FrontCounter BC payment guidelines

FrontCounter BC accepts payments for various areas of the provincial natural resource sector, including Crown land, water licensing, fish and wildlife, aquaculture, angling and more. The payment guidelines information is to help guide clients on the different types of payments and payment channels available.

FrontCounter BC does not accept payments for property taxes, mines inspection fees or violation tickets from hunting and angling offences.

Forestry payments, including stumpage fees, must be paid at a natural resource district office.

On this page

• Payment methods
• Payment channels
• Online banking information

Payment methods

FrontCounter BC accepts a variety of payment methods. 

Accepted:

• Credit card, prepaid credit card* (Visa, Mastercard, American Express)
• Online banking for Crown land rental and security fees
• Online banking for water rental fees
• Debit card, Visa-debit card, Mastercard debit (in-person only)
• Cheque, money order, bank draft
  • Must be made out to "Minister of Finance"
  • Must be in Canadian funds
  • Cheques must be issued from a Canadian financial institution
• Cash (in-person only, where accepted by location)

* Credit card payment cannot be accepted for the following:

• Crown land sales
• Crown grant fees
• Royalty payments for Crown land (statutory declarations) associated with:
  • Gravel quarry
  • Aggregates
  • Sand
  • Gravel pit
• Statutory declarations
• Security deposits
• Environmental management discharge fees

Not accepted:

• Cheques from non-Canadian financial institutions (including from U.S.A.)
• E-transfers
• Wire transfers

Payment channels

Not all payment channels are available for all payments methods. See the Payment methods section above.

Online banking information

Crown land rent and security payments

To make a Crown land rental or security fee payment through online banking, follow these steps:

• When setting up the payee account for online banking with your financial institution, ensure you choose the exact payee name listed in the table below
• If your financial institution is not listed in the table below, please contact them directly to see if they offer online banking and if a Crown land account is one of their payment options
• Security payments via online banking can only be accepted from the name of the tenure holder. Third parties (a name other than the tenure holder) must use another method of payment
• When making an online banking payment, the “account number” is your Crown land file number (7 digits) and can be found on the right-hand side of your invoice, below the invoice number. Retain proof of payment

Water payments

To make a water rental fee payment through online banking, follow these steps:

• To set up the payee account information with your bank, search for Prov BC - WATER ACT or BC - WATER ACT. Ensure there are spaces on either side of the hyphen or it may not work
• The account number is the 12-digit client number following "Online/Telephone banking account number:" referred to on the remittance section of the statement