How high must I build by a lake or river in BC?
Where land floods, the local government sets a flood construction level, the height the lowest floor for living, business or storage must clear, and a setback from the water where nothing may be built. Where we've read the bylaw, a report gives both for the lot and how much of it lies below the level.
We've read the flood construction levels and floodplain setbacks of 9 zoning bylaws of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and the Regional District of North Okanagan, with fixed levels for 7 lakes and reservoirs from Shuswap Lake's 351.0 m to the Kinbasket Lake Reservoir's 756.8 m, read 2026-10-04; a report applies them to any lot those bylaws zone.
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
- Flood construction level
- The lowest floor of a home, business or storage room must sit above it, on fill or a raised foundation. On a lake with a fixed level it's an elevation, such as 351.0 m on Shuswap Lake; elsewhere it's a height above the water's natural boundary, often 1.5 m beside a stream, 3 m beside a large river.
- Floodplain setback
- No building may go within the setback, measured from the natural boundary or a lake's high water mark: often 15 m from a stream or lake and 30 m from a large river. A bylaw can set its own for named waters and stretches of shore.
- Who sets them
- The local government, in its zoning or floodplain bylaw (Local Government Act s. 524), following the Province's Flood Hazard Area Land Use Management Guidelines. A flood study, a provincial floodplain map or a development permit area can set a higher level.
- What a report reads
- The bylaw zoning the lot from its open zoning map, the water within 30 m on the Freshwater Atlas, and lakes with a fixed level within 300 m. Within 30 m of such a lake the level applies; from 30 to 300 m whether it does is unclear. The share of the lot below a level comes from lidar only (our reading), never the coarser 30 m model.
- Datum
- Bylaw levels are on the Geodetic Survey of Canada datum; the lidar heights we compare them with are on a newer one (CGVD2013), so ground within about a metre of a level needs a survey to say which side it's on.
- What it means for a buyer
- A lot partly below the level can still be built on, with the floor raised; one inside the setback may have little room left. Ask for the survey plan and any surveyor's certificate for the house, and whether a renovation or addition you plan is exempt.
Our summary of each bylaw at the consolidation listed, read 2026-10-04; a bylaw can be amended, and a flood study can set a higher level. Confirm with the local government's planning department before you buy or build.
Source: South Shuswap Zoning Bylaw No. 701, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 3.16 to 3.18) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Anglemont Zoning Bylaw No. 650, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 3.5 and 3.6) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Ranchero / Deep Creek Zoning Bylaw No. 751, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 3.11 to 3.13) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Magna Bay Zoning Bylaw No. 800, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 3.4 to 3.6) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Scotch Creek/Lee Creek Zoning Bylaw No. 825, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 3.4 to 3.6) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Electoral Area E Zoning Bylaw No. 841, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 3.11 and 3.12) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Electoral Area 'B' Zoning Bylaw No. 851, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 3.8 to 3.10) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Kault Hill Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3000, Columbia Shuswap Regional District (ss. 2.3.4 to 2.3.6) (bylaw text, summarised in our words); Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023, Regional District of North Okanagan (s. 6.1) (bylaw text, summarised in our words).
By bylaw
The 9 zoning bylaws whose flood construction levels and floodplain setbacks we've summarised, read 2026-10-04, by district and number: the places their zones are drawn over on the district's open map, the lakes with a fixed level, the waters named with their own rule, and the rule for every other stream, river, lake and wetland.
| Bylaw | Drawn over | Lakes with a fixed level | Waters with their own rule | Every other water |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anglemont Zoning Bylaw No. 650 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 3.5 and 3.6; consolidated to 2024-07-18 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area F | Shuswap Lake: 351.0 m; setback 15 m from Shuswap Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.3 m) | – | 1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands |
| South Shuswap Zoning Bylaw No. 701 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 3.16 to 3.18; consolidated to 2026-08-13 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C | Shuswap Lake: 351.0 m; setback 15 m from Shuswap Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.3 m), or 30 m on the Sorrento alluvial fan, between Coates Road and Gillespie Road (s. 3.17.2.2) | – | 1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams and rivers; from lakes and wetlands, 15 m from its natural boundary (our reading: s. 3.17.2.4 sets 7.5 m from a lake, marsh or pond, but the bylaw counts those as watercourses too, which take 15 m, and the greater distance governs) On the Sorrento alluvial fan, between Coates Road and Gillespie Road, the setback from Shuswap Lake is 30 m (s. 3.17.2.2). The bylaw sets its own levels and setbacks for a few named properties (s. 3.18.8 to 3.18.10). |
| Ranchero / Deep Creek Zoning Bylaw No. 751 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 3.11 to 3.13; consolidated to 2026-08-18 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area D | – | – | 1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands |
| Magna Bay Zoning Bylaw No. 800 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 3.4 to 3.6; consolidated to 2026-05-26 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area F | Shuswap Lake: 351.0 m; setback 15 m from Shuswap Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.3 m) | Onyx Creek: 2 m above the natural boundary; setback 20 m Ross Creek: 1.5 m above the natural boundary; setback 30 m |
