Crown land and nominal rent tenure sponsorship

Local governments and community organizations can apply for access to provincial Crown land for public purposes through a sponsored Crown grant (local governments only) or a nominal rent tenure (local governments and community organizations).

Sponsored Crown grants transfer the ownership of identified parcels of Crown land from the B.C. government to municipalities and regional districts.

Nominal rent tenures are leases and licences of occupation of Crown land provided to municipalities, regional districts and community organizations for a token (nominal) amount of rent.

Sponsorship process

FrontCounter BC, in the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, accepts applications from local governments and community organizations, and determines if the Crown land being sought is eligible for a grant or tenure and also assesses the current market value of the land.

FrontCounter BC then forwards applications, over a specified value, to the appropriate ministry within the provincial government to determine if that ministry is prepared to sponsor the application on the basis that the intended public use meets provincial criteria.

Applications for Crown grants, and for nominal rent tenures, where the value of the land is more than $100,000, must be sponsored by the appropriate provincial ministry. Ministry staff review and evaluate each application for sponsorship to support the Minister's decision on whether or not to sponsor. Applications are evaluated using selection criteria that considers economic, social and environmental benefits to the community for the proposed use of the land.

The minister is responsible for determining if an application should be sponsored, and, if approved, then notifying the applicant of the outcome. Sponsorship of applications for Crown land title or tenure does not ensure approval of the application, but serves to indicate support of the appropriate ministry for the intended use of the land.

If the sponsorship is approved, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development then consults with First Nations, and engages with ministries, agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure there are no issues with the land being released.

Applicants can acquire a nominal rent tenure directly through FrontCounter BC without ministry sponsorship if the value of the land to be tenured is less than $100,000.

• Learn more about the sponsorship process and how to apply for a sponsored Crown grant or nominal rent tenure