 2026-06-05 |
| Clare District municipality |
Trade and Licensing By-Law No. 13
+1 more |
— | 2026-06-05 |
| Colchester County municipality |
Vendors By-law – Chapter 12 | licence required: True · who must license: Any person who sells food, beverages, goods or amusements on Municipal lands · fee: [Mobile Food Service - $250.00] [Any other Vending Unit - $125.00] | 2026-06-05 |
| Digby Town |
Town of Digby Vending & Licensing By-law 2018-02 | licence required: True · who must license: Buskers, vendors, hawkers, peddlers, transient traders, motor vehicle vendors, amusement/special events, events, farmers markets, umbrella vendors. · fee: Mobile Canteen $500.00 Annual/$200.00 Monthly; Mobile Stand $100.00/$50.00; Stand/Sidewalk $100.00/$50.00; Transient Traders $200.00/$100.00; Transient Motor Vehicle $500.00 per event; Umbrella Event $100.00 per event; Non-Profit $0; Amusement Performance $500.00 plus additional; Event 50.00; Farmers Market $200.00. | 2026-06-05 |
| Halifax Regional municipality |
By-law C-501 Respecting Vending on Municipal Lands | — | 2026-06-05 |
| Inverness County municipality |
Bylaw 53 – Mobile Vending Bylaw | licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending from a mobile unit in the Municipality, excluding exceptions such as farm products, minors, and busking per s. 7. · renewal: expires on the 31st day of March of each year | 2026-06-05 |
| Kentville Town |
CH94 Vending Bylaw
+1 more |
licence required: True · who must license: Anyone vending food/beverages/merchandise, operating mobile canteens, stands, flea markets, busking, or peddling in Kentville · fee: As shown in Schedule "B" to this By-Law | 2026-06-05 |
| Kings County municipality |
By-law 90 Vendors By-law
adopted 2007-08-07 |
licence required: True · who must license: Any person engaging in temporary business preparing and selling food products outside an enclosed building, excluding non-profit bodies. · renewal: terminate on the 31st day of March next after the date of the license | 2026-06-05 |
| Lockeport Town |
Vending By-Law | licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending at craft/farmers markets, special events, or in/near public places using mobile canteens, stands, flea markets, or garden centres. · fee: Mobile Canteen: Day $25, Week $75, Month $150, Season $300, Year $500, Deposit $200; Mobile Stand: Day $20, Week $70, Month $100, Season $250, Year $400, Deposit $100; Non Mobile Stand: Day $10, Week $40, Month $100, Season $200, Year $300, Deposit $50; Craft/Farmers Market: Day $50, Deposit $50 | 2026-06-05 |
| Lunenburg District municipality |
By-law 019A Motor Vehicle Transient Vendors By-law
+1 more |
licence required: True · who must license: Transient vendor: person temporarily selling motor vehicles in Municipality with provincial dealer supplemental license but no permanent local license. · fee: One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty Dollars ($1680.00) | 2026-06-05 |
| Lunenburg Town |
Town of Lunenburg By-law #61 Vending By-law | licence required: True · who must license: Any person engaged in vending in the Town unless specifically exempted under this By-law. · fee: Craft/Farmers' Market: $500.00 for one year; or $50.00 per day. Mobile canteen: $500.00 for one year. Peddlers: $25.00 per day, $100.00 per month, $350.00 for six months, $600.00 per year. Fruit/fish: $10.00 per day, $100.00 per month, $350.00 for six months, $500.00 per year. Buskers: $10.00 per day, $25.00 per month. Walking Tours: $200.00 for 3 months, $300.00 for 6 months; $500.00 per year. Others: $10.00 per day, $100.00 per month, $350.00 for six months or $500.00 per year. Non-profits: $1.00 for a maximum period of one (1) week. | 2026-06-05 |
| Mahone Bay Town |
Seasonal Sales Area Bylaw
+1 more |
licence required: True · who must license: Retail or food and beverage businesses operating seasonal sales areas on Town property directly in front of their business. · licence required: True | 2026-06-05 |
| Middleton Town |
Licenses, General Provisions (Chapter 15) | licence required: True · who must license: auctioneer, peddler, hawker, or trader of goods; circus or other itinerant amusement · fee: resident or ratepayer....$40.00; neither resident not a ratepayer... $80.00; amusement..$40.00; one (1) dollar | 2026-06-05 |
| New Glasgow Town |
Vending Bylaw | licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending in, on, or near a public place, except abutters operating retail commercial enterprises vending at nonmobile stands during business hours. · fee: Mobile Canteen/Stand: $450.00 (1 yr), $225.00 (seasonal), $75.00 (occasional); Non-Mobile Stand: $350.00 (1 yr), $200.00 (seasonal), $50.00 (occasional) | 2026-06-05 |
