Apply for site remediation services

Last updated on May 24, 2024

If you identify, investigate, manage or clean up contaminated sites, you can find out how to apply for:

  • Approval in Principle
  • Approval under a Protocol
  • Certificate of Compliance
  • Consideration of an Approved Professional’s recommendation
  • Determination of Contaminated Site

You can also apply for a review of:

  • Site investigations
  • Summary of the site condition reports
  • Remediation plans
  • Confirmation of remediation reports

A complete list of services can be found in Schedule 3 of the Contaminated Sites Regulation (CSR).


On this page

Application requirements

Applying for a contaminated sites service may require more than one form, depending on your situation.

A complete submission includes:

Contaminated sites services application form

 

How to complete the contaminated sites services application form

Review and complete a Contaminated Sites Services Application (Online Form)

Section 1: Applicant information

Include the following:

  • Full name
  • Address
  • Contact information
  • If applicable, list the name of the organization the applicant represents

Section 2: Billing contact

Select whether the billing contact is GST exempt and if they're the same as the applicant.

If not, enter their:

  • Name
  • Contact information
  • Billing email address
  • And, if applicable, their organization

The billing contact will receive the invoice for contaminated sites services from the ministry.

Section 3: Property owner and/or operator

Indicate whether the property owner and/or operator is the same as the applicant.

If they're different, include their:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Contact information
  • And, if applicable, their organization

Section 4: Approved Professionals/Qualified Professionals

If the application has been prepared or recommended by one or more Qualified Professional(s) and/or Approved Professional(s), include their:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Contact information
  • And, if applicable, their organization

Section 5: Application information

Select the service being requested, checking all that apply.

Depending on the service requested, complete all the required fields.

Section 6: Review process requested

Check off the review process selected for the application and indicate whether it's a re-submission.

Ministry review submission option

This review option applies to many contaminated sites services, including director’s approvals and pre-approvals for non-high risk sites and applications for services relating to high risk sites.

Applications of this type must be submitted directly to the appropriate ministry contact.

Approved Professional recommendation submission option

This review option, described in Protocol 6: Applications with Approved Professional Recommendations and Pre-approvals (PDF, 406KB), mainly applies to non-high-risk sites where applications are considered on the recommendation of an Approved Professional.

Applications of this type must be submitted directly to the CSAP Society.

Applications for review of reports or statements submitted to meet a director’s imposed requirement on a non-high risk site, typically as conditions found in Certificates of Compliance or Approvals in Principle, are also to be submitted under the second option: 'Application via the CSAP Society.'

Section 7: Site information

Section 7.1: Site details

Site ID is the site registry identification number for the site assigned by the site registrar.

If the Site ID is known at the time of application, enter it where indicated:

  • Provide the latitude and longitude of the approximate centre of the site
    • Accurate to +0.5 of a second (approximately +10 metres) using the 1983 North American Datum
  • Indicate if the land is a Legally Titled, registered property, Untitled Crown Land, or both

Section 7.2: Housing development details

The ministry is collecting information to determine if applications for contaminated sites services are related to housing developments. 

If the application is related to housing, please indicate:

  • Yes
  • No
  • Unknown

Select the appropriate housing type based on the following:

  • Single-Family:
    • A single dwelling, including a house or a house with a secondary suite
    • A subdivision resulting in the development of many single-family homes would be considered single family, not multi-family
  • Multi-Family:
    • Developments that include townhouses, apartments, condominiums, stratas, co-operatives, and other development types that have more than one full household in a single building

Identify how many housing units will be developed.

A housing unit is considered net new housing. A new single-family home is one unit, regardless of the number of bedrooms.

Multi-family developments are the number of individual units in the overall development. For example, a single high rise is the number of units within that building, regardless of the bedroom configuration. 

Select whether the housing project includes one or more of the following housing categories:

  • Indigenous
  • Rental
  • Social

Section 7.3: Site risk classification

Indicate whether a new or updated site risk classification report has been included, or if there's an exemption under Protocol 12.

Indicate the site risk classification at the time of the application.

Section 8: Declarations

Sign and date the form to confirm that the information is true based on your knowledge as of the date the application was completed.

Once all the required fields are complete, the 'Save as PDF' button will activate so the form can be saved as a PDF.


How to submit applications

Apply online

Use the SRS web app to submit your application. You can fill out forms and track the status of your application in the app. 

Find out how to use the web app


Apply by email

All applications are submitted by email and may involve submitting large report files by:

  • File transfer services
  • Couriering a USB drive to the ministry

In some cases, the ministry might ask you to submit a paper copy to allow for a more detailed review of complex figures. 

