BC Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Which laws are on BC Laws?
How current is the data on BC Laws?
What is a consolidation?
How do I find the law I need?
How do I search within a document?
What is the “official” version of B.C. Statutes and Regulations?
What do the dates at the top of an Act refer to?
What do the dates at the top of a regulation refer to?
What does repeal mean? What does spent mean?
How can I find out if an Act has been repealed?
How can I find out if a regulation has been repealed?
How can I find out which provisions in an Act have been amended?
How can I find out which Acts have been enacted or affected during a legislative session?
Where can I find the wording of an Act prior to an amendment?
Where can I find the wording of a Regulation prior to an amendment?
What legislative material is NOT available on BC Laws and where can I find this information?
How is BC Laws different from QP Legaleze?
Are government forms available on BC Laws?
Are statutes and regulations protected by copyright?
Can I print legislation from the website?
How do I print a document?
Can I purchase print copies of legislation?
Why is there a cost for print copies of legislation?
What other legislative material is available in print format?
How do I obtain other government of British Columbia publications?
Where can I find federal legislation and legislation from other provinces?
Which browser is the site best viewed with?
How can I create a bookmark link to an Act or regulation, and ensure the link will remain active?
I am unable to view the site, what should I do?
What is the Queen’s Printer?
What is Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer?

On BC Laws you will find every public Act, and every regulation of general public interest, currently in force in the province of British Columbia, including new and recently amended laws that have yet to be published in official print formats. This current consolidation is an unofficial version of B.C. Statutes and Regulations and is provided for private study and research purposes only. You may make one copy for personal use.
See Questions 18 and 19 for copyright information.
See also Questions 3, 4 and 6.

BC Laws is updated continually as new laws and provisions come into force. New Acts and regulations, and amendments to existing Acts and regulations, are usually posted within 7 to 14 business days of enactment.

A consolidated Act or regulation is one in which the substance of any amendments has been blended into the original.
A “consolidation” refers to a collection of consolidated Acts or regulations that have been enacted or amended during a given time period, and are then published. The published consolidations are identified by a cut-off date and a consolidation number, also referred to as an amendment number (statutes) or instalment number (regulations).

