Travel Agency Office Space in Ontario: TICO Premises Rules, Home Offices, Zoning and the Lease

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 18 October 2026 · 8 min read — what TICO and the Travel Industry Act regulation require of your place of business, when a home or coworking office qualifies, branch offices, zoning and the lease.

Looking for travel agency space in Toronto or the GTA? Tell me what you need and I will send you units that fit, with the zoning and the lease checked before you commit.

Does a travel agency still need a physical office in Ontario

Yes and no. You still need a physical, permanent place of business in Ontario, but it no longer has to look like the storefront agency of twenty years ago.

Section 10 of O. Reg. 26/05 under the Travel Industry Act, 2002 says a registrant shall carry on business in Ontario only from a permanent place of business in Ontario. The same section allows business from a dwelling if three conditions are met: proof to the registrar that the municipality permits the business at that address under local zoning, a business telephone number listed under the business name that is different from any residential number, and arrangements satisfactory to the registrar for access to your business records. I checked the consolidated regulation in effect from 1 December 2023, and those conditions are current.

TICO’s registration requirements page lists the options it accepts as a dedicated office, a residential location, or a virtual, shared or coworking space. For a home, TICO asks for a letter of approval from the local municipality confirming zoning compliance. For a virtual, shared or coworking location, TICO asks for a copy of the commercial lease for review. So the lease you sign is not just your business arrangement with the landlord; it is a document the regulator will read.

Choosing between a home office, coworking and a storefront

Agencies built around a community clientele, group tours, pilgrimages or walk-in ticketing still do well with street-level space. Agencies that sell mostly online or by phone often start at home or in coworking and move to an office once they hire. If coworking is on your list, my notes on coworking space premises explain how those agreements differ from a conventional lease.

Zoning: home occupation or commercial office

For a home office, the municipal letter TICO asks for depends on your city’s zoning by-law. In Toronto, Zoning By-law 569-2013 section 150.5 governs home occupations, and it was amended by By-law 1508-2025. As it now reads:

• A home occupation must be in the operator’s principal residence.
• An office is one of the home occupations allowed to have clients attend for consultations.
• Up to two employees may work in the dwelling in addition to the operator.
• The business may use the lesser of 25 per cent of the dwelling’s interior floor area or 100 square metres.
• No exterior alterations to accommodate the business, and no outdoor display or storage.

That generally suits a small travel office. Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham and Oakville have their own home occupation rules, so ask your own city’s zoning or building department what letter they issue and how long it takes. Some Toronto properties are still governed by older former-municipality by-laws, so the zoning desk should confirm which by-law applies to your address.

For commercial space, an office use is permitted in many commercial and mixed-use zones, and travel agencies also sit comfortably in retail plazas. Confirm the use for the specific unit during your condition period.

Branch offices and staffing every location

Opening a second location is a regulatory event, not just a second lease. Section 11 of O. Reg. 26/05 says a registrant shall not operate a branch office in Ontario unless the branch is authorized by the registration. TICO’s fee schedule at the time of writing lists a $3,000 non-refundable application fee for a head office and $800 for a branch office, and TICO requires a security deposit and two Ontario bank accounts, a general account and a trust account, in the legal business name.

Staffing affects how you plan each space. Section 15 of the regulation requires that each office be managed and supervised throughout its hours of operation by a person with the travel counsellor and supervisor/manager certifications and sufficient experience, and that at least one certified travel counsellor be available at each office throughout its hours. TICO’s page adds that the designated manager needs at least three years of verified industry experience. If your posted hours run late or on weekends, you need certified staff for all of them.

Section 13 requires you to keep the certificate of registration at the office or branch it was issued for and produce it on request, and section 29 requires business records to be kept at your principal place of business, or another place the registrar approves in writing, for at least six years. Plan for secure filing or a records arrangement you can document.

Advertising, signs and your address

Your address shows up in every ad. Section 31 of the regulation says a written representation must include the name you carry on business under, your address and your registration number, and must not include a residential telephone number, with a narrow exception for billboards and similar media. That is one more reason to keep the business phone line separate from day one.

