Map of British Columbia regional districts with population density.

This is a list of municipalities in British Columbia, Canada. Municipalities of British Columbia are local governments incorporated by the province. In total, there are 160 municipalities in the province, covering over 85% of its population. They range from a 44 hectares (109 acres) village with less than 200 people to a city of 578,000 people. A municipality is created to allow a community to govern itself and to provide and regulate local services. These services typically include, but are not limited to, the provision of drinking water, sewers, roads, fire protection, street lights, garbage/recycling collection, land use planning, building inspection, and parks.

Municipal status

Within their jurisdictions Municipalities are autonomous, responsible and accountable to their citizens and to the province. Their powers and responsibilities are regulated through the Local Government Act of British Columbia,^[1] the Community Charter, and, in the case of Vancouver, the Vancouver Charter. They have the power of a natural person, the power to expropriate, and the power to establish and enforce bylaws. They are able to raise funds through property taxes and user fees, and borrow through the Municipal Finance Authority to pay for services and capital costs.^[2]

Municipalities are governed by a mayor and council who are democratically elected on the third Saturday of November every three years. The last municipal election occurred on 19 November 2005. Each municipality is a member of a Regional District to which their councils elect representatives. The Board of Directors of the Regional District is used as a forum to discuss regional issues.^[2]

To become a municipality, a community, with the assistance of the provincial Ministry of Community Services define its borders and hold a referendum on the issue. If successful the Cabinet of BC issues a Letters Patent incorporating the community. Part 2 of the Local Government Act sets out a classification scheme that gives each new municipality a designation. If the population is less than 2,500 people the new municipality is designated a village, if between 2,500 and 5,000 a town, and if greater than 5,000 a city. If the new municipality has an area greater than 800 hectares (2,000 acres) and an average population density of less than 5 persons per hectare then is it designated a district municipality. There have been 3 other designations given: a Resort Municipality given to Whistler, an Island Municipality given to Bowen Island, and an Indian Government District given to Sechelt Indian Government District (NB not the same as the District of Sechelt). The municipality must request change in designation but is not compelled to do so, despite population growth or loss - Greenwood has retained its city status, for example, rather than relinquishing it as other boomtowns of its era have done. There is no longer any legal differences between the designations.^[2]

