Docks, boat lifts and buoys: the rules in Vernon

Updated September 2026

Short answer: In BC, the lakebed and foreshore in front of a waterfront home belong to the Province. A private dock is covered by the Province's General Permission if it meets a set of size and location rules, and it passes to a new owner automatically if it complies. Building or repairing one still needs a provincial water-work notification. On Okanagan and Kalamalka lakes, stricter Okanagan design criteria apply as well, and some shoreline is mapped as sensitive kokanee spawning habitat where new docks aren't allowed.

Who controls what

General Permission: the standard dock

Under the Land Act, a dock that meets the Province's General Permission (current version May 9, 2024) doesn't need a separate Crown land application. Building, changing or repairing it still needs a Water Sustainability Act notification or approval through FrontCounter BC (see below). For lakes, the General Permission requires:

• One dock fronting the property, for private residential use only (no renting it out)
• A reach of no more than 42 m from where the walkway begins
• A platform no wider than 3 m and a walkway no wider than 1.5 m
• At least 5 m from the side property lines (6 m next to a public beach access or park) and 10 m from any other dock
• Floating or suspended, with no crib foundations, fill or dredging
• No roofs, boathouses, sheds, sun decks or hot tubs on the foreshore
• Owner's liability insurance of at least $2 million covering the dock

Anything outside these conditions, including a stand-alone boat lift or a boat ramp, needs a Specific Permission (an application to the Province) or, in some cases, a lease.

The extra Okanagan rules

On Okanagan, Kalamalka and Wood lakes, the Province's Dock Design Criteria for Okanagan Large Lakes also apply:

• The walkway must reach at least 0.8 m of water depth at low water.
• The platform beyond the walkway can be no larger than 24 m², including fingers.
• Boat lifts need at least 0.8 m of depth at low water (1.5 m in kokanee red zones).
• Floats must not ground, and foam-filled tires aren't accepted.
• Any concrete abutment must be entirely on private land above the natural boundary.

The shoreline is mapped into Black, Red, Yellow and No Colour zones for shore-spawning kokanee, freshwater mussels and foreshore plants. In Black Zones, no new docks are allowed; only repairs to existing ones. In Red Zones, special design rules and an expert are required. You can check a property's zone on the Province's iMapBC map.

Building, repairing or replacing a dock

• New docks, repairs and removals need a notification to the Province at least 45 days before work starts (through FrontCounter BC).
• In kokanee sensitivity zones on Okanagan and Kalamalka, in-water work is limited to June 1 to September 30.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a code of practice that lets residential dock work proceed without a federal review if all its conditions are met, with notice 10 working days ahead.
• Making a dock bigger or changing its shape can mean replacing a General Permission with a Specific Permission.

Older docks and grandfathering

In the Thompson Okanagan, older docks may qualify under earlier standards: docks built before 2007 could have walkways and platforms up to 3.7 m wide and 3 m side setbacks; docks built 2007 to 2009 could be 3.7 m wide with 5 m setbacks. If the owner can't prove when the dock was built, current rules apply. That's why proof of the construction date matters when you buy.

Does the dock transfer when I buy?

• General Permission: yes, automatically, if the dock complies. There's no document to assign.
• Specific Permission or lease: it must be formally assigned to the buyer through the Province.
• A non-compliant dock has no protection. The Province can order it removed at the owner's cost.

Boat lifts and buoys

• Non-overhead boat lifts attached to a compliant dock are allowed. Stand-alone lifts need a Specific Permission. In Coldstream, lifts must be uncovered.
• Mooring buoys are regulated by Transport Canada, not the Province. Private buoys must be marked "PRIV" with the owner's name, address and phone number.

Coldstream's own dock rules

Coldstream's zoning bylaw adds its own conditions for Kalamalka Lake: one dock per fee-simple lot (or one slip per unit on strata waterfront), a maximum of 42 m, no roofs or hot tubs, and a BC Land Surveyor's survey and environmental professional's letter with any District application. A dock that doesn't meet District bylaws isn't eligible under the Province's authorization.

What to ask for when buying a home with a dock

1. What kind of authorization does the dock have: General Permission, Specific Permission, lease or an old licence?
2. Its measurements and setbacks compared with the rules above
3. Proof of when it was built or last altered
4. Records of any provincial notifications or approvals for past work
5. The property's foreshore sensitivity zone on iMapBC
6. Insurance that covers the dock
7. A BC Land Surveyor's survey of the natural boundary, to check that nothing encroaches on Crown land
8. A marine contractor's inspection of piles, floats, decking and any lift

Frequently asked questions

Sources: BC Private Moorage, General Permission (May 9, 2024), Private Moorage Policy, Dock Design Criteria for Okanagan Large Lakes, Okanagan Large Lakes Foreshore Protocol, DFO code of practice, Transport Canada buoys, Coldstream Zoning Bylaw 1838.