The commercial recreation application form is used for fee-for-service activities in parks, protected areas, recreation areas and conservancies (collectively "parks"). These activities include: guided adventure tourism opportunities, such as guide outfitting, angle guiding, guided hiking, kayaking, boat tours, river rafting, caving, and heli-skiing. Angle guides and guide outfitters will also need authorizations under the Wildlife Act.
The commercial recreation permit is also used to authorize commercial recreation services in parks that may involve land use and occupancy, such as lodges, ski facilities, equipment rentals and food services.
A commercial recreation permit also authorizes a commercial operator (e.g. floatplane, helicopter, boat or bus) to provide access services to a park.
Applications will only be approved if BC Parks deems them compatible with the conservation and recreation objectives of the park(s) involved in the proposal.
Discuss your application with the BC Parks area supervisor responsible for the protected land(s) for which you are applying. Area supervisors are the BC Parks staff responsible for particular park(s). Contact information for BC Parks regional offices can be found on BC Parks website.
Costs and responsibilities
Fees
Please see the Fee Schedule - Schedule K, of the Park, Conservancy and Recreation Area Regulation for a list of park uses and fees. GST (5%) must be added to the fees listed in the fee schedule.
Application fees are non-refundable, and applications submitted without their required fee will not be processed. Non-profit societies are required to pay application fees but may be exempt from other park use permit fees.
Fees can be paid online at the time of application, or at a FrontCounter BC location. See payment guidelines for more information.
Note: Please be sure to include the payment remittance form or the application tracking number if submitting your payment in person or by mail.
Responsibilities
It is your responsibility to:
- Obtain all other applicable licences, tenures or permits prior to the issuance of a park use permit
- Ensure that your park use permit's annual requirements, such as proof of insurance, fees and reports, are met each year
- Visit BC Registries and Digital Services and determine whether or not you must be registered to do business in British Columbia:
- ​Businesses must either be licensed to do business in British Columbia or, if licensed or incorporated outside of British Columbia (considered to be 'extra-provincial companies'), be in compliance with section 375 of the Business Corporations Act to operate in British Columbia
- Extra-provincial societies must be registered under the Societies Act in order to hold a park use permit or resource use permit in British Columbia. An extra-provincial society is a society or association, or a specific branch of a society or association, that was formed outside British Columbia
- A park use permit holder is responsible for abiding by the terms and conditions of the permit document provided
Additional costs and requirements
Upon evaluation of the proposal, it may be determined that additional costs and requirements, such as financial guarantees or survey and inspection costs, must be met prior to the issuance of the permit, (as per section 21 of the Park Act).
Commercial general liability insurance in the amount of $2 million per occurrence is the minimum requirement for all commercial operators in parks, protected areas, conservancies and recreation areas. Applications will be assessed to determine whether additional types of insurance, such as aviation liability or marine liability, will also be required
Why would an application be denied?
BC Parks considers the impacts of a proposed activity and the particular values of the parklands in question when evaluating a permit application. If your application is denied, you will be provided with a letter indicating the reason(s) for denial. Any application fee that may have been paid will not be refunded. The list below provides some common examples of why BC Parks may deny a commercial recreation application:
- BC Parks may not approve any new commercial permits if a conservancy does not have an approved management plan. Approved management plans are listed on BC Parks website
- BC Parks may not approve an activity that does not support the goals of an approved park management plan. Approved management plans are listed on BC Parks website