Browse: On the "Home" page of BC Laws you can access the statutes and regulations by clicking on the "Laws" tab or the “Statutes and Regulations” link. To browse, use the alphabet list at the top of the page to link to pages containing Acts beginning with a given letter. Scroll down the page until you find the law you want and click on the title of the Act or regulation to open it. The laws are alphabetized by Act name. Regulations are found under the Act that authorizes them.
Search: Click on the "Laws" tab or the “Statutes and Regulations” link on the home page. You’ll see a search box at the top of the Laws page. Type your search terms into the Search box at the top of the page, then click on the Search button or hit “Enter” on your keyboard.
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Open a document, and then use the Edit\Find function on your internet browser’s menu bar.
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The official version refers to the official print versions of the statutes and regulations published by the Queen’s Printer under the authority of the Queen’s Printer Act and the Regulations Act. Official versions are published in these formats:
Annual Bound Statutes: a hardcover publication containing all new public and private Acts and Amendment Acts that have come into force during the calendar year.
Statute consolidations: a looseleaf publication printed on watermarked paper, containing all new public Acts and amendments enacted during a legislative session.
Regulation consolidations: a looseleaf publication printed on watermarked paper approximately every four months, containing new regulations and amendments enacted during the four-month period.
Individual consolidated statutes and regulations: printed on watermarked paper, with any amendments blended into the original.
All official versions may be relied upon for legal and other purposes. They are available from Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer at www.crownpub.bc.ca
See also Question 3 and 22.
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The “Assented to” date at the top of some public Acts (usually those enacted after the latest Revision) refers to the date of Royal Assent. Unless an Act contains a stated effective date, or a provision requiring that it be brought into force by regulation, it comes into force on the day Royal Assent is given.
The year of enactment appears below the Act title; for instance, SB.C. 2003 (Statutes of British Columbia) or R.S.B.C. 1996 (Revised Statutes of British Columbia).
For more information please refer to Legislation Made Easy, 3rd Edition.
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The deposit date at the top of most regulations indicates the date the regulation was filed with the Registrar of Regulations. Unless there is a stated “effective date” below the deposit date, the regulation comes into force on the date of deposit.
In regulations that have been amended since the previous consolidation was published, there is a note under the regulation title in this format: [includes amendments up to B.C. Reg. 304/2008, October 31, 2008]; which provides the number of the most recent amending regulation and the effective date for the amendments.
For more information please refer to Legislation Made Easy, 3rd Edition.
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When laws are repealed they are no longer in force and cease to be the law. Statutes and Regulations can be repealed; repealed and replaced by another statute or regulation with a different title; or renamed. They can also have built-in expiry provisions, or be enacted for a specific period, after which they are considered to be spent without the need for repeal. If the Act under which a regulation is authorized is no longer in force then the regulation expires, unless a replacement Act with similar authority takes its place.
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Check the Provisions in Force, which lists Acts that have been affected (enacted, amended, or repealed) during a calendar year, from 1992 to the present. Look for the word “REPEAL” at the end of the Act title. The information beneath the title identifies the amending Act/Bill numbers and amendment details.
For further information, visit QP LegalEze where the full text of repealed Acts (repealed from September 6, 2000 onwards) can be found in the Point in Time folders of individual Acts. You can also check the Table of Repealed, Replaced and Renamed Public Statutes on QP LegalEze, which lists all outdated legislation from the Revised Statutes of 1897 to the present.
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The Regulations Bulletin provides a summary of new regulations deposited each week with the Registrar of Regulations. The Bulletin includes the regulation title or a description of the type of action a new regulation prescribes on an Act or existing regulation; i.e. enact, amend, supersede/replace, repeal. However, if a regulation is self-repealing or expires, or if its statutory authority is repealed, the regulation won’t be listed in the Regulations Bulletins.
For a complete collection of repealed, expired or spent regulations (from August 1, 2003 onwards), visit QP LegalEze. See “Defunct Regulations” in the List of Updated Statutes and Regulations folder.
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Look in the Provisions in Force for the year in which the amendment occurs. Look up the Act title in the PIF alphabetical listings. When you find the listing for the Act, take note of the Bill number on the second line, the type of amendment, and relevant sections. Go back to the PIF page, and click on the Link to the Third Reading Bills for the appropriate year. On the Third Reading Bills page, use the “Select by Bill Number” option, then find the Bill Number and open the Bill. In the Bill, look up the relevant section numbers to locate the details of the amendments made to the Act.
On QP LegalEze, new Acts and amended Acts (that have come into force since the previous consolidation) are found in the List of Updated Statutes and Regulations with links to the legislation. The new and amended wording is shown in green underlined text in the statutes.
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The Provisions in Force (PIF) lists all statutes enacted, amended, or repealed during each session (by year) of the Legislative Assembly from 1992 to the present. The PIF lists the amending legislation citation, what type of action is taking place (enactment, amendment, repeal), the relevant sections of the amending Bill that detail the changes, and how and when the changes come into effect.
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QP LegalEze provides Point in Time tables for amended Acts, which keep track of the original wording of an Act prior to amendment or repeal (for changes occurring from September 6, 2000 to the present). On QP LegalEze you can also look up many of the Acts as originally enacted, in the Archived Statutes.
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QP LegalEze provides Point in Time tables for amended Regulations, which keep track of the original wording of a Regulation prior to amendment or repeal (for changes occurring from September 19, 2009 to the present). On QP LegalEze you can also look up many of the Regulations as originally enacted, in the Archived Regulations.
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Legislative Content (unofficial)	BC Laws	QP LegalEze
Current Consolidation of Statutes	√	√
Current Consolidation of Regulations	√	√
Bills (First Reading): current and archived, 2003 to present		√
Bills (Amended): current and archived, 2003 to present		√
Bills (Third Reading): current and archived, 1996 to present		√
Private, Special & Local Statutes, 1950 to present		√
List of Updated Statutes and Regulations: includes Acts and regulations updated since the last official consolidation, with links to the legislation		√
Tables of Legislative Changes (TLC): covers statute amendments after the 1996 Revision, January 1, 1997 to present		√
Historical Tables: covers statute amendments between 1979 and the 1996 Revision, December 31, 1996		√
Point in Time tables (PIT): shows the wording of an Act prior to amendment or repeal. Covers changes made from September 6, 2000 to present.		√
Regulation Point in Time: shows the wording of a regulation prior to amendment or repeal. Covers changes made from September 19, 2009 to present.		√
Provisions in Force, 1997 to 2008 (alpha order)		√
Regulation Bulletins: weekly and cumulative, 1999 to 2008		√
Amendments Not in Force: full text of amendments to regulations that have been deposited but are not yet in force.		√
Revised Statutes of British Columbia 1996 (R.S.B.C. 1996)		√
Archived Statute Consolidations, from Nov 8, 1991		√
Archived Regulation Consolidations, from Instalment 60, April 4, 2003		√
Supplements: statute amendments which were enacted but not in force on December 31, 1996, the cut-off date for the 1996 Statute Revision		√
Table of Repealed Statutes: repealed, replaced or renamed, since 1897		√
Repealed Statutes (full text): see the Point in Time for the Act		√
Repealed, spent, or replaced regulations (Defunct), August 1, 2003 to present		√
Orders in Council and Ministerial Orders: full text OICs and Ministerial Orders, November 2001 to present		√
Resumes of Orders in Council and Ministerial Orders, 1999 to present		√
Minister of Finance Directives, 1983 to present		√
B.C. Gazette: Part I from 2003 to present. Part II from 2001 to present.		√
Corporate Registry Notices, 2003 to present		√
Rules of Court and Related Enactments		√
Historical Supreme Court Rules as originally enacted		√
Hansard: the Official Reports of Debates of the Legislative Assembly, 1992 to present		√
Act/Ministry Responsibilities		√

