Excavation around Kamloops and the Thompson-Nicola
PCE has worked at Paul Lake, north-east of Kamloops, for Matcon Environmental. Here are the local rules that shape excavation in the city and the surrounding regional district.
About Kamloops and the Thompson-Nicola
- Paul Lake Provincial Park is reached from Highway 5, 5 km north of Kamloops, then 19 km along the paved Pinantan Road. Source: BC Parks: Paul Lake Park
Local rules that affect excavation
Checked October 2026. Each point below links to Kamloops and the Thompson-Nicola’s own bylaw or web page. Bylaws change, so confirm with Kamloops and the Thompson-Nicola before work starts. General information, not legal advice.
City of Kamloops
- A permit is needed for retaining walls over 1.2 m high or walls supporting slopes steeper than 2:1, under Building Bylaw No. 11-84, 2025. Source: City of Kamloops Bulletin 23-01 (PDF)
- In the South Thompson Silt Bluffs hazard development permit area, geotechnical work found significant and extensive silts, no development is permitted in the Red Zone (with limited exceptions for accessory structures), and applications in the Foreset/Backset Zone need a geotechnical report from a professional engineer. Source: City of Kamloops: Silt Bluffs DPA (PDF)
- Tree Protection Bylaw No. 50-1 requires a permit to remove any tree on residentially zoned properties or parcels over 2.0 hectares, except trees under 5 m tall and under 10 cm in diameter. Source: City of Kamloops: Property ownership
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
- Under Building Regulations Bylaw 2066, building permits apply in all TNRD electoral areas and are needed before work starts, including demolition or excavation; retaining walls over 1.2 m need a permit. Source: TNRD: Building permits
- For agricultural buildings and a principal residence, TNRD building permit applications need ALC Notice of Intent approval where ALR soil removal or fill placement exceeds 1,000 m². Source: TNRD: Agricultural Land Reserve
Provincial and federal rules apply too
Municipal bylaws sit on top of provincial and federal rules: BC 1 Call locates and WorkSafeBC requirements on every dig, the Agricultural Land Commission for fill in the ALR, soil relocation notifications for some commercial and industrial sites, and the Water Sustainability Act and Fisheries Act near streams. Our Excavation permits checklist for BC projects links each one to its source.
PCE in Kamloops and the Thompson-Nicola
PCE is based in Langley and works across BC Interior. Services we take on here:
Got a big job coming up?
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