Applications requesting a release notice or for compliance verification for site identification must be submitted to SiteID@gov.bc.ca.

All other applications are submitted to:

Visit the site remediation forms page to find the form related to your request.


Additional form requirements

The following forms are requirements of many application types:

Incomplete applications are not accepted. The ministry only processes and reviews complete applications.

Fees for services 

Some applications require you to obtain certain ministry services. The fees will depend on your application.

This is consistent with the 'user pays' and 'polluter pays' principles of the EMA.

This means those responsible for causing contamination are responsible for the remediation.

Fees for services are specified in the CSR:

Payment for most services must be made before the service is provided by the ministry. 

 

Ministry services fees

Flat fees and number of hours

Fees payable for services depend on:

  • The flat fee for the service
  • The number of hours it takes a person to do the work on behalf of the ministry

For every $200 of the flat fee paid for a service, a client is credited with one hour for that service:

  • Additional fees of $165 per hour are charged for work done beyond the credited hours for that service
  • Fees for site identification and site information requests generally have a flat fee per transaction

Incomplete applications

If you send a report that is incomplete or contains errors, you may need to resubmit it for another review.

Re-submission charges of 50% of the fee paid on the first submission are payable for reports going through direct ministry review.

Additional services and functions

Clients who request 'Additional Service and Functions' under Schedule 3 Table 3 of the CSR will receive an invoice for hourly fees payable once the service is complete.

Other hourly charges

If there are no flat fees, the first hour of service provided by the ministry is free.

Additional services extending over one hour are charged at $165 per hour.

These services include, for example:

  • Inspecting, monitoring and verifying for remediation
  • Consulting, negotiating and advising on items, such as:
    • Site investigations
    • Soil relocation
    • Risk assessments

Travel and expenses

You need to pay the ministry staff's reasonable travel and out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Approved professional recommendation submission fees

There are fees attached to applications that need a recommendation by an Approved Professional.

The fees are collected by the CSAP Society for processing and reviewing contaminated sites services applications. 

There are 2 types of fees:

  • One set is for review work completed by the CSAP Society
    • Different fees apply depending on the application type
    • For more details, visit the CSAP's pay fees page
  • One set is collected on behalf of the ministry to cover review of the SoSC, relevant reports and the draft certification document

Payment methods

There are 2 payment options for ministry services:

If you applied for services listed in Schedule 3 Table 2 of the CSR, you'll receive a government-issued invoice.

The invoice must be paid before those services are provided. This information ensures payment is applied to your invoice.

Once the deposit is confirmed, payment will be applied to the outstanding balance.

Services are on hold for outstanding invoices.

 

How to pay by EFT

When you receive an invoice, email the financial services branch at RevenueNRSector@gov.bc.ca.

A staff person will give you information on how to use the EFT service. EFT is a free service, but requires several days to complete.

After speaking with the branch, you'll send them a second email, which includes:

  • Invoice number 
  • Your name and company
  • The ENV Site ID
  • ENV Application Number (App ID)
  • Amount ($)
  • Date of deposit
 

How to pay by cheque

Cheque details

Send the cheque by mail or courier. The cheque must be made payable to:

  • The Minister of Finance for British Columbia

You must include:

  • The ENV Site ID
  • ENV Application Number (App ID)
  • Invoice number

Addresses

Mail

Financial Services Branch, Corporate Services Division
PO BOX 9356
4th Floor, 2975 Jutland Road
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 9M2 

Courier

Financial Services Branch, Corporate Services Division
4th Floor, 2975 Jutland Road
Victoria, B.C.
V8T 5J9

If you have questions about cheque payments, contact the client information officer.


Invoice payment

You must pay your invoice within 30 days of issuance or interest will apply. The applied interest cannot be refunded.

To learn more about interest fees, review the Interest on Overdue Accounts Receivable Regulation

Application timelines

We are unable to provide an estimate of the time it takes to review your application.

Queue and review times should be considered in project planning.

For fair and equal service to all clients:

  • Applications are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis, in the order in which they're received 
  • Only complete submissions will be placed in the queue for review

Overall review time depends on:

  • The quality of the application
  • The number of rounds of questions and comments between the ministry and the applicant or the applicant’s qualified professionals

Timelines can be minimized by making sure your application is:

  • Complete
  • Organized
  • High-quality

Contacts

For more information on applying for services:

For other enquiries:


The information on this web page does not replace the legislative requirements in the EMA or its regulations and it does not list all provisions for contaminated site services.

If there are differences between this information and the Act, Regulation, or Protocols, the Act, Regulation, and Protocols apply.