Archives > Land Use Research
If you are conducting research on land for environmental assessment, social geography or any other purpose, the following Frequently Asked Questions, Resources, and Useful Contact Information may be helpful.
This information is also available in a printable brochure, which can be viewed by clicking here - [PDF 698KB].
Frequently Asked Questions about Land Use Research
Q. Where can I find evidence of underground tanks?
A. The fire insurance maps show locations of gas stations and pumps and occasionally other underground tanks. The Fire Department has records of gasoline and oil tank permits from 1960 to 1991 which are open to the public (see Useful Contact Information)
Q. Where can I find land use information for other municipalities?
A. The city directories held by the City of Victoria Archives cover the other municipalities after 1914. In addition, we also have various maps that may also cover areas outside of the City. Several of the other municipalities in Greater Victoria have archives including Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay and View Royal (see Useful Contact Information). The British Columbia Archives holds early tax assessment rolls for the Victoria District, which covered all areas outside the city limits.
Q. Where can I find air photos?
A. Air photos are available from Geographic Data BC, a Provincial Government department. The Air Photo Library is located on the first floor, 810 Blanshard Street.
Q. The City Archives is missing some of the city directories. Where can I find the missing years?
A. The Greater Victoria Public Library has a good collection of city directories, especially for the 1970s and 1980s.
Resources for Land Use Research
Maps and Plans
The Fire insurance maps and lot maps are a good place to start. These maps indicate what each building is constructed of, how many storeys, type of roofing material, lot number, positioning on the lot and sometimes the use of the building. The location of underground storage tanks also appears on some of the maps and may be useful to those doing environmental assessments. Lot maps are useful for tracing the growth of the city. Buildings plans and applications for plumbing connections for demolished buildings are held by the Archives. These are useful tools for researching architects and homes, buildings and businesses which have been demolished. Applications for plumbing connections show the owner at time the building was connected to water and sewer services, legal description and a drawing of the outline of the building with connections to the sewer. Building plans often show who the building was built for, date, architect, elevations and alterations.
Maps and Plans Lists
Some access to the maps and plans is available on the following pages:
More extensive descriptions of the maps and plans are available at the Archives.
Tax Assessment Rolls
1864-1948
These records may be useful if you need to establish ownership of property
or the construction dates of a building. These tax rolls date from 1864 to 1948.
From the earliest to 1871 they are accessed by name. From 1872 by lot number and
from 1916 by roll number. Tax assessment rolls consist of assessments made on
real property and improvements compiled for the purpose of determining taxes.
Tax assessment rolls show lot size, name of owner, land value and improvements
to the land (i.e. house). Further information about assessment
records is available in the City Record Series descriptions.
*When using tax assessment rolls it is useful to have the legal description of the property.
*Old and new legal descriptions are similar only in lot number.
City Directories List
1860-1997 (not a complete set)
The city directories will provide an idea of what type building (i.e. residence or business) was at a particular address. The directories can also provide a rough guide as to the age of a building, by the date the address first appears in the directories. The earliest directories list residents (not owners) in the city and environs and include their address and occupation. It wasn't until the 1890s that another section listing by street was added. Some directories cover only the city, others cover Vancouver Island and British Columbia.
View City Directories List
*The street numbering system changed in 1905 and street names often changed.
*City directories are not always very accurate.
Building Permits
1907-1958
Building permits are available from 1907 to 1958. They are listed by building permit number but can be useful for establishing an approximate date of construction. They also include owners' name, legal description, number of storeys, construction material and cost of the building.
Useful Contact Information
British Columbia Archives
655 Belleville Street
(250) 387-1952
www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca
Esquimalt Archives
1149A Esquimalt Road (downstairs from McDonald's)
(250) 412-8540
www.esquimalt.ca/Main/archives.htm
Saanich Archives
3100 Tillicum Road
Victoria, BC V9A 6T2
(250) 475-1775
archives@saanich.ca
www.gov.saanich.bc.ca/visitor/archives.html
Oak Bay Archives
2167 Oak Bay Avenue
Victoria, B.C. V8R 1G2
(250) 598-3290
www.oakbaybc.org/residents/archives.html
View Royal Archives
45 View Royal Avenue
Victoria, BC V9B 1A6
(250) 479-6800
Air Photo Warehouse (formerly Air photo Library)
2-4476 Markham Road
ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/bmgs/airphoto/index.htm
Hallmark Society
(250) 383-4755
www.hallmarksociety.ca
Victoria Fire Department
(250) 920-3350
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