Legislation

The key piece of legislation affecting archaeology in British Columbia is the Heritage Conservation Act. The Act provides for the protection of British Columbia’s archaeological resources, covering sites dated before 1846, located on both public and private land.

The Act prohibits the destruction, excavation or alteration of archaeological sites without a permit. It also allows for the minister to order a ‘heritage inspection’ to assess the archaeological significance of a piece of land.

The full text of the Act may be found here: Heritage Conservation Act

Please note that legislation found online is provided for information and research purposes, but is not guaranteed to be fully up-to-date.