Rights of Way guidelines

While land owners have the right to use their property within right of way boundaries, they must do so in a way that doesn't put them or the public at risk, interfere with our operations, or contradict the ROW Agreement in place.

Contact us early in the planning process to make sure what you propose to do is safe, and to prevent costly delays or design changes to your proposal. The guidelines contained in this section are meant to help landowners and developers create proposals that meet all safety and operational requirements.

They should be read together with the Statutory Right of Way Agreement registered against the specific property. The Agreement is registered on the Title of the property and remains on the Title when the ownership of the property changes.

When developing next to power lines (whether there is a ROW registered or not) certain Canadian and International electrical standards and regulations must still be met. All proposed uses within a ROW must be submitted to our Property Rights Services group for review and approval.

If you have questions or require consultation on a proposal, email our properties help desk.

In seeking to maximize use of their land along ROW, property owners rely on our safety guidelines and a set of recommendations for appropriate land use.

Local governments have the potential to develop and improve ROWs, so we provide supplementary planning guidance on the development of ROWs. These guidelines provide a basis for analyzing and approving land development located in close proximity to our works, and help communities plan for growth.

Good design is vital to proper development. Our guidelines provide awareness and clarity about the design constraints posed by ROWs.

Third parties – which can include private and Crown land lessees, independent power producers, loggers, recreational users, and other ministries – rely on these guidelines for guidance and approval of proposed uses for ROWs.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for right of way use please review the below information requirements. Incomplete applications will take longer to process. Please email our properties help desk if you have any questions.

First, ask yourself these questions:

• Cover letter which includes: clearly defined scope of the proposed use (i.e. Trail maintenance, vehicle access, over-height construction equipment) and duration of the proposed work and the location of the work (address or coordinates)
• Surveyed plan and profile drawings which show the proposal in relation to BC Hydro's facilities (structures, poles, power lines, generation facilities). Plan view should show the closest distance BC Hydro's facilities.
• The type and dimensions of the proposed structures, vehicles and equipment
• Information on construction methods and work procedures – list of construction equipment required
• Any known environmental hazard, slope/terrain stability issues, avalanche events. Please provide any assessment reports that have been completed
• Google Earth file (kmz, kml) of the proposal
   

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for right of way use please review the below information requirements. Incomplete applications will take longer to process. Please email our properties help desk if you have any questions.

• All general requirements
• Surveyed Plan and Profile Drawing of the proposed development with respect to BC Hydro's infrastructure, which includes:
  • Elevations of the proposed structures (ie roof)
  • Dimensions of the building(s)
  • Access roads and parking lots
  • All electrical details
  • Street lamps/lights, pedestrian crossing signs, etc.
  • Fibre optics
  • Gas, water or sewer pipeline details
  • Large trash bin locations and heights
  • Septic fields
  • Trees/plants
  • Fences
• Will there be any blasting?
• Geotechnical, environmental, civil – investification, assessment and design reports may be required for BC Hydro review