The ALR, explained for people who just moved here

In Langley, a new row of townhouses can back right onto a hayfield or a blueberry farm. Often that sharp edge is the boundary of the Agricultural Land Reserve, and a provincial agency, not the local council, has the final say on what crosses it.

What the ALR is

The ALR is land set aside across BC where agriculture comes first. It traces back to the Land Commission Act, introduced on April 18, 1973, when, the ALC says, nearly 6,000 hectares of prime farmland were being lost each year. Regional districts drew up the first reserve plans under that act.

Today the reserve covers 4,612,120 hectares, or 4.9% of the province, according to the ALC’s 2025/26 annual report. The commission is an independent administrative tribunal with up to 19 members appointed from six regions. Its job under section 6 of the Agricultural Land Commission Act is to preserve farmland and encourage farming, and it must give priority to “the size, integrity and continuity” of the reserve.

How much of Langley is in it

A lot of the Township. Its website says about 75% of its land is in the ALR, out of a land mass of 316 square kilometres. The Township counts 1,103 farms, nearly half of all farms in Metro Vancouver, and ranks third in