Agriculture - Intensive
Application Documents
The following documents should be reviewed prior to submitting your application:
What is Intensive Agriculture?
Intensive Agriculture, sometimes called small agriculture, provides access to Crown land in British Columbia for commercial farm production.
Specifically, intensive agriculture is defined as the use of Crown land for the commercial production of animals, fruits and/or vegetables including poultry farms, dairy farms, market gardens, greenhouses, nurseries, piggeries and feed lots.
Under the Intensive Agriculture Program, agricultural Crown land is made available to encourage and support the sustainable development of commercial farms in British Columbia. An additional benefit is retaining agricultural Crown land for agricultural use.
This program provides up to 15 hectares of Crown land for commercial farm production. Permission to use agricultural Crown land is obtained by application to the Province of British Columbia (the Province).
Who May Apply for Crown Land?
An applicant must be one of the following:
- a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, 19 years of age or older,
- a corporation registered in British Columbia or incorporated under the laws of Canada, or
- a registered partnership.
How is Crown Land Obtained for Intensive Agriculture?
Crown land for intensive agriculture is available through public competition or through direct sales in areas designated as intensive agricultural lands.
Leases may also be available in special circumstances, usually involving shoreland parcels or parcels that cannot be registered in the Land Titles Office. For more information, download and print the application documents.
Crown land may be accessed under the following terms:
- a fee simple disposition of Crown land for intensive agricultural use is a permanent disposition; or
- a lease is available for a standard 30-year term, with a provision for replacement mid-way through the term.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to:
Applicants must pay the following (where applicable):
- application fee as identified in the Land Tenure Purpose and Application Fees schedule (effective June 1, 2003);
- for a sale of Crown land, full market value of the land plus the current value of the merchantable timber on the land at the time of the sale;
- for a lease, rents are charged at a rate of 5% of the land value per annum plus applicable G.S.T.;
- for a lease, minimum annual rent is $500.
For more information, check the Intensive Intensive Agriculture Policy  (1.64MB).
Special Requirements
- Applications for Crown land for intensive agriculture will require an operations plan that indicates the nature of use, proposed location and size of improvements, areas to be cultivated, and timing of development.
- Prior to the sale of Crown land for intensive agriculture, the applicant may be required to obtain approvals from Ministry of Health Services, and/or from Pollution Prevention and Remediation within the Ministry of Environment.
The most common reason for delay is submission of an incomplete application, which is then returned to the applicant. To ensure an application is processed as quickly as possible be sure to complete all the required documents identified in the Requirements List/Management Plan (22kb) and submit the required Application Fee.
If your application is accepted, you will be notified if Advertising (147kb) is required. Please wait for confirmation before advertising.
If you have questions regarding any aspect of the application process or any of the land tenure programs, contact
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