List of municipalities

Municipality	Status	Population[3] (2006)	Area (km²)[3]	Incorporation date[4]	Regional District	Location map
100 Mile House	District	1,885	51.34	01965-07-27 July 27, 1965	Cariboo	51°38′60″N, 121°16′48″W
Abbotsford	City	123,864	359.36	01995-01-01 January 1, 1995	Fraser Valley	49°03′17″N, 122°19′41″W
Alert Bay	Village	556	1.78	01946-01-14 January 14, 1946	Mount Waddington	50°34′48″N, 126°56′11″W
Anmore	Village	1,785	27.42	01987-12-07 December 7, 1987	Greater Vancouver	49°18′42″N, 122°51′29″W
Armstrong	City	4,241	5.24	01913-03-31 March 31, 1913	North Okanagan	50°26′30″N, 119°11′00″W
Ashcroft	Village	1,664	51.45	01952-06-27 June 27, 1952	Thompson-Nicola	50°43′44″N, 121°17′00″W
Barriere	District	1,209	6.17	02007-12-05 December 5, 2007	Thompson-Nicola	51°10′49″N, 120°07′34″W
Belcarra	Village	676	5.46	01979-08-22 August 22, 1979	Greater Vancouver	49°19′16″N, 122°53′26″W
Bowen Island	Island Municipality	3,362	49.94	01999-12-04 December 4, 1999	Greater Vancouver	49°23′00″N, 123°23′00″W
Burnaby	City	202,799	89.12	01892-09-22 September 22, 1892	Greater Vancouver	49°14′34″N, 122°57′58″W
Burns Lake	Village	2,107	7.17	01923-12-06 December 6, 1923	Bulkley-Nechako	54°13′49″N, 125°45′45″W
Cache Creek	Village	1,037	10.57	01967-11-28 November 28, 1967	Thompson-Nicola	50°48′50″N, 121°19′36″W
Campbell River	City	29,572	143.48	01947-06-24 June 24, 1947	Strathcona	50°01′28″N, 125°14′51″W
Canal Flats	Village	700	10.84	02004-06-29 June 29, 2004	East Kootenay	50°09′25″N, 115°49′00″W
Castlegar	City	7,259	19.80	01974-01-01 January 1, 1974	Central Kootenay	49°19′30″N, 117°39′53″W
Central Saanich	District	15,745	41.42	01950-12-12 December 12, 1950	Capital	48°35′39″N, 123°24′51″W
Chase	Village	2,409	3.75	01969-04-22 April 22, 1969	Thompson-Nicola	50°48′70″N, 119°40′70″W
Chetwynd	District	2,633	64.32	01962-09-25 September 25, 1962	Peace River	55°41′50″N, 121°38′00″W
Chilliwack	City	69,217	260.19	01980-01-01 January 1, 1980	Fraser Valley	49°09′28″N, 121°57′03″W
Clearwater	District	n/a	n/a	02007-12-04 December 4, 2007	Thompson-Nicola	51°39′00″N, 120°02′00″W
Clinton	Village	578	4.36	01963-07-16 July 16, 1963	Thompson-Nicola	51°05′29″N, 121°35′12″W
Coldstream	District	9,471	67.25	01906-12-21 December 21, 1906	North Okanagan	50°13′20″N, 119°15′00″W
Colwood	City	14,687	17.76	01985-06-24 June 24, 1985	Capital	48°25′25″N, 123°29′29″W
Comox	Town	12,136	15.16	01946-01-14 January 14, 1946	Comox Valley	49°40′24″N, 124°54′08″W
Coquitlam	City	114,565	121.69	01891-07-25 July 25, 1891	Greater Vancouver	49°17′00″N, 122°47′30″W
Courtenay	City	21,940	26.68	01915-01-01 January 1, 1915	Comox Valley	49°41′16″N, 124°59′40″W
Cranbrook	City	18,267	25.14	01905-11-01 November 1, 1905	East Kootenay	49°30′40″N, 115°46′02″W
Creston	Town	4,826	8.48	01924-05-14 May 14, 1924	Central Kootenay	49°04′85″N, 116°31′00″W
Cumberland	Town	2,762	29.13	01898-01-01 January 1, 1898	Comox Valley	49°37′16″N, 124°61′40″W
Dawson Creek	City	10,994	22.32	01936-05-26 May 26, 1936	Peace River	55°45′38″N, 120°14′08″W
Delta	District	96,723	183.70	01879-11-10 November 10, 1879	Greater Vancouver	49°05′00″N, 123°02′00″W
Duncan	City	4,986	2.05	01912-03-04 March 4, 1912	Cowichan Valley	48°46′43″N, 123°42′28″W
Elkford	District	2,463	101.59	01971-07-16 July 16, 1971	East Kootenay	50°01′17″N, 114°54′57″W
Enderby	City	2,828	4.23	01905-03-01 March 1, 1905	North Okanagan	50°33′03″N, 119°08′23″W
Esquimalt	District	16,840	7.04	01912-09-01 September 1, 1912	Capital	48°25′50″N, 123°24′29″W
Fernie	City	4,217	16.05	01904-07-28 July 28, 1904	East Kootenay	49°30′30″N, 115°05′20″W
Fort Nelson	Town	4,514	13.26	01987-10-31 October 31, 1987	Northern Rockies	58°48′21″N, 122°41′47″W
Fort St. James	District	1,355	22.10	01952-12-19 December 19, 1952	Bulkley-Nechako	54°26′46″N, 124°15′04″W
Fort St. John	City	17,402	22.74	01947-12-31 December 31, 1947	Peace River	56°15′09″N, 120°50′47″W
Fraser Lake	Village	1,113	3.90	01966-09-27 September 27, 1966	Bulkley-Nechako	54°03′17″N, 124°51′10″W
Fruitvale	Village	1,952	2.66	01952-11-04 November 4, 1952	Kootenay Boundary	49°06′58″N, 117°32′29″W
Gibsons	Town	4,182	4.33	01929-03-04 March 4, 1929	Sunshine Coast	49°24′10″N, 123°30′13″W
Gold River	Village	1,362	10.51	01965-08-26 August 26, 1965	Strathcona	49°46′37″N, 126°03′05″W
Golden	Town	3,811	11.02	01957-06-26 June 26, 1957	Columbia-Shuswap	51°17′42″N, 116°57′45″W
Grand Forks	City	4,036	10.44	01897-04-15 April 15, 1897	Kootenay Boundary	49°02′00″N, 118°26′24″W
Granisle	Village	364	40.21	01971-06-29 June 29, 1971	Bulkley-Nechako	54°53′03″N, 126°12′10″W
Greenwood	City	625	2.52	01897-07-12 July 12, 1897	Kootenay Boundary	49°05′28″N, 118°40′37″W
Harrison Hot Springs	Village	1,573	5.47	01949-05-27 May 27, 1949	Fraser Valley	49°18′10″N, 121°46′50″W
Hazelton	Village	293	2.85	01956-02-15 February 15, 1956	Kitimat-Stikine	55°15′45″N, 127°40′00″W
Highlands	District	1,903	37.87	01993-12-07 December 7, 1993	Capital	48°30′39″N, 123°30′25″W
Hope	District	6,185	41.42	01929-04-06 April 6, 1929	Fraser Valley	49°22′53″N, 121°26′20″W
Houston	District	3,163	72.83	01957-03-04 March 4, 1957	Bulkley-Nechako	54°23′56″N, 126°38′39″W
Hudson's Hope	District	1,012	869.43	01965-11-16 November 16, 1965	Peace River	56°01′40″N, 121°54′50″W
Invermere	District	3,002	10.18	01951-05-22 May 22, 1951	East Kootenay	50°30′30″N, 116°01′49″W
Kamloops	City	80,376	297.30	01967-10-17 October 17, 1967	Thompson-Nicola	50°40′34″N, 120°20′26″W
Kaslo	Village	1,072	2.80	01893-08-14 August 14, 1893	Central Kootenay	49°54′48″N, 116°54′41″W
Kelowna	City	106,707	211.69	01905-05-04 May 4, 1905	Central Okanagan	49°53′17″N, 119°29′43″W
Kent	District	4,738	166.51	01895-01-01 January 1, 1895	Fraser Valley	49°14′26″N, 121°46′30″W
Keremeos	Village	1,289	2.11	01956-10-30 October 30, 1956	Okanagan-Similkameen	49°12′19″N, 119°49′25″W
Kimberley	City	6,139	58.31	01944-03-29 March 29, 1944	East Kootenay	49°40′11″N, 115°58′39″W
Kitimat	City	8,987	242.63	01953-03-31 March 31, 1953	Kitimat-Stikine	54°02′30″N, 128°40′30″W
Ladysmith	Town	7,538	12.18	01904-06-03 June 3, 1904	Cowichan Valley	48°59′51″N, 123°49′13″W
Lake Country	District	9,606	122.16	01995-05-02 May 2, 1995	Central Okanagan	50°03′30″N, 119°24′51″W
Lake Cowichan	Town	2,948	8.25	01944-08-19 August 19, 1944	Cowichan Valley