Is there an archaeological site on my BC property?
The Province records more than 57,000 archaeological sites in BC, and 90% of its 64,000 recorded heritage sites are of First Nations origin (Archaeology Branch, read 2026-10-12). Where they are isn't published, so a report can't show them.
No public map shows them: the Province keeps its records of known archaeological sites closed, so a report can't say whether a lot has one. Sites from before 1846 are protected on private land as on Crown land, whether anyone has recorded them or not, and digging into one without a permit is an offence. Ask the Province's Archaeology Branch before you buy or build: the request is free, and a lawyer or realtor can make it with you.
The report opens at this answer, with the lot drawn on the map and every other check alongside. A PID (on the tax notice or title) always finds the lot; an address works when it's an exact match.
What the answer means
- What's protected
- The Heritage Conservation Act protects any site with physical evidence of people living on or using the land before 1846, burial places and rock paintings or carvings of historical or archaeological value, and sites the Province has designated (s. 12.1 (2)). It applies on private and public land alike, and a site is protected whether or not it's recorded: a gap in the Province's register takes nothing away (s. 3 (6)).
- What a site looks like
- Shell middens on the shore, the hollows of old house pits, stone tools, culturally modified trees, fish traps, clam gardens, rock art and burials. Most of BC's recorded sites are of First Nations origin, and the Branch notes that sites on waterfront lots usually lie close to the water.
- What needs a permit
- Digging into, building on, landscaping or otherwise altering a protected site needs a permit from the Province (s. 12.4), which can set conditions, down to where and how the house is built (s. 12.5). Looking for a site by digging needs a heritage inspection permit (s. 12.2), and the one who applies pays for the archaeologist. The Province consults the First Nations concerned before issuing either.
- If something turns up
- A find during work means stopping and calling the Archaeology Branch; human remains also go to the coroner and police, through the Branch. The Province can order work stopped for 120 days, longer in some cases (s. 16.1), and file a notice on the title of land it considers protected (s. 32). Altering a site without a permit can bring a fine of up to $50,000 or two years in jail for a person, $1 million for a company (s. 36), and no compensation is owed for value the Act takes away (s. 35).
- How to ask
- The Archaeology Branch answers an Archaeological Information Request for a property or area for free: whether a site is recorded on or near it and what to do next. Property owners, land title conveyancing professionals and local governments can ask, and its terms name realtors and lawyers among those with a need to know, so a buyer can ask through either. The answer covers recorded sites only, and a consulting archaeologist can answer faster for a fee.
- Who else knows
- Many local governments hold the Province's site records and may raise them at a rezoning, demolition or building permit, and the Ministry of Transportation flags known sites when rural land is subdivided, where it can ask for an assessment and put a covenant over the site. First Nations may hold their own records of places that matter to them.
- Assessments
- A preliminary field reconnaissance is an archaeologist walking the land to judge its potential; it can't rule out buried sites. An archaeological impact assessment, under a heritage inspection permit, tests below ground and maps any site against the plans. Either may be asked for before a permit is issued.
- What it means for a buyer
- A recorded site doesn't stop a sale, but it can decide where a house, septic field or driveway can go, and add an archaeologist's time and fees before building. Before you buy, ask the Branch (or have your lawyer or realtor ask), ask the seller whether anything was ever found or assessed, and read the title for a heritage notice or covenant.
Our summary of the Heritage Conservation Act, read on BC Laws, and of the Archaeology Branch's pages for property owners, read 2026-10-12. The Province's site records aren't open data, so no report shows them. Confirm with the Province's Archaeology Branch, and an archaeologist where it advises one, before you buy or dig.
Source: Heritage Conservation Act, RSBC 1996, c. 187 (ss. 3, 12.1, 12.2, 12.4, 12.5, 16.1, 32, 35, 36) (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-12); Archaeological sites on private, commercial or development property, Archaeology Branch (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-12); Request archaeological information, Archaeology Branch (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-12); Archaeology permits and assessments, Archaeology Branch (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-12); Report an archaeological find, Archaeology Branch (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-12).
Asking about one lot
Make the Archaeological Information Request online, naming the lot: a report gives its PID and plan number and draws its outline. The Branch's confirmation email says how long it expects to take.
See also heritage conservation areas, streamside setbacks, docks and the shore, reserve land and building permits.
Buying rural land? Before you buy rural land in BC: the nine questions that decide an offer, on one printable page.