This page is a helpful resource to assist customers with understanding how an Owner Type is assigned to each parcel in ParcelMap BC.
For a parcel with an active title registered in the land title register (i.e. parcel has a PID), the Owner Type assigned in ParcelMap BC is derived directly from the Title Owner Type assigned to each Title Owner on the title in the land title register.
In ParcelMap BC, titled parcel representations may be one of the following Parcel Classes: Subdivision, Bare Land Strata, Air Space, Parks (only if titled) and Road (only if titled).
For Building Strata parcels, the parent parcel will show an Owner Type of Unknown. The Owner Type of individual strata lots represented by this Shared Geometry is associated with the respective strata parcel (PID) records.
For a parcel that does not have an active title registered in the land title register (i.e. parcel does not have a PID), the Owner Type assigned in ParcelMap BC will generally be Untitled Provincial, but may have a different value based on rule-driven use cases.
The following table provides a quick reference for each Owner Type found in ParcelMap BC and the associated use case(s):
| OWNER TYPE in ParcelMap BC (by menu order) |
PARCEL WITH ACTIVE TITLE (record has a PID) |
PARCEL WITHOUT ACTIVE TITLE (record does not have a PID) |
| Private | The parcel has a title registered to an Individual or a Private Corporation / Institution (e.g. financial institutions, churches, universities, hospitals, strata corporations, etc.) | N/A |
| Federal | The parcel has a title registered to the Federal government or a Federal Crown agency (e.g. Her Majesty in Right of Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Transportation Canada, etc.). | The parcel represents a Land Act parcel (Primary, Crown Subdivision) within an Indian Reserve. |
| Crown Provincial | The parcel has a title registered to the Crown (e.g. Her Majesty in Right of the Province of British Columbia) OR The parcel has a title registered in the name of a Private individual, corporation, or institution, but either a Legal Notation endorsement of 'Forfeited to Crown' or 'Reverted to Crown' OR a charge of Tax Sale Notice with a ‘Forfeited to Crown’ endorsement has been registered on title. (NOTE: this does not include forfeiture or reversion of subsurface rights) Regarding Tax Sale Notices: A Charge of Tax Sale Notice is not an implicit indication that title has been forfeited or reverted to the Crown. Such titles will continue to be identified as the Owner Type of the registered Title Holder. |
The parcel represents Road, Lanes or Walkways dedicated on a Land Title Act plan, that fall outside the municipal boundary and are not included in a Treaty First Nations Settlement area. OR The parcel represents Roads shown on a Land Act plan. OR The parcel represents an Arterial Highway or a Forest Service Road. |
| Crown Agency | The parcel has a title registered to a Crown Agency or a Crown Corporation (e.g. BC Assessment, BC Ferries, BC Hydro, etc.) | N/A |
| Local Government | The parcel has a title registered to a local government or a school district or trustee. | The parcel represents Roads, Lanes or Walkways dedicated on a Land Title Act plan, that fall inside the boundaries of an incorporated municipality. OR The parcel represents a Park dedicated on a Land Title Act plan. |
| First Nations | The parcel has a title registered to a First Nations group. | The parcel represents a Land Act parcel (Primary, Crown Subdivision) within a Treaty First Nations settlement area. OR The parcel represents Roads, Lanes or Walkways that are included in a Treaty First Nations Settlement Area. |
| Mixed Ownership | The parcel has a title registered to a mix of different types of owners (e.g. Private and Crown Provincial, or Private and Unknown). This ownership would exist with joint title holders or fractional interests in the title. | N/A |
| Untitled Provincial | The parcel does not have an active title in the land title register. | The parcel represents a Land Act parcel (a Primary survey parcel or Crown Subdivision) that has no active title registered, as distinct from titled parcels owned by the Province. OR The parcel represents an area of land Returned to Crown within a Land Title Act plan (typically through erosion along a natural boundary). These areas return to untitled Crown land. OR The parcel represents an Interest parcel (SRW) over untitled or unsurveyed Crown land. |
| Unclassified | The parcel has a title registered in the land title register, but Owner Type on title could not be determined. | The parcel represents a Building Strata parent parcel (where ownership of individual strata lots represented by this Shared Geometry are associated with the respective strata parcel (PID) record). OR The parcel represents a Common Ownership parcel (includes Common Property shown in a Strata Plan or Common Lots shown in a Subdivision Plan). OR The parcel represents an Interest parcel (including an SRW, easement, covenant, or lease) over titled land. (NOTE: the ownership is that of the underlying titled parcels, which cannot be determined) OR The parcel represents an SRW over untitled Crown land that is not recorded in the Crown land registry or land title register (i.e. they have not been assigned a PIN or a PID). OR The parcel represents an Absolute Fee Book parcel whose registered owner can only be determined by consulting the paper book of record. |