Government fees to open a painting business in Surrey come to about $497 in the first year: $30 for the name, $40 to register, and $377 for the city licence, plus a $50 application fee.
What Surrey charges a painting business
Surrey names trades one by one in its fee schedule. A painting business is licensed as Contractor — Painting, at $377 a year.
| Fee | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| BC Registries — name request | $30 | Up to three names |
| BC Registries — sole proprietorship | $40 | Or $350 to incorporate |
| City of Surrey — business licence | $377 | Every year |
| City of Surrey — application fee | $50 | One time |
| First-year total | $497 | As a sole proprietor |
Read off Business Licence By-law 13680, Schedule A, consolidated to 13 April 2026 on 22 September 2026: the fee schedule, alongside City of Surrey: business licensing. The bylaw words the $50 application fee as applying to online applications. City fees change every year. We confirm your exact figure before anything is filed and pass it through at cost.
When the Surrey licence renews
A Surrey licence runs one year from the day it was issued. Your renewal date is your own start date, not a fixed month.
Running it from home in Surrey
Most new painting businesses start from a spare room and a driveway. Surrey’s rules for that:
- A home business may use no more than 25% of one floor of the house.
- Only immediate family living in the home may be employed.
- Nothing about the business may be visible from outside: no stored materials, no lit sign.
- On multi-family lots, business vehicles and equipment may not be stored on or near the property.
From City of Surrey home-based business regulations. A licence can be refused over one of these after you have paid, so we read them before we file.
Taking jobs outside Surrey
A painting business works on buildings, so it fits the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence. It costs $300 for twelve months, is not pro-rated, and covers Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Delta and New Westminster on one licence. You buy it on top of your Surrey licence, from Surrey.
It pays for itself the day you take a job in a second city. Without it, each city wants its own licence. How the Metro West licence works.
| City | Licence for a painting business | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | $277–$376 | $77 |
| Burnaby | $378 first year, $133 after | $55 |
| Surrey | $377 | $50 |
| Richmond | $166 | — |
Richmond is the lowest of the four at $166. The full rules for each city are on the city guides: Surrey · Vancouver · Burnaby · Richmond.
What a painting business needs in BC
House painting needs no provincial ticket in BC. Red Seal exists, but it is voluntary for home repaints. You need the business registered, a city licence, and liability insurance. Exterior work at height can bring WorkSafeBC rules, and homes built before 1990 call for lead-safe prep.
The full guide, with gear costs and the seven steps: how to start a painting business in BC.
What painting work goes for in Surrey
The 2026 market range for painting work in Metro Vancouver is $40–$100 an hour on site. That comes from the engine behind our public calculators. Your prices are yours to set. New subdivisions and steady resale make painting one of the stronger trades in Surrey.
See painting prices in SurreyOpen the pricing calculator
Open in Surrey in about 10 business days of build work
We build the customer side first: a website people find, online booking, and payments. Then the Surrey licence and the registration get filed for you. Launch is $497 as a sole proprietor, $997 as a company, and includes your first 3 months of Standing. BC Registries and the City of Surrey set their own approval times.
+ applicable government registration & licensing fees, billed at cost — we quote your exact figure before filing.
Painting business in Surrey: questions
How much does it cost to start a painting business in Surrey?
Government fees come to about $497 in the first year: $30 for the name request, $40 to register a sole proprietorship, and $377 for the City of Surrey business licence, plus a $50 application fee. Insurance and equipment are on top.
When does a Surrey business licence renew?
A Surrey licence runs one year from the day it was issued. Your renewal date is your own start date, not a fixed month.
Can I work in other cities on a Surrey licence?
Not on the city licence alone. A painting business can add the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence for $300 a year, which covers Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Delta and New Westminster.
Can I run a painting business from home in Surrey?
Yes, as a home-based business, within the city's rules. A home business may use no more than 25% of one floor of the house. Only immediate family living in the home may be employed.