Apply for a new park use permit: Commercial recreation

In order to hold a park use permit or ecological reserve permit, you must be one of the following:

• Individual 19 years of age or older (including sole proprietors)
• Corporation incorporated or registered in British Columbia in compliance with the Business Corporations Act
• Partnership, Cooperative, Society or Association incorporated under the Societies Act or registered in British Columbia
• Educational institution (e.g. school districts, public or private post secondary Institutions)
• Indian Band, Tribal Council, or First Nations People applying through band corporations
• Municipalities, regional districts, or other federal, provincial or state government entities

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

Your application will go through the following process before any decision is made:

1. Receiving the application
   Your application will be reviewed to ensure that it is complete. If necessary, you will be contacted for more information.
   
   An application will not be processed until all required information and application fee have been received.
   
   The submission of an application does NOT allow you any rights to the park land. A park use permit, if issued, would grant this authority.

2. Adjudication
   The target time frame for making a decision on your application is 140 days after a complete application is received. BC Parks target times may be affected by other required processes, such as requests to you for additional information or requirements for First Nations consultation.
   
   Applications will be processed in the order that they are received. The 140 day time frame will not be changed to accommodate "rush" applications.
   
   BC Parks staff will review the application to determine whether additional assessments, such as ecological or archaeological assessments, or consultation, such as First Nations consultation, may be required. Some assessments will be completed by BC Parks, but other assessments may be the responsibility of the applicant to complete at their own cost.
   
   BC Parks staff and, or FrontCounter BC staff  may contact you throughout the application process to discuss your application as required.
   
   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.

3. Request final requirements
   If the statutory decision maker approves the permit, the FrontCounter BC permit clerk will email you a draft permit and notify you of the permit's final requirements. If no email address was provided, you will be notified by letter instead.
   
   ​Examples of final requirements:

• Written agreement to the terms and conditions set out in the draft permit
• Proof of insurance
• Permit fee(s)
• Financial guarantee

If you do not respond to the request for final requirements by the indicated due date, your application will be withdrawn, your file will be closed and your application fee will not be refunded.

4. Issuance of permit
   Once all final requirements are met, the permit will be issued and sent to you by FrontCounter BC via email. If no email address was provided, a hard copy will be sent to you by mail.

Application enquiries

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