1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands |
| Scotch Creek/Lee Creek Zoning Bylaw No. 825 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 3.4 to 3.6; consolidated to 2025-10-22 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area F | Shuswap Lake: 351.0 m; setback 15 m from Shuswap Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.3 m) | Corning (Lee) Creek: 2 m above the natural boundary; setback 30 m Adams River: 3 m above the natural boundary; setback 30 m |
1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands |
| Electoral Area E Zoning Bylaw No. 841 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 3.11 and 3.12; consolidated to 2026-05-25 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area E | Mara Lake: 351.1 m; setback 15 m from Mara Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.4 m) Shuswap Lake: 351.0 m; setback 15 m from Shuswap Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.3 m) |
Eagle River, Gorge Creek, Hummingbird Creek, Mara Creek, Perry River, Sicamous Creek and Camp Creek: 3 m above the natural boundary; setback 30 m | 1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands Where a 200-year flood level can be determined, the level is 0.6 m above it if that is higher (s. 3.11.2(a)); a flood study can set it above the figures here. Hummingbird Creek's 30 m setback applies downstream of Highway 97A; upstream it is 15 m. |
| Electoral Area 'B' Zoning Bylaw No. 851 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 3.8 to 3.10; consolidated to 2025-10-22 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area A Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area B |
the Upper Arrow Lakes Reservoir: 442.3 m; setback 30 m from the reservoir's 440.7 m contour the Revelstoke Lake Reservoir: 574.8 m; setback 30 m from the reservoir's 573.3 m contour the Kinbasket Lake Reservoir: 756.8 m; setback 30 m from the reservoir's 755.3 m contour |
Illecillewaet River, Jordan River, Incomappleux River, Akolkolex River, Goldstream River, Columbia River, Lardeau Creek, Carnes Creek, Downie Creek and Trout Lake: 3 m above the natural boundary; setback 30 m | 1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands A flowage agreement with BC Hydro can set a different level on a reservoir lot (s. 3.8(2)). |
| Kault Hill Rural Land Use Bylaw No. 3000 Columbia Shuswap Regional District, ss. 2.3.4 to 2.3.6; consolidated to 2024-07-18 |
Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area C | – | – | 1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams and rivers; 7.5 m from lakes and wetlands |
| Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 Regional District of North Okanagan, s. 6.1; consolidated to 2026-07-22 |
North Okanagan, Electoral Area B | Mara Lake: 351.1 m; setback 15 m from the lake's natural boundary Kalamalka Lake: 393.2 m; setback 15 m from the lake's natural boundary Sugar Lake: 604.72 m; setback 15 m from the lake's 601.72 m contour |
Mabel Lake: 3 m above the natural boundary; setback 15 m Shuswap River: 3 m above its natural boundary between Shuswap Falls and Sugar Lake, 1.5 m elsewhere; setback 30 m Ashton Creek, Bessette Creek, Cherry Creek, Duteau Creek, Ferry Creek, Kettle River, Kingfisher Creek, Monashee Creek, Tsuius Creek and Wap Creek: 1.5 m above the natural boundary; setback 30 m |
1.5 m above its natural boundary; setback 15 m from streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands Land on a provincial floodplain map is floodplain under this bylaw too, and the level there is read from that map where it is higher (s. 6.1.1 and 6.1.2). |
Levels are elevations on the Geodetic Survey of Canada datum; "above its natural boundary" is above the water's edge as the bylaw defines it. Where a bylaw is drawn is our reading of the district's open zoning map on the 2021 census areas, which the CSRD has since redrawn; a bylaw can zone land its map doesn't draw. Each bylaw lists work exempt from the level, and some set their own levels for named lots.
Lakes and reservoirs with a fixed level
| Lake | Flood construction level | Setback | Bylaw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shuswap Lake | 351.0 m | 15 m from Shuswap Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.3 m) | Anglemont Zoning Bylaw No. 650, South Shuswap Zoning Bylaw No. 701, Magna Bay Zoning Bylaw No. 800, Scotch Creek/Lee Creek Zoning Bylaw No. 825 and Electoral Area E Zoning Bylaw No. 841 |
| Mara Lake | 351.1 m | 15 m from Mara Lake's mean annual high water mark (348.4 m) | Electoral Area E Zoning Bylaw No. 841 and Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 |
| Kalamalka Lake | 393.2 m | 15 m from the lake's natural boundary | Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 |
| the Upper Arrow Lakes Reservoir | 442.3 m | 30 m from the reservoir's 440.7 m contour | Electoral Area 'B' Zoning Bylaw No. 851 |
| the Revelstoke Lake Reservoir | 574.8 m | 30 m from the reservoir's 573.3 m contour | Electoral Area 'B' Zoning Bylaw No. 851 |
| Sugar Lake | 604.72 m | 15 m from the lake's 601.72 m contour | Regional District of North Okanagan Zoning Bylaw No. 3000, 2023 |
| the Kinbasket Lake Reservoir | 756.8 m | 30 m from the reservoir's 755.3 m contour | Electoral Area 'B' Zoning Bylaw No. 851 |
A level applies to land by the lake. A report gives it for a lot within 30 m of the lake on the province's water map, and says whether it applies is unclear from 30 to 300 m.
Bylaws we read that leave it elsewhere, and everywhere else
Bylaw No. 168 sets a floodplain only inside one comprehensive development zone, along Colepitts Creek (s. 3.02I.07). Bylaw No. 2500 leaves floodplains to the Salmon Valley Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2600, which we haven't summarised.
Everywhere else we haven't read the local floodplain rules. Most cities and regional districts with flood-prone land set a flood construction level and setbacks in their zoning bylaw or a floodplain bylaw, and some only through a development permit area. A report then gives the provincial floodplain map, the dikes and dams near the lot and, on low ground near the sea, says so; ask the local government for the level.
See also the provincial floodplain maps, dikes and streamside setbacks.
Buying rural land? Before you buy rural land in BC: the nine questions that decide an offer, on one printable page.