PlaceDossier / Questions

Is there a gravel pit or quarry near my property in BC?

Gravel pits and quarries sit at the edge of many BC towns and along rural roads, and placer and exploration permits reach across the north. A report lists the Mines Act permit areas within 2 km of the lot line on the Province's map, nearest first, names an open pit or quarry within 500 m in its headline, and flags one whose permit area takes in the lot.

The Province maps 359 open sand and gravel pits and quarries in 124 places, plus 248 placer mines, 9 coal mines and 464 mineral exploration and mine permits, read 2026-10-11; a report measures any BC lot against all of them. The places, by name.

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.

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What the answer means

What the map shows
Mine permits are from the Province's map of Mines Act permit areas for regional mines: sand and gravel pits, quarries, placer mines, coal and mineral exploration, on Crown or private land. The area drawn is what the permit covers, often larger than the ground worked at any one time, and distances are measured by us from the lot line to its edge.
Large mines
Large mines are on a separate map that isn't open data, so they aren't listed here. A mine large enough to need a provincial environmental assessment is on the Environmental Assessment Office's register, which a report also reads.
The permit
Under the Mines Act (s. 10) no work may start at a pit, quarry or mine without a permit, which sets its plan and the reclamation of the land when work ends; a pit 'not started' may begin under its permit.
Hours, trucks, dust and noise
Hours, truck routes, dust and noise are often set by the local government's soil removal or gravel bylaw: ask the regional district or city, and the Ministry's regional office about the permit.
Open and closed permits
The map keeps permits the Province records as closed, and mines it records as abandoned or closed. A report counts those apart from the open ones, and this page counts them without naming them.
On the lot
A permit area that takes in the lot is flagged in its report. Ask the seller about the pit or the work, and the Province's regional mines office who holds the permit and what reclamation it still owes.
Who to ask
The regional district or city about its soil removal or gravel bylaw and any pit next door; the Province's regional mines office about a permit; and the seller about any pit on the lot.

Our summary of the Mines Act, s. 10, read on BC Laws 2026-10-11. A permit area is what the permit covers, not the ground worked at any one time, and the map can sit some metres off the ground; the permit and the Province's mines office say what is allowed. Confirm with the regional district or city, the Province's regional mines office and the seller before you buy or build.

Source: Notice of Work (NoW) – Permitted Mine Areas – Regional Mine – Public, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mines Act, RSBC 1996, c. 293, s. 10 (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-11).

By place

The open Mines Act permits on the Province's map in 167 places, each place's mines by kind and name. Listed by place, never ranked.

PlaceOpen permits by kind; mines by name
Abbotsford
  • 7 sand and gravel pits
    Central Aggregates Pit; Coppertone Pit (not started); Ekset Pit No.3; ROSS ROAD; ROSS ROAD, Bradner Mine; Ross Road, Pit #15; and 1 unnamed
  • 1 construction aggregate quarry
    Sumas Shale Quarry
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area A
  • 1 mineral exploration permit area
    Hoskins (not started)
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area C
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    Haulmor Pit
  • 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area
    Fandora Project
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area D
  • 1 mineral exploration permit area
    Rex Resources (not started)
Alberni-Clayoquot, Electoral Area F
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    Ward Pit
  • 2 construction aggregate quarries
    Bowerman Quarry; and OLD CAMERON PIT AND QUARRY
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area A
  • 12 sand and gravel pits
    Gilbert Road Pit; Goathorn Pit; Houlden S&G Project; Hwy 16 pit; Landfill Pit; Pidherny Laidlaw Pit; Pope Road Pit; Steti Gravel Pit; Tatlow Pit (3 mines); and Trout Creek Pit (not started)
  • 4 construction aggregate quarries
    Skillhorn Quarry; Telkwa Rock Quarry; West Fraser Mills - Morgan Road Quarry; and Yelich Quarry
  • 1 coal mine
    Telkwa Coal
  • 2 mineral exploration permit areas
    Davidson Project; and Louise Lake
  • 4 mineral exploration or mine permit areas
    Big Onion; Copperhead Property; Maestro; and North Howson

Also 4 closed or abandoned permits.

Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area B
  • 11 sand and gravel pits
    Eagle Creek Pit (not started); Farm Pit; Gilgan Road Pit; Hamp - New Rose Lake Pit; Hamp - Old Rose Lake Pit; Sensenig Pit; Strimbold Farm pit; Tintagel Pit; Tintagel Road Pit; Wainwright/Highway 16 Pit; and 1 unnamed
  • 1 mineral exploration permit area
    Hanson North (not started)
  • 3 mineral exploration or mine permit areas
    Anneal McCracken; Bingo; and Silver Hope

Also 1 closed or abandoned permit.

Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area C
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    Dog Creek Operations
  • 25 placer mines
    Blacksands Mine (not started); CROSSAN; Gold Dust #2 (not started); Govt Gulch; Hangover Bench (not started); High Hopes; Hirak; Homestead Gold (not started); Hummingbird (not started); Just a Little Gerald Nadeau; 14 more; and 1 unnamed
  • 16 mineral exploration permit areas
    Acheron; Captain; Coho (not started); Copperline (not started); Cyprus Project (not started); Dark Horse; Decar; Fran; Indata; Mount Milligan Mine; and 6 more
  • 4 mineral exploration or mine permit areas
    Burn Property (not started); Larsen Jade Mine - Mineral (not started); Rottacker; and Stardust - Lustdust

Also 2 closed or abandoned permits.

Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area D
  • 2 sand and gravel pits
    DESOUSA PIT; and Desousa Pit 2 (not started)
  • 1 construction aggregate quarry
    Kenny Dam Quarry
  • 2 mineral exploration permit areas
    Cabin; and Hanson South (not started)
  • 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area
    Yellow Moose (not started)

Also 1 closed or abandoned permit.

Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area E
  • 3 sand and gravel pits
    Bergen Road Quarry; Northgate Gravel Pit; and Whiting Creek Gravel Pit
  • 3 construction aggregate quarries
    Ootsa Lake Km7 Quarry; Skins Lake Quarry; and Square Lake Quarry
  • 1 placer mine
    OMH 1 (not started)
  • 11 mineral exploration permit areas
    3T's (Tsacha, Tam Taken); Antler Project (not started); Aspen (not started); Coconut (not started); Fawnie; Johnny Lake (not started); Mystery (Karma) (not started); Nechako - BW (not started); Thira; Van Tine; and 1 more
  • 9 mineral exploration or mine permit areas
    Burning Daylight; Deerhorn; Fox; Ootsa (Seel Lean-to); Poplar; Rip Property (not started); Silver Bay; Troitsa Option; and Windfall Hills

Also 4 closed or abandoned permits.

Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area F
  • 3 sand and gravel pits
    Dalchako 14 Mile Pit (not started); Dog Creek Gravel Pit; and Dog Creek Pit
  • 1 construction aggregate quarry
    Engen Quarry (not started)
  • 1 industrial mineral quarry
    Valley Lime Quarry
  • 1 mineral exploration permit area
    2xFred
  • 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area
    SAM Property (not started)
Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area G
  • 8 sand and gravel pits
    Babine Barge 15.3 Hagen FSR; Bear Island Pit; Blastpro Constuction Ltd - Peacock Pit; Lundquist / Walcott pit; Walcott Pit; Walcott Rd Pit; Walcott/Barden Pit; and Watson's Pit
  • 1 construction aggregate quarry
    Blastpro Quarry - Km 10
  • 1 placer mine
    Bob Creek Placer
  • 11 mineral exploration permit areas
    Babine (NAK); Berg; Burn Del Santo; Dome North (not started); Duke; Excalibur / Jacobite; Lennac Lake Two (not started); Mt. Horetzky (not started); Silver Queen; Silver Vista; and 1 more
  • 16 mineral exploration or mine permit areas
    Babine Lake; Bornite Project; Buck; Burn; CR (Crow & Raven); Dome Mountain Mine; Dungate Creek Property; El Toro; Fenton Creek; French Peak (not started); and 6 more

Also 16 closed or abandoned permits.

Burns Lake
  • 1 construction aggregate quarry
    Romieu Drive Pit
Campbell River
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    ARGONAUT ROAD
Cariboo, Electoral Area A
  • 2 sand and gravel pits
    Broughton Pit; and Swaan Farm Pit
  • 1 placer mine
    1 unnamed
Cariboo, Electoral Area B
  • 5 placer mines
    Cottonwood River; Naver Creek; and 3 unnamed
Cariboo, Electoral Area C
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    Colebank Lake Pit
  • 1 construction aggregate quarry
    Olsen Road Pit (not started)
  • 39 placer mines
    Angus; Gold Creek; Summit Creek; Swift Back up JD (not started); Williams Creek; and 34 unnamed
Cariboo, Electoral Area D
  • 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area
    Gibraltar Mine
Cariboo, Electoral Area E
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    Onward Pit
Cariboo, Electoral Area F
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    Bouchard Pit
  • 13 placer mines
    13 unnamed
  • 4 mineral exploration permit areas
    Cowtrail - copper gold; Megaton; Miracle; and Tisdall Lake
  • 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area
    Silverboss
Cariboo, Electoral Area G
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    87 Mile Pit
  • 1 mineral exploration permit area
    Quesnel Project - North
Cariboo, Electoral Area H
  • 1 mineral mine
    Cariboo Basalt (not started)
  • 1 mineral exploration permit area
    Lightning Strike
  • 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area
    Hen - Golden Ledge
Cariboo, Electoral Area I
  • 1 placer mine
    1 unnamed
  • 5 mineral exploration permit areas
    3TS OOTSA COPPER (Tam/Taken); Emma Gold Project; Fishpot; Key; and Murray
  • 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area
    Blackwater Mine
Cariboo, Electoral Area J
  • 1 sand and gravel pit
    Halfway South Gravel Pit
  • 1 industrial mineral quarry
    Shalehunters
  • 2 mineral exploration permit areas
    Clisbako; and Copper Queen Property

Showing the first 24 of 167 places. Show all 167, or find yours above.

From the Province's Notice of Work Permitted Mine Areas for regional mines, read 2026-10-11. Each mine is placed by us in the place that holds the middle of its permit area, and a mine with several areas is counted once. 176 permits the Province records as closed, or whose mine it records as abandoned or closed, are counted but not named, and 37 permit areas on land without a place page here, reserves among them, aren't listed. Names are the Province's, less tenure numbers, addresses, legal descriptions and the operator's name; a mine without one is counted as unnamed. "Not started" is the Province's status for a mine permitted but not yet worked.

See also mineral claims, major projects and pipelines.

Buying rural land? Before you buy rural land in BC: the nine questions that decide an offer, on one printable page.