Crown land uses

Find out more about different Crown land uses and related application processes.

• Aggregates and quarry materials
• Agriculture
• Airports
• Aquaculture
• Clean energy
• Commercial uses
• Communication sites
• Community Institutional Program
• Industrial uses
• Recreation and tourism
• Residential uses
• Roadways
• Utilities

Public access to Crown land

The public can undertake certain low-impact activities on Crown land without an authorization, as described in the Land Use Policy: Permission (PDF, 400KB). The policy creates a “permission” to use Crown land, which carries with it the explicit responsibility of each user of Crown land to undertake activities in accordance with the conditions in the policy and to understand the risks associated with such activities.

The permission policy provides guidelines and authorization for various activities on Crown land including but not limited to:

• Transitory activities such as biking, filming, rock climbing, camping
• Non-commercial filming/photography
• Investigative activities
• Aggregate testing
• Beekeeping
• Fossil research/assessment
• Organized events 

There may be activities or areas where permissions are not applicable. To determine if your activity or use is permitted and for detailed information on using Crown land for these and other activities, refer to the Land Use Policy: Permission (PDF, 400KB).

The permission also does not authorize activities which are prohibited under other legislation, such as Wildlife Act or Forest Range and Practices Act, Forest Act, Water Sustainability Act, Heritage Conservation Act, Environmental Management Act, Transportation Act, Park Act, Wildfire Act, Off-Road Vehicle Act and other legislation or regulations as applicable.

Off-road vehicle use

The B.C. Government has established a cross-government framework to respond to a growth in off-road vehicle use across the province. The framework includes new legislation, increased enforcement and new registration requirements, all to help protect people and the environment.

• Off-road vehicles on Crown land