Can I get natural gas to a lot or house in BC, and what does it cost?
Where FortisBC's main runs past the lot, the line to the meter is free within a cost allowance; where it doesn't, a main extension must pay its way, or the owners pay the shortfall.
Opens the report at this answer. A PID always finds the lot; an address needs an exact match.
What the answer means
Most of BC's natural gas customers are served by FortisBC Energy, whose terms and charges are set in a tariff the BC Utilities Commission approves. Getting gas to a lot comes down to whether a gas main already runs past it: then only a service line to the meter is needed; if not, the main has to be extended, and the extension has to pay for itself.
- The main runs past the lot
- Where FortisBC's main is beside the property, it lays the service line from the main to the meter on its own route at no extra cost to a house, as long as the line's estimated direct cost stays within the Service Line Cost Allowance and the meter is within 1.5 m of the front of the building; past the allowance the owner pays the extra (General Terms and Conditions s. 10.1). The allowance is $3,955, $7,910 for a duplex, and the application charge $15 (Standard Charges Schedule, from January 1, 2026).
- What a line costs
- FortisBC's request page puts a typical installation at $15 for the first 25 m from the middle of the road to the meter and $125 for each metre after, installed 3 to 6 weeks after the request and usually in less than a day, and 13 weeks or more where a main extension is needed (FortisBC's page, read 2026-10-21). A line routed the owner's way, or a meter farther from the building, costs extra (ss. 10.2, 10.3), and work in frost can wait or cost more (s. 10.5).
- The meter and the line
- The meter goes outside, where FortisBC designates (s. 11.1). FortisBC owns and maintains the service line up to and including the meter (ss. 10.8, 10.9); no permanent structure may be built over it (s. 10.12), and the owner clears its route (s. 10.14). If another lot lies between the property and the main, the owner pays for an easement over it in FortisBC's favour (s. 10.7).
- No main nearby: the extension test
- Extending the main to new customers is put through an economic test approved by the BC Utilities Commission: a discounted cash flow of the revenue from the customers expected to connect within 5 years (10 for a longer plan) against the full cost of mains, service lines and meters, overheads, upkeep and system improvements. At a profitability index of 0.8 or more FortisBC builds it (ss. 12.3 to 12.5).
- Paying the shortfall
- Below 0.8 the extension can still go ahead if the customers it serves, or others, pay contributions in aid of construction to close the gap; FortisBC may finance them, and may waive one under $100 (s. 12.6). Everyone who connects within the first 5 (or 10) years pays an equal share, with refunds to those who paid first, up to what they paid and without interest (ss. 12.7, 12.8). Where viability is uncertain, FortisBC may ask for a security deposit (s. 12.10).
- The System Extension Fund
- On the Mainland and Vancouver Island, a separately metered house or townhouse that is the owner's principal residence, lived in most of the year, can apply for up to 95% of its contribution, at most $10,000, where the test scores over 0.2 and under 0.8; places are limited and FortisBC decides, and anyone funded gets no refund (s. 12.11).
- The house side
- From the meter on, the piping and appliances are the owner's: a licensed gas contractor connects the meter to the house and the appliances (FortisBC's page), and gas work needs a permit (see electrical and gas permits). In a new house, the Zero Carbon Step Code level a local government sets can rule out gas appliances (see energy step codes).
- Where there's no gas
- Much of rural BC has no gas main within reach, and some northern towns are served by Pacific Northern Gas, whose terms we haven't read (our reading). Propane in a tank on the lot is the usual alternative (see propane tanks). The BC Utilities Commission is reviewing FortisBC's main extension and connection policies on its 2026 application, so these terms may change.
- What it means for a buyer
- Whether gas is at the road, and what an extension would cost, are questions for FortisBC before you buy, not after (our reading); an old house heated by oil or propane may sit on a street with gas, or miles from it. A report names the nearest services and the power lines along the lot; it doesn't map gas mains, which aren't open data.
Our summary of FortisBC Energy Inc.'s General Terms and Conditions (ss. 10, 11.1, 12; the Standard Charges Schedule effective January 1, 2026), approved by the BC Utilities Commission, and of FortisBC's pages on requesting a gas line and on its 2026 main extensions and connection policies review, read 2026-10-21. FortisBC's estimate for the address is what counts.
Sources, read 2026-10-21 and summarised in our words unless marked otherwise: General Terms and Conditions, FortisBC Energy Inc. (ss. 10, 11, 12; Standard Charges Schedule); Getting gas: it's easier than you think, FortisBC; 2026 Main Extensions and Connection Policies Review, FortisBC (read 2026-10-21).
Before you buy: who to ask
- The seller or their agent
- Is the house on gas, or has anyone asked FortisBC for an estimate? How is it heated now, and is there a propane or oil tank?
- FortisBC
- Is there a main beside this lot? If not, what would the extension cost, how much contribution would it take, and would the System Extension Fund apply?
- A licensed gas contractor
- What would piping the house and converting the furnace and water heater cost, and which permits does it need?
Look up the lot above: its report gives the nearest services and the roads and power lines along the lot.
See also getting power to a lot, propane tanks, old oil tanks, gas permits, the energy step codes and living off the grid.