The BC Water Sustainability Act took effect, and with it, anyone who diverts and uses groundwater for anything other than a domestic purpose, as the Act defines it, must hold a water licence or use approval and pay water fees and rentals, unless an exemption applies. The definition of domestic leaves out household supply in multi-family apartment buildings, including hotels and strata-titled or cooperative buildings. Existing non-domestic users were given until March 1, 2019, to apply.
The Groundwater Protection Regulation (B.C. Reg. 39/2016) took effect the same day, replacing the 2004 regulation. It sets minimum standards for building, maintaining, deactivating, and decommissioning wells, and recognizes qualified people certified to drill wells and install well pumps.
Who it affects: Every non-domestic groundwater user; well owners, domestic wells included; and everyone who drills, alters, or decommissions wells or installs well pumps.
What hasn’t changed: Domestic groundwater use needs no licence, as before. Domestic wells remain covered by the well rules.
Source: Water Sustainability Act (the Province’s overview); Water Sustainability Act, sections 2 and 6; Groundwater Protection Regulation, B.C. Reg. 39/2016; Water Sustainability Regulation, section 55, and its amendment history · checked October 2, 2026
Updates: February 19, 2019: B.C. Reg. 27/2019 moved the deadline for existing users to apply from March 1, 2019, to March 1, 2022.
March 1, 2022: The transition period for existing groundwater users ended. See Deadline Passes for Existing Groundwater Users.
