Glossary of Terms

Some of the special terms used in the BC Assessment system are defined here:

Actual Value

For the majority of properties on the assessment roll, actual value is simply market value as of a specific date. Market value is the price the property might reasonably be expected to realize when sold by a willing vendor to a willing purchaser after adequate time and exposure on the market. The valuation date for assessment purposes is July 1 of the year preceding the publication of the roll. For example, the valuation date for the 2006 assessment roll is July 1, 2005.

Area

The province is divided into 19 provincial assessment areas and a number of First Nations assessment areas. For example, Greater Victoria is Area 01, and First Nations Kelowna is Area 49.

Block

Survey of crown land where a portion of a district lot has been assigned under the Land Act to an individual.

District Lot

Usually used where odd pockets of land were developed, or where land was developed one part at a time (piecemeal basis) such as mountain valleys and the Alaska highway. The size of the area covered by district lots varies substantially (e.g., in the Kootenays, they cover vast areas of land).

Folio

A collection of data, identified by a roll number, that consists of ownership, value identification, and other information required for assessment purposes. The data in a folio usually describes one parcel and any improvements on that parcel. Do not confuse with Folio Tag.

Jurisdiction

Areas are divided into jurisdictions. Typically, a jurisdiction is a municipality or a rural district. For example, the city of Victoria is Area 01, Jurisdiction 234.

Lot

Part of the Fixed Legal Description. Defined on a subdivision plan and forming the initial part of the legal description (e.g., LOT 1/PLAN 1234/COWICHAN DISTRICT).

PID Number

The Parcel Identifier number is a unique number assigned to a property by the Land Title Office.

Parcel

A number used to identify any lot, block, or other area in which land is held, or into which land is subdivided (see Land Titles Act).

Plan

A survey diagram showing the delineation of property into smaller parcels or consolidation from smaller parcels into one property. Plans are registered in one of the seven Land Title Offices in the province, where the Land Title Registry assigns each plan a separate number to distinguish it from other plans. Plan numbers can be numeric or a combination of numeric and alpha characters.

Roll Number

The Roll Number is a unique number which is assigned to each property by BC Assessment.

Roll Year

The year that appears in the Roll Year field is the “current” roll year. You can select the previous year from the lookup list.