Apply for Crown land tenure

Crown land is land (or land covered by water like rivers or lakes) that is owned by the provincial government. This type of land is available to the public for many different purposes – from industry to recreation and research. 

Who can apply for Crown land?

• Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are at least 19 years of age

• Corporations which are incorporated or registered in British Columbia. Corporations also include registered partnerships, cooperatives, and non-profit societies which are formed under the relevant Provincial statutes

• A First Nation

• In the case of aquatic land, non-Canadians can apply for Land Act tenure if they own the adjacent upland (companies must still be incorporated or registered in B.C.)

Learn more about Eligibility and Restrictions (PDF, 212KB) for Crown land sales and tenures. Specific land programs may include additional eligibility requirements. Where additional eligibility requirements are set, these are described in the relevant land use policy.

Crown land is available for a wide range of purposes to provide opportunities for sustainable economic development. Applications may be submitted for a variety of uses.

The electronic application is for new tenure applications and major changes for existing tenures for which a new application is required to be submitted.

Costs

Application fees

Crown land application fees (PDF, 50KB) vary by purpose. The fees will be automatically calculated as you complete the electronic application.

Fees can be paid online at the time of application, or at a FrontCounter BC location. View the payment guidelines for more information.

NOTE: Please review the requirements carefully and submit a complete application. Some or all of the application fees are non-refundable in accordance with the Land Policy: Fee Refunds (PDF, 170KB). 

The Land Procedure: Crown Land Fees(PDF, 265KB) specifies how applications for multiple sites are handled. Please review this procedure closely to see how it impacts your proposal, particularly the information on how distance between your sites will impact your fees. Consult your local FrontCounter BC office if you have any questions about how this will be applied.

Rental fees

Each program area has a different rental fee structure. You can find the rental fees listed in the Land Policy: Pricing (PDF, 7.7MB).

Insurance and financial securities

A minimum level of liability insurance is required as specified in Appendix A of the Land Procedure: Insurance and Financial Securities (PDF, 390KB).

A security deposit may be required to ensure the tenure  holder complies with and completes all the obligations and requirements specified in the tenure, as specified in Appendix B of the Land Procedure: Insurance and Financial Securities (PDF, 390KB).

Applicant's responsibilities

An applicant must make reasonable efforts to ensure land being requested is available for application. This can be done by contacting FrontCounter BC, or by utilizing online mapping programs to identify conflicts on the land base. Suggestions are: FrontCounter BC Discovery Tool, Integrated Land & Resource Registry (ILRR) and iMapBC.

The submission of an application does NOT allow you any rights to the Crown land. A Crown land tenure, if issued, would grant this authority.

A tenure-holder is responsible for abiding by the conditions of the tenure document provided.

There are a number of steps which will take place before a decision will be made on your application.

1. Receiving the application
   Poor quality or incomplete applications can result in substantial delays and create significant workload impacts to ministry staff. In order to improve application turnaround times, applicants are required to provide missing information or respond to FrontCounter BC staff requests within 2 weeks.
   
   If applicants are not able to meet the requested timeframe, they should inform the requesting staff member as early as possible. Applications not meeting application requirements within the requested timeframes may be rejected. The applicant may be entitled to a partial refund of the application fee, however, in many circumstances, no refund will be provided. For further information, please refer to the Fee Refunds Policy (PDF, 165KB). 
   
   If the application is returned or not accepted, applicants can expect a detailed explanation of application deficiencies. If an application is rejected due to deficiencies, applicants may re-apply at their convenience.

2. Consultations and referrals
   Consultation and referrals may occur if the application impacts the interests of ministries, agencies, First Nations, other water users, community groups or other parties.

3. Adjudication of the application
   A technical review of the application is completed by Crown Lands Authorizations once all of the comments and, or objections are received from the consultation and referrals process. If additional information is required from the applicant, this information will be requested by the authorizations staff and the applicant will have 30 days to respond. (This deadline may be longer depending on the nature of the request). Once all of the information has been received and reviewed, a recommendation is made.

4. Decision (Crown land decision maker)
   The decision will be made weighing all information provided in the recommendation and the applicant will be informed of the decision.

Application enquiries

Read more about application processing and how to check the status of your application.