Business Information

Business Licenses
Anyone operating a business within The Town of Claresholm’s limits must apply for a Business License. A business can be run from a Commercial or Industrial Location, or it can be Home Based. A Home Based Business requires a Development Permit as well as a Business License, (see Home Occupations under Development).

A Business operating out of a Commercial or Industrial area will be approved if the Use is Permitted and all conditions are met. The applicant simply fills out the application and pays the fees. If the Use is Discretionary, the application must be advertised for 1 week, or circulated to adjacent landowners giving the right to appeal. The appeal period is 2 weeks.

Out of Town License
Anyone doing business in the Town of Claresholm must apply for a Business License. If the business is situated outside of the Town limits, it is classified as an Out of Town License.

Invoicing for Business Licenses
A Business license is valid for the Calendar Year of the application date. In other words, the Calendar Year runs from January 1, of the current year to December 31, of the same year. Except for non-resident contractors, any new application for an In Town License submitted after October 31st will be pro-rated to 1/2 the yearly fee. Invoices are mailed out within the first 2 weeks of December.

If you are no longer operating a business within the Town of Claresholm, it is your responsibility to either contact the town, or to sign at the bottom of your invoice, to verify that you are no longer operating a business. Closed businesses will not be invoiced the following year.

Fees are due and payable by the last week in January of the current calendar year. Anyone operating a business without paying the fees is in violation of the Business License Bylaw.
To obtain a business license, an Application Form must be filled out; and the fees must be paid in full. Call the Town Office for the fee schedule for business licenses.