Environment and Land Use Act Orders and No Registration Reserves for Northwest and Northcentral B.C.
Last updated on June 19, 2025Through B.C.’s land use planning program, the Province is partnering with First Nations to undertake land use planning in priority planning areas.
In support of this work, the Province has established 2 Environment and Land Use Act (ELUA) orders and 3 mineral and/or placer no registration reserves (NRR) over portions of the broader planning area.
Effective June 3, 2025, new mining claims cannot be registered (tenuring pause) for a 12-month period in these areas.
On this page
Resources
- Land and Water Planning in British Columbia
- Notice to mineral tenure holders:
- Mineral Titles Branch - News, Notices and Announcements
- Viewing ELUA orders in Mineral Titles Online (MTO) PDF, 529KB)
- Frequently asked questions - Tenuring pause (PDF, 125KB)
- Frequently asked questions - Mineral Titles
- Mine permitting
Summary of tenuring pause
The orders and NRRs will remain in place for a period of 12 months (mineral tenuring pause).
Environment and Land Use Act implements legislation as an Order in Council (OIC). No Registration Reserves (NRR) are implemented as B.C. regulations under the Mineral Tenure Act.
| Order or regulation | Description |
|---|---|
| Northwest ELUA order | Prevents registration of new mineral and placer claims, and the disposition of new coal licenses |
| Northcentral ELUA order | Prevents registration of new mineral and placer claims, and the disposition of new coal licenses |
| Upper Taku Mineral Tenure reserve (NRR) | Prevents registration of new mineral and placer claims |
| Tulsequah MTA reserve (NRR) | Prevents registration of new mineral and placer claims |
| Meziadin MTA reserve (NRR) | Prevents registration of new mineral claims |
ELUA orders and NRRs in effect
Mineral and coal deferral area, ELUA orders in place
These orders temporarily pause the registration of new mineral and placer claims, and coal licence dispositions over defined areas in the Northwest and Northcentral B.C.
Spatial data
Download the spatial data for mining deferral areas.
Read the downloading data guide for step-by-step instructions on downloading spatial data from the BC Data Catalogue.
Apply the following filters:
- DESIGNATED_AREA (DSGNTD_AR)= 'Northwest Deferral Area'
- DESIGNATED_AREA (DSGNTD_AR)= 'Northcentral Deferral Area'
| Location | Map of area |
|---|---|
|
Northwest |
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Northcentral |
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No Registration Reserves in place
Mineral NRRs temporarily prevent the registration of mineral and placer claims over defined areas of the Meziadin River, Upper Taku and Tulsequah watersheds.
Spatial data
Download the spatial data for mineral and coal reserves.
Read the downloading data guide for step-by-step instructions on downloading spatial data from the BC Data Catalogue.
Apply the following filters:
- SITE_NUMBER_ID (SITE_NO_ID) = 1007004 (Meziadin River Watershed)
- SITE_NUMBER_ID (SITE_NO_ID) = 1007096 (Upper Taku)
- SITE_NUMBER_ID (SITE_NO_ID) = 1007005 (Tulsequah Watershed)
| Location | Map of area |
|---|---|
|
Meziadin River Watershed Mineral NRR Mineral Titles Online (MTO) links
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Upper Taku and Tulsequah Watershed Mineral and placer NRR Mineral Titles Online (MTO) links Upper Taku: Tulsequah: |
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Related land use planning processes
All land and water planning projects are listed at: https://www.planninginpartnership.ca/projects-list
To learn more about the land use planning process with Tahltan, please visit the Tahltan-BC Land Use Plan website or email TahltanBC_LUP_engage@gov.bc.ca.
To learn more about the land use planning process with TRTFN, please visit the TRT-BC Land Use Plan website or email TlatsiniPlanningProject@gov.bc.ca.
To learn more about the Kaska-BC land use planning project, please visit the Kaska-BC Land Use Plan website or email kaska.LUP@gov.bc.ca.
To learn more about land use planning in the Meziadin River Watershed, please visit the Meziadin River Watershed Salmon Habitat Conservation Plan or email info.Meziadin@gov.bc.ca.
Claims and mining activities
Claim acquisition
The registration of new mineral and placer claims within the designated areas is suspended for 12 months.
During the period of the tenuring pause, the chief gold commissioner will not accept new mineral and placer claim applications in the defined areas.
Claim maintenance
You can maintain your claims by conducting work on existing tenures within or adjacent to tenuring pause area, or by making a "cash-in-lieu of work" payment instead of exploration and development.
If you are not able to maintain your claims due to unforeseen factors, you may reach out to Mineral Titles Branch to discuss what actions can be taken to keep the claims in good standing. If you are requesting additional time, please contact Mineral Titles Branch at least 1 month prior to the expiry date of the claim.
If you need assistance with your tenures, please contact Mineral.Titles@gov.bc.ca.
Claim forfeiture
Claims can be relinquished by either abandoning the claim through Mineral Titles Online or by not maintaining the claim.
Relinquished claims will not be eligible for re-registration while the orders are in effect.
Transfer or purchase of claims
The restrictions do not prevent the transfer of tenures between entities.
Claim applications prior to tenuring pause
The orders that came into effect on June 3, 2025 prevent the registration of mineral and placer claims.
Applications received before June 3, 2025 within the above areas will be held and not processed during the tenure pause period.
If you want to withdraw your application at any time, please send your request to Mineral.Titles@gov.bc.ca.
Your application fees will be returned to you.
Mineral cells in the tenure pause area
Mineral Titles Online can be used to research mineral tenure related information in B.C.
Anyone can open the mineral map or placer map and use the Identify Features tool (PDF, 588KB) to select an area of interest.
Information about the area of interest will be displayed on the right side of the map.
Mining activities
All mining activities on existing tenures will continue.
The tenuring pause does not affect existing claim registrations or the ability to develop and carry out work on existing tenures.
Existing tenure-holders can still exercise all rights associated with a title, including applying for a Mines Act permit, conducting mining activities authorized by an existing permit, or selling their claim.
Note that if a cell claim in the area expires, the cell cannot be subsequently registered while the OIC or NRR remains in effect.
Contact information
Mineral.Titles@gov.bc.ca