PlaceDossier / BC places / Okanagan-Similkameen
BC region · regional district
Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District
Keremeos, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton, Princeton and Summerland and 9 electoral areas, 10,172 km² in all. 86,315 people lived in them in 2021, up 7.8% from 2016, not counting First Nations reserves, which the census counts on their own. 7% of the land is in the farmland reserve, and 21% has burned in a mapped wildfire since 1996.
Its places
Each place's page has its land, hazards, wells, climate, tax and census facts. Listed by name, not ranked.
| Place | People, 2021 | Land | In the farmland reserve | Burned since 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keremeos village | 1,608 | 2 km² | 23% | none |
| Oliver town | 5,094 | 6 km² | 21% | 0.7% |
| Osoyoos town | 5,556 | 10 km² | 29% | 2.5% |
| Penticton city | 36,885 | 48 km² | 18% | 0.2% |
| Princeton town | 2,894 | 61 km² | 15% | 12% |
| Summerland district municipality | 12,042 | 77 km² | 36% | 8.2% |
| Electoral Area A | 2,139 | 273 km² | 24% | 45% |
| Electoral Area B | 1,151 | 242 km² | 17% | 50% |
| Electoral Area C | 3,986 | 446 km² | 15% | 35% |
| Electoral Area D | 4,016 | 594 km² | 7.9% | 27% |
| Electoral Area E | 2,015 | 545 km² | 1.4% | 23% |
| Electoral Area F | 2,092 | 610 km² | 15% | 4% |
| Electoral Area G | 2,298 | 2,117 km² | 1.8% | 37% |
| Electoral Area H | 2,232 | 4,782 km² | 5.5% | 12% |
| Electoral Area I | 2,307 | 359 km² | 13% | 18% |
Land and shares measured by us from the provincial maps (farmland reserve, BC Wildfire Service perimeters) over Statistics Canada's 2021 census subdivisions; people from the 2021 census.
Zoning
Reports for rural lots in the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District name the zone from its open zoning map, where 3 bylaws are drawn. Each of its 6 municipalities zones its own land; its page says what we show there.
- Okanagan Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 2800, 2022Drawn in Electoral Areas A, C, D, E, F and I. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Electoral Area G Zoning Bylaw No. 2781, 2017Drawn in Electoral Area G. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Electoral Area H Zoning Bylaw No. 3065, 2024Drawn in Electoral Area H. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
A bylaw is listed for an area where at least 20 ha and 1% of it lies there, measured by us from the regional district's map. Confirm a lot's zone with the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District before you buy or build. Every zoning bylaw we cover.
Building permits
Where the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District's building inspection covers its electoral areas (Building Bylaw No. 2805, 2018): there a building permit is needed and the work is inspected.
| Electoral area | Covered by building inspection |
|---|---|
| Electoral Area A | All of the area |
| Electoral Area B | None |
| Electoral Area C | All of the area |
| Electoral Area D | All of the area |
| Electoral Area E | All of the area |
| Electoral Area F | All of the area |
| Electoral Area G | None |
| Electoral Area H | All of the area |
| Electoral Area I | All of the area |
Our reading of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Inside a municipality, the town or city runs its own building permits; the BC Building Code applies everywhere. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
Wildfire
Since 1990, 35 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District's places, in 17 seasons. The largest here:
- 2023Crater Creek wildfire46,504 ha in all43,061 ha here
- 2026Bald Range wildfire25,163 ha in all23,023 ha here
- 2018Unnamed by the BC Wildfire Service (fire K51238)19,226 ha in all18,766 ha here
- 2021Garrison Lake wildfire14,618 ha in all14,618 ha here
- 2021Nk' Mip Creek wildfire19,930 ha in all14,315 ha here
- 2018Unnamed by the BC Wildfire Service (fire K62690)13,626 ha in all13,626 ha here
Each place's page lists every large and smaller mapped fire in it. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.
Major projects
The Environmental Assessment Office's register places 1 major project in assessment or approved in the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District's places.
- Aspen Solar and Energy StorageIn assessment; in Electoral Area H.
The register places each project at one point; a mine, pipeline or line can reach well past it. Every major project in BC by place.
Check one lot: is it in the ALR? · is it on a floodplain map? · has it burned? · how deep are the wells? · is there room for a septic field? · short-term rentals? · property tax?
Other regions: Alberni-Clayoquot, Bulkley-Nechako, Capital, Cariboo, Central Coast, Central Kootenay, Central Okanagan, Columbia Shuswap, Comox Valley, Cowichan Valley, East Kootenay, Fraser Valley, Fraser-Fort George, Kitimat-Stikine, Kootenay Boundary, Metro Vancouver, Mount Waddington, Nanaimo, North Coast, North Okanagan, Peace River, qathet, Squamish-Lillooet, Strathcona, Sunshine Coast, Thompson-Nicola.