These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.

Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with official sources or seek legal advice.

Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the laws or procedures have not changed recently.*

I plan to include food during my experience, is there anything I should be thinking about?

Yes. If you plan to include food during your experience, we encourage you to please keep your health and safety, and that of your guests, at the top of your mind. For example:

• Make sure you take your guests to (or otherwise serve them food from) reputable restaurants, food trucks, or professional caterers who keep clean facilities, use fresh ingredients, and have a good food safety track record.
• If your experience involves you cooking or handling food (including storing or serving food prepared by others), be sure you handle, prepare and serve food safely and with good hygiene. We encourage you to review the Toronto Guide to Food Safety and the Toronto Public Health Food Safety website.
• Also ask your guests in advance about any food allergies they may have, or religious or philosophical codes that may impact what kind of food they eat.

I would like to take my Guests to my favorite foodie destinations. What kind of experiences can I host in Toronto?

The following food experiences are unlikely to run afoul of local law:

• Taking your guests to your favorite local restaurants or food trucks;
• Inviting your guests to your home or a picnic where you serve food catered by a professional licensed caterer.

If you are thinking of serving home-cooked food, we encourage you to check with an attorney to make sure you are following your local laws.

What rules do I need to follow to provide a food experience?

Home food experiences will generally not be possible within the City of Toronto. Those wanting to commercially prepare and serve food in a residential home setting will need to be a licensed food establishment, with business and restaurant licenses and permits, and meet all zoning requirements. Note: that for a variety of reasons, such licenses are not generally available for food sold at a private residences.

Hosts seeking to host food experiences outside of a residence in a permitted location can consider renting a commercial kitchen space for your food preparation. More details, as well as the list of kitchens available, can be found from the city of Toronto website here.

That said, this is a tricky area and we encourage you to call the Toronto Health Department directly or speak to a lawyer to describe your experience and make sure you are following your local laws. Please refer to the Toronto Public Health website here and here.

Is there anything else I should think about?

If your experience will also involve serving or providing alcohol, we recommend that you take a look at our information about experiences involving alcohol. If your experience will involve combining food with another activity (for example, a guided tour of the city), please take a look at our other information sections to work out if any other rules or licenses might apply to your activity.

We recommend you also read our other information pages on business licenses. If you need further information, check with the City of Toronto or a local legal advisor to find out whether you’re operating as a business.