The following are common enquiries relating to Land Surveys.
Obtaining Copies of Crown Land Survey Records and Crown Grant Documents
Q: How Do I Obtain Copies of Records Maintained by the LTSA Office of the Surveyor General, Such As:
- A Survey Plan of a Particular Crown Land Area
- Field Notes of a Crown Land Survey
- A Crown Grant Document?
A: To obtain a copy of these Crown land records, you must first have the legal description of the property (see following question). Once you know the legal description, submit an Online Order. Contact the staff of the Surveyor General Division's Records Distribution Services if you have questions.
Most orders for records are processed within three business days of receipt. An order may take longer depending on its complexity. We will advise you in these situations. Service fees apply and we accept payment by cheque, money order, cash or debit. We are not set up for credit card payments at this time. Please do not submit cash in the mail. Fees for applications made in-person are payable by cash or cheque only. Please make cheques payable to the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia.
You can view most Official Plans of Crown land and Crown grant documents online through the provincial government's Tantalis GATOR system. This system is mainly set up for regular users, as a user account and password are required and fees are payable. For further information, please refer to the following:
Clients are advised to search the GATOR Helpful Hints for their issue before calling the help desk.
Online Cadastre is the LTSA's internet mapping tool that provides access to BC Crown land cadastral (legal survey) information and other geographic information.
Finally, you may retain the services of a land surveyor or a researcher or registry agent to obtain records on your behalf. Visit our Access to Records section for more information.
Q: What is a Legal Description and How Do I Find the Legal Description of a Parcel of Land?
A: A legal description is a unique parcel identifier. Each parcel of land in BC has a unique parcel description. The legal description is derived from a number of data sources including the type of survey system used to originally define the land, the land district which the parcel lies within and assigned plan number.
Examples:
- District Lot 1234, Cariboo Land District
- Legal subdivision 4, Section 10, Township 82, West of the 6th Meridian, Peace River District
- Lot 1, District Lot 555, New Westminster District, Plan 12345
There have been at least nine different survey systems utilized in BC and each describes land in a slightly different manner or format.
Note that you cannot use a civic (street) address for a legal description when requesting plan, historic or land title information. Records can only be searched by proper legal description.
You should be able to obtain the legal description of a parcel of land from any of the following:
- BC Assessment Authority Tax Assessment Notice
- Survey Plan
- Certificate of Title
- Surveyors Certificate of Location
- Online Cadastre ( if your property is an entire district lot or quarter section )
If a plan number is indicated as part of your legal description, you must obtain a copy from the Land Title Office or from a BC Land Surveyor. If the legal description does not indicate a plan number, you can order a copy from Records Distribution Services of the Surveyor General Division.
Q: Can I Access Old Survey Records to Conduct Historic Research into a Particular Property or Area?
To reduce wear and tear on older records, access to the Crown Land Registry vault where many historic survey records are stored is limited to LTSA staff, BC land surveyors and certified researchers. However, staff will provide copies of records contained in the Crown Land Registry for a fee. Fees for applications made in-person are payable by cash or cheque only. Please make cheques payable to the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia. Contact the Records Distribution Services staff in the Surveyor General Division for assistance.
As well, you may retain the services of a land surveyor or a researcher or registry agent to conduct research on your behalf. These professionals can help interpret the meaning of historic survey records. Visit the Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors website to view contact information for all land surveyors in the province. To contact an independent Registry Agent, consult the membership list of the BC Association of Professional Registry Agents.
Crown Grants
Q: What Information is Contained in a Crown Grant?
A: Key pieces of information found in Crown grant documents include:
- Government file number, which enables access to files containing information on the original Crown grant application
- Crown grant number
- Date grant was created
- Name, address, occupation and tenant terms of who the land was granted to
- Purchase price, or consideration paid
- Legal description of the land granted
- Statutory provisions that the granted land is subject to
- May contain express words for limitation of estate, such as 'access by water only'
- Express words for any reserves, exceptions or prior rights " for example, timber exclusion, or lands crossed by statutory right of way
- Normally contains a 'tracing' which is the official plan confirmed by the Surveyor General showing the area granted and surrounding cadastral information.
Q: When My Property Was Granted in 1938, the Grant Stated That If My Property Were to Ever Be Subdivided, a Share of the Land Would Need to be Given Back to the Government. Do I Still Have to Do This?
A: No, that proviso was rescinded in 1953 through a statutory amendment.
Survey Services
Q: My Property Corner Stake/Post is Missing. Who is Qualified to Survey My Property?
A: A practicing BC land surveyor (BCLS) who is a member of the Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors is the only person qualified to legally determine the location of property boundaries and perform legal surveys of private and Crown lands within BC.
Becoming Eligible to Hold a Conservation Covenant
Q: How Does My Organization Become Eligible to Hold a Conservation Covenant on a Particular Parcel of Land?
A: Individuals and non-government organizations are able to register a covenant on private lands. Anyone interested in registering and holding covenant pursuant to Section 219 of the Land Title Act must first apply to the Surveyor General Division of the LTSA. Find out more about conservation covenant applications.
Natural Boundaries and Erosion & Accretion
Q: My Property Adjoins a Body of Water That Has Eroded My Land. How Do I Establish My Actual Property Boundary?
A: Waterfront properties have natural boundaries that are subject to the forces of erosion and deposition (accretion). A BC land surveyor is licensed to legally define property boundaries and can provide professional advice regarding your property limits.
Q: A Water Body Adjacent to My Property Has Deposited Material Which, Over Time, Has Caused My Property Area to Expand. Does This New Land Area Now Belong to Me?
A: Under common law, a waterfront property owner does own land that has legitimately accreted to the upland through gradual and imperceptible natural deposition. In BC, the land owner must engage the services of a BC land surveyor to create and deposit an updated survey plan in order to update the certificate of title to the upland property by including lawful accretion. This process requires the land surveyor to make an accretion application to the Surveyor General.
Q: I Have Waterfront Property. What Are My Rights?
A: Owners of waterfront properties enjoy certain riparian (stream or river banks) and littoral (sea or lake shore) rights. These rights include access to and from the water, protection of the property from erosion, ownership of naturally accreted material and use of water for domestic purposes. The publication "Occasional Paper No. 5: Overview of Riparian Rights and Public Foreshore Use in the Administration of Aquatic Crown Land in British Columbia” provides further information.
If you haven't found the answer to your question here, take a look at our other Frequently Asked Questions pages.
