Heritage Revitalization Agreement
Also known as: HRA · Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA)
A contract a BC local government negotiates with the owner of a heritage property. It trades relief from the zoning or subdivision bylaw for binding protection of named heritage features. Section 610 of the Local Government Act.
A Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) is a Section 610 Local Government Act mechanism that local governments and heritage-property owners use to balance heritage conservation with property-owner economic interests. The municipality and the owner negotiate a contract that varies the otherwise-applicable zoning or subdivision bylaw for the specific parcel (typically allowing added density, a duplex conversion, a coach house, or relaxed parking and setback rules) in exchange for legally binding heritage protection of identified features — usually the exterior building envelope, key character-defining elements, and sometimes interior features.
For buyers, the HRA matters in three ways. First, it is registered against title and binds successors — a buyer inherits both the use-rights and the heritage-protection obligations. Second, demolition or significant exterior alteration of the protected features requires a Heritage Alteration Permit (HAP) under LGA Section 617; the HRA itself does not authorize alteration, only varies the underlying zoning. Third, on heritage-village inventory (Vancouver Special / Strathcona / Hammond / Steveston Village / Fort Langley character homes), an HRA is sometimes the only practical way to add density to a heritage-protected parcel — pull the title and any registered HRA before pricing redevelopment optionality.
Related terms
- Official Community Plan — The long-range land-use bylaw a BC local government adopts to say what it wants built where.
- Bill 44 (2023) — SSMUH — BC legislation requiring most municipalities to allow three to four homes on lots zoned for a single house or duplex.
See also
Use any of these formats. Codex content is licensed under CC BY 4.0 — attribution required.
@misc{bronsonjob-bc_lga_heritage_revitalization_agreement,
author = {Job, Bronson},
title = {{BC Heritage Revitalization Agreement (Local Government Act s. 610)}},
howpublished = {BC Real Estate Codex},
year = {2003},
url = {https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.lga.heritage_revitalization_agreement},
urldate = {2026-05-22},
note = {Fact ID: bc.lga.heritage_revitalization_agreement, version 1.}
}Job, B. (2003). BC Heritage Revitalization Agreement (Local Government Act s. 610). *BC Real Estate Codex*. Retrieved 2026-05-22, from https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.lga.heritage_revitalization_agreement
BC Heritage Revitalization Agreement (Local Government Act s. 610) — Bronson Job PREC, BC Real Estate Codex (2026-05-22). https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.lga.heritage_revitalization_agreement
Fact id: bc.lga.heritage_revitalization_agreement · v1 · machine-readable: /api/v1/facts/by-id/bc.lga.heritage_revitalization_agreement.json
Verified sources (2)· re-verified 2026-08-02Click to expand
Every claim on this page is sourced to a primary government, regulator, or industry-association URL. We re-verify quarterly; the verification dates below show when each source was last confirmed against the live government page.
- BC Governmentretrieved 2026-05-22Local Government Act, RSBC 2015, c. 1, s. 610https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/r15001_00
- BC Governmentretrieved 2026-08-02Local Government Heritage Planninghttps://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/celebrating-british-columbia/historic-places/local-government-planning
bc.lga.heritage_revitalization_agreement · v1View in Codex →License: This definition is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: "Heritage Revitalization Agreement", BC Real Estate Glossary by Bronson Job, https://www.bronsonjob.com/glossary/heritage-revitalization-agreement.
