Getting Started with Reserves - Mineral Reserves and Coal Land Reserves

A Conditional Registration Reserve (CRR) permits registration of a mineral and/or placer claim application for an area of land subject to the specific conditions stated in the Regulation. 

A No Registration Reserve (NRR) is a type of mineral reserve that prohibits the registration of new mineral and/or placer claims, including the ability to make applications for claims, for an area of land.  

In areas where a No Registration Reserve has been established, an existing valid claim, held in good standing, can still be surveyed and taken to lease, as the claim was registered prior to the reserve being established. 

No Registration Reserves are not intended to be permanent or interpreted as a final land use outcome. No Registration Reserves are either time-limited or reviewable.

Time-limited No Registration Reserves have a set end-date upon which they will expire. These reserves should be requested and received with the understanding that they will not be renewed.

Reviewable No Registration Reserves include a ‘review by’ date, which is a notation on Mineral Titles Online associated with the No Registration Reserve for administrative purposes that indicates when a review of the reserve will occur. Upon review, the Chief Gold Commissioner may choose to extend the review-by date of the No Registration Reserve or to cancel the No Registration Reserve.

The majority of No Registration Reserves are reviewable. Although staff will work collaboratively with requestors to understand the rationale for the request, the Chief Gold Commissioner has sole discretion to decide the type and length of any mineral reserve. 

Limitations of No Registration Reserves 

While No Registration Reserves are an effective tool for preventing further mineral and/or placer claim registrations, they do have limitations. A No Registration Reserve does not:

• Prevent or limit mining activity within existing mineral tenures that overlap a No Registration Reserve;
• Prevent existing mineral-tenure holders from applying for permits under the Mines Act;
• Prevent or limit industrial resource extraction;
• Prevent or limit stone, sand and gravel exploration or extraction;
• Prevent applications for coal licenses or leases;
• Prevent an existing tenure-holder from selling their claim and registering the transfer within the Mineral Titles Online system;
• Relieve existing mineral tenure-holders from maintaining their obligations under the Mineral Tenure Act and Mines Act, regulations associated with those Acts, conditions in place under existing permits, or the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in B.C.; and
• Result in the automatic initiation of expropriation and/or compensation of tenures.

A Coal Land Reserve (CLR) prohibits a person from exploring for, developing or producing coal. Coal licenses and coal leases must not be issued within a Coal Land Reserve.