How to start a BIA

Picture of a condo building in Olympic Village in Vancouver

To start a BIA, organize a group of like-minded property owners and businesses, and get support from other property owners and businesses in your proposed area.

From there, complete these steps to establish your BIA:

1. Form a non-profit society
For information on how to register as a non-profit society, contact the BC Corporate Registry Service:
- Call 604-775-1046
- Visit the BC Corporate Registry Service website
2. Contact the City
Let us know that you want to start a BIA by contacting the BIA Coordinator at [email protected].

We will provide you with:
- Names of property owners and tenants in your area
- Cost estimates based on your proposed budget
To estimate your group's budgetary needs, take a look at our sample BIA budget.
3. Gather feedback
4. Submit a proposal

Once you have support from the owners and tenants, submit a request to Council to consider your BIA proposal.

If Council agrees to proceed, we will distrubute formal notifications to all owners and tenants. We will also organize any opposition responses - a BIA proposal can be stopped if one third of owners or tenants are opposed.

Contact the BIA Coordinator for more information on this part of the process.