| Pictou Town |
Vendors By Law | licence required: True · who must license: Any person engaged in Temporary Vending in the Town · fee: $45 per day; $200 for five days in one calendar year | 2026-06-05 |
| Port Hawkesbury Town |
Vending Bylaw
adopted 2016-10-04 |
licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending at flea markets, public places, peddling, auctioneering, or operating mobile canteens and stands, unless exempt under Sections 3 to 9. · renewal: not more than one year from the date of issuance | 2026-06-05 |
| Queens Regional municipality |
Bylaw No. 16 — Vending | licence required: True · who must license: Persons engaging in vending outside enclosed buildings or in public places, excluding private property yard sales and specific commercial sidewalks. · fee: $25.00 weekly; $75.00 monthly; or $150.00 yearly; Mobile canteen utilizing electrical hookup: $100.00 monthly; or $200.00 yearly; Non-profit festival/events: $50.00; Group vendors permit: $200.00 per year | 2026-06-05 |
| Richmond County municipality |
By-Law #67 — Special Event By-Law
adopted 2023-04-24 |
licence required: True · who must license: Promoters organizing or holding large special events (500+ people) | 2026-06-05 |
| Shelburne Town |
Vending Bylaw 2026 | licence required: True · who must license: All persons wishing to provide for sale goods or services within the Town of Shelburne · renewal: expires on April 1, calendar year | 2026-06-05 |
| Stellarton Town |
Street Food Vendor By-Law | licence required: True · who must license: Any person who vends food or beverages on public streets from a stand or truck in the Town of Stellarton. · fee: One-Hundred Dollars ($100.00) for each stand or truck | 2026-06-05 |
| Stewiacke Town |
Vendors Bylaw | licence required: True · who must license: Persons carrying on the business of vending, except commercial sidewalk vending, yard sales, and Town sanctioned events · fee: set out in the Municipal Policy for Fees; non-profit fees waived | 2026-06-05 |
| Trenton Town |
By-law No. 19 — Licences General Provisions | licence required: True · who must license: Bottle dealers, petty trades (hawkers, peddlers, coal dealers), auctioneers, public entertainments, billiard rooms, trucks, junk dealers, bill posters, restaurants. · fee: fifteen dollars (bottles); $30.00/$10.00 (petty trades); fixed by committee (auctioneers/junk); $5.00-$100.00 (entertainment); $14.00/yr (billiards); two dollars/one dollar (trucks); one dollar (sweeps); Five dollars (posters); >= Five Dollars (restaurants). | 2026-06-05 |
| Truro Town |
Street Vendors Bylaw | licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending food, beverages, or merchandise on Town lands from a stand, subject to s. 15 exemptions. · fee: two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for each stand; one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each stand | 2026-06-05 |
| Victoria County municipality |
Auctioneers, Peddlars, Hawkers and Traders of Goods By-law | licence required: True · who must license: Non-residents acting as auctioneer, peddlar, hawker, trader; excludes farm/forest/sea products, law officers · fee: $75.00 annual; part year ten per centum of annual fee per month; $2.00 replacement | 2026-06-05 |
| West Hants Regional municipality |
Mobile Canteen Vending By-Law RV 001 | licence required: True · who must license: Persons operating a mobile canteen on private or municipal property | 2026-06-05 |
| Westville Town |
Vendors and Buskers By-Law
adopted 2023-04-03 |
licence required: True · who must license: Any person engaged in Temporary Vending or Busking in the Town · fee: $50 per day; $250 for five or more days in one calendar year | 2026-06-05 |
| Yarmouth District municipality |
Vending By-Law V-1048-25
adopted 2025-08-29 |
licence required: True · who must license: Persons vending food, beverages, goods, or merchandise not in an enclosed permanent structure. · renewal: intervals of 1 week, 1 month, or 1 year | 2026-06-05 |
Nothing on file for business licences & permits
Absence here is explicit, not a gap: each municipality below was checked, and its status says why there is no document.
Other bylaws on file, none on this topic (16) — Annapolis, Antigonish, Bridgewater, Chester, Clark's Harbour, Cumberland, Digby, East Hants, Guysborough, Mulgrave, Oxford, Pictou, Shelburne, St. Mary's, Wolfville, Yarmouth.