For a storefront, signage needs both landlord approval and a municipal permit. In Toronto, Chapter 694 of the Municipal Code requires a sign permit before a sign is erected or modified, with the property owner’s consent, though first party window signs outside residential sign districts are exempt if they cover no more than 25 per cent of the window and are not above the second storey. Window posters of destinations are common in this business, so keep an eye on that 25 per cent. Other GTA cities have their own sign by-laws.

Client privacy, payments and accessibility

A travel office handles passports, dates of birth, travel histories and payment details. Federal privacy law expects safeguards suited to how sensitive that information is. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner gives examples: locked filing cabinets, restricted access to offices and alarm systems on the physical side, plus passwords, encryption and staff training. In practical terms:

• Put the desks where screens cannot be read from the entrance or the waiting chairs.
• Have a lockable room or cabinet for passports and documents left overnight.
• In coworking space, ask where your files can be kept and who else has keys.

On accessibility, Ontario’s customer service standard applies to every business with at least one employee, and the design of public spaces standard applies when you build or renovate public areas such as a service counter. If you are fitting out an office or storefront, Toronto and other cities require a building permit for most interior alterations, including new demising walls or washrooms.

The lease clauses that matter for a travel agency

1. Permitted use. Travel agency and travel services, including group tours and ticketing, plus any related services you sell, such as travel insurance through a licensed party. See how to word a use clause.
2. Regulatory condition. A condition, or early termination right, tied to TICO accepting the location, especially for a first registration or a new branch.
3. Name and address. The lease names the registered legal entity and the exact unit address you will give TICO.
4. Coworking terms. If it is a membership, confirm it is a written agreement TICO will accept, with a fixed address and a dedicated or reserved space.
5. Records and storage. A lockable area within your premises, and your right to keep six years of records on site.
6. Hours and access. Access outside the building’s normal hours if you run evening or weekend appointments.
7. Signage. Fascia, directory and window signage rights, approved within a fixed time.
8. Assignment and change of control. Room to assign the lease if you sell the agency, since TICO registration does not transfer automatically with the lease.

Deal-killers to check on a viewing

• A coworking provider that will not give you a written agreement naming your business and address.
• A condo or rental building that bans business use, even where the city’s zoning allows a home occupation.
• A unit with no lockable storage and an open-plan layout where every conversation can be overheard.
• A landlord who wants a personal guarantee and a long term before you even know whether TICO will accept the location.
• Window signage rules that block the destination displays your walk-in business depends on.
• A move planned without notice to TICO. Section 17 of the regulation requires you to notify the registrar at least five days before a change of address for the office or a branch, so build that notice into your moving timeline.

Agencies often share a building with other licensed offices; the same questions come up for insurance brokerage offices and immigration consultant offices.

Where I fit

I help travel agency owners across Toronto and the GTA choose between a home office, coworking, an office suite or a plaza storefront, and I check zoning and the TICO paperwork angle before you sign. I read the lease with you for the use, condition and records clauses, and the office space value estimator is a quick way to sanity-check what a suite is worth if you are thinking of buying rather than leasing.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Government of Ontario — O. Reg. 26/05, General, Travel Industry Act, 2002 — ss. 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 29, 31: place of business, branches, staffing, records
• TICO — Registration overview and requirements — home, coworking and office options; fees; bank accounts
• TICO — How to tell if a home-based travel agency is registered — home-based agencies must be registered and certified
• City of Toronto — Zoning By-law 569-2013, s. 150.5 Home Occupation — office home occupations, size and staff limits
• City of Toronto — Municipal Code Chapter 694, Signs, General — sign permits and window sign exemption
• Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — PIPEDA safeguards principle — physical and technical safeguards for client data
• Government of Ontario — Accessibility rules for businesses and non-profits — customer service and public spaces standards
• City of Toronto — Interior alterations (non-residential) permit guide — permits for office fit-outs

Related reading

• Immigration consultant office space
• Coworking space premises
• Insurance brokerage office space
• Tax preparation office space
• The commercial lease use clause
• The use clause in a commercial lease