BC Laws is an online service providing free public access to the unofficial version of the current laws (Acts and regulations) of British Columbia. The site is continually updated as new legislation and amendments come into force. The site offers simple search features.
QP LegalEze is a legal research site with a powerful search engine, enhanced research features, and comprehensive legislative content. It includes the unofficial version of the current laws of British Columbia, with statute amendments highlighted for your convenience; archived consolidations; current and archived Bills; Tables of Legislative Changes; Point in Time tables; full-text Orders in Council; the Gazette; Hansard and more. The site is continually updated as new laws and amendments come into force. It is available by subscription, with free public access available in Public Libraries, Service BC Centres, B.C. Courthouse Libraries and participating universities and colleges.
BC Laws and QP LegalEze are published by the Queen’s Printer in partnership with the Ministry of Attorney General and the Legislative Assembly. They are provided for convenience and research purposes only.
See also Question 16.
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BC Laws contains only those forms that comprise part of a regulation. If a regulation contains forms, they will usually be found at the end of the regulation. You must print out the forms to use them. They cannot be filled in or submitted online.
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Copyright of this electronic version of the Statutes and Regulations belongs exclusively to the Queen’s Printer for British Columbia on behalf of the Province of British Columbia.
See also Question 20.
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Yes, you can make a single copy of specific Acts or regulations, in whole or in part, for personal use* or for legal use** only. It is illegal to copy any of these documents for distribution. All statutes and regulations are under copyright by the Province of British Columbia.
* Personal use refers to private study or private research. It does not include permission to make copies.
** Legal use refers to reproduction within letters of advice provided by a lawyer, accountant or other professional as well as reproduction of legislation for use in judicial, administrative or parliamentary proceedings.
Legislation may NOT be reproduced by, or for, members of the public for purposes other than Personal Use and Legal Use (as defined above) without the prior written consent of the Intellectual Property Program.

Open the document, and then use the print function on your web browser to print the document.
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All print versions of statutes and regulations are available from Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer at www.crownpub.bc.ca
OFFICIAL PRINT VERSIONS
Annual Bound Statutes: Buckram Bound hardcover. After the end of each calendar year, the Queen’s Printer publishes an official hardcover version of all new Acts and Amendment Acts, both public and private, that were enacted during the year. In the case of private Acts, the hardcover edition is likely the final publication, since most private Acts are rarely consolidated or revised.
The hardcover version includes: all public and private Acts and Amendment Acts that have come into force during a calendar year; cumulative Tables of Legislative Changes; and cross-referencing for Bill numbers and Chapter numbers.
Statute Consolidations: Printed on looseleaf watermarked paper. After the end of each legislative session (usually twice per year), all new public Acts and amendments to existing Acts are published by the Queen’s Printer in looseleaf format on watermarked paper. The consolidation is assigned an “amendment” number and cut-off date for publication. Often referred to as “the looseleaf”, the consolidated statutes are formatted for insertion into the binder volumes of the most recent Statute Revision, so that the statutes may be kept up-to-date.
The Statute Consolidations include: all new public Acts and amendments to existing Acts that are in force at the cut-off date, with amendments blended into the original text (consolidated); and Tables of Legislative Changes.
Individual consolidated Acts: Printed on watermarked paper. Includes: the entire Act with any amendments blended in; Supplement (if applicable); and a Table of Legislative Changes which includes details of any amendments that come into force after publication of the consolidated Act.
Regulation Consolidations: Printed on looseleaf watermarked paper. Every four months, approximately, new regulations of general public interest and amendments to existing regulations are published by the Queen’s Printer in looseleaf format on watermarked paper. Any amendments are blended into the original text (consolidated). The publication is formatted for insertion into the binder volumes of the Consolidated Regulations of British Columbia.
The Regulation Consolidations include: all new regulations of general public interest and amendments to existing regulations that are in force at the consolidation cut-off date; historical notes to keep track of changes; and a statute-regulation title concordance for determining which Act has authority for the regulation.
Individual consolidated regulations: Printed on watermarked paper. Includes: the entire regulation with any amendments blended in; historical notes; plus details of any amendments that come into force after publication of the consolidated regulation.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS Under the Regulations Act, regulations must be published in Part II of The British Columbia Gazette, which is published in print format every two weeks, and is available from Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer. The Gazette is also published online at QP LegalEze.
All print publications can be purchased from Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer at www.crownpub.bc.ca; or from the storefront location at 514 Superior Street, Victoria B.C. Telephone: 1 800 663-6105 or 250 387-6409.
See also Question 6.
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The sale of print copies is run as a not-for-profit, cost-recovery operation which allows the service to pay for itself.
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Bills, The B.C. Gazette Part I and II, Hansard and various code books are all available from Crown Publications, Queens’s Printer at www.crownpub.bc.ca; or the storefront location at 563 Superior Street, Victoria B.C. Telephone: 800 663-6105 or 250 387-6409.
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Many government publications are available from the Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer online bookstore at www.crownpub.bc.ca or at the storefront location at 563 Superior Street, Victoria B.C. Telephone: 800 663-6105 or 250 387-6409.
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Crown Publications, Queens Printer carries some federal publications. For other federal publications and for legislation from other provinces, go to the Legal Links tab on the BC Laws home page.
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Our site is best viewed with Internet Explorer 5.5 or newer and Netscape Communicator/Firefox 4.77 or newer.
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Create a permalink by bookmarking the site.
Start by opening the page you wish to bookmark. If you’re using Internet Explorer, go to “Favourites” on the menu bar, select “Add to Favourites” then “Add”.
If you’re using Firefox, go to “Bookmarks” on the menu bar, select “Bookmark this page”, then “Done”. Your bookmark will now appear in the Favourites (or Bookmarks) drop down menu.

You can try the following to ensure the cookies are enabled on your browser:
Internet Explorer older versions

From the menu bar select “Tools”, and choose “Internet Options” from the drop down menu.
In the Internet Options box, click on the “Security” tab.
In the Security box, click on the “Custom Level” button.
In the Security Settings box, scroll down to the “Cookies” and click on “Enable”.
Restart Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer 6 or 7

From the menu bar select “Tools”, and choose “Internet Options” from the drop down menu.
In the Internet Options box, click on the “Privacy” tab.
In the Privacy box, click on the “Advanced” button.
In the Advanced Privacy Settings box, put a check mark in the “Override automatic cookie handling” box, and put another check mark in the “Always accept session cookies” box. Click on the “OK” button.
Restart Internet Explorer.

Netscape/Firefox older versions

From the menu bar select “Edit” or “Tools”, and choose “Preferences” or “Options” from the drop down menu.
In the Preferences or Options box, click on “Advanced”.
In the Cookies section click on “Accept all Cookies” and click on the “OK” button.
Restart Netscape/Firefox.

Netscape/Firefox version 2+

From the menu bar select “Tools”, and choose “Options” from the drop down menu.
In the Options box, click on the “Privacy” option.
In the Cookies section, put a checkmark in the “Accept cookies from sites” box, and in the “Accept third-party cookies” box. Ensure that “they expire” is selected in the “Keep until” drop down box of the Cookies section. Click on the “OK” button.
Restart Netscape/Firefox.

If you still cannot view the site, please contact us at:
Telephone: 866 235-5544 or 604 927-2914 in Vancouver.
Email:BC.Laws@gov.bc.ca
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The Queen’s Printer was established in 1859 to serve as printer of government publications for the territory that has since become the province of British Columbia. Today, the Queen’s Printer continues to publish the official versions of B.C. Statutes and Regulations, and related publications such as the B.C. Gazette. The Queen’s Printer also provides publishing, distribution and printing services to government ministries, the public sector and publicly-funded authors and agencies. Popular electronic publications published by the Queen’s Printer include the BC Laws website, QP LegalEze, and the British Columbia Building Code.
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Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer is the provincial government bookstore for British Columbia. Crown Publications (formerly Crown Publications, Inc.) provides public access to many print and electronic publications from the B.C. Government, public sector organizations and publicly-funded authors and agencies. In addition, Crown Publications carries a variety of general interest and specialty books from B.C., including history books, guide books, maps, and nautical charts. Crown Publications is also the official distributor of the British Columbia Statutes and Regulations, The B.C. Gazette and other legislative materials, including some federal publications.
Publications are available through the online bookstore, at www.crownpub.bc.ca, or from the Crown Publications storefront location at 563 Superior Street, Victoria B.C. Telephone: 800 663-6105 or 250 387-6409.
Sources: QP LegalEze at qplegaleze.ca; Legislation Made Easy, 2nd Edition, 2004; Legislative Assembly website at www.leg.bc.ca; and e-Laws Ontario at e-laws.gov.on.ca.
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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which laws are on BC Laws?

2. How current is the data on BC Laws.ca?

3. What is a consolidation?

4. How do I find the law I need?

5. How do I search within a document?

6. What is the “official” version of B.C. Statutes and Regulations?

7. What do the dates at the top of an Act refer to?

8. What do the dates at the top of a regulation refer to?

9. What does repeal mean? What does spent mean?

10. How can I find out if an Act has been repealed?

11. How can I find out if a regulation has been repealed?

12. How can I find out which provisions in an Act have been amended?

13. How can I find out which Acts have been enacted or affected during a legislative session?

14. Where can I find the wording of an Act prior to an amendment?

15. Where can I find the wording of a Regulation prior to an amendment?

16. What legislative material is NOT available on BC Laws and where can I find this information?

17. How is BC Laws different from QP LegalEze?

18. Are government forms available on BC Laws?

19. Are statutes and regulations protected by copyright?

20. Can I print legislation from the website?

21. How do I print a document?

22. Can I purchase print copies of legislation?

23. Why is there a cost for print copies of legislation?

24. What other legislative material is available in print format?

25. How do I obtain other government of British Columbia publications?

26. Where can I find federal legislation and legislation from other provinces?

27. Which browser is the site best viewed with?

28. How can I create a bookmark link to an Act or regulation, and ensure the link will remain active?

29. I am unable to view the site, what should I do?

30. What is the Queen’s Printer?

31. What is Crown Publications, Queen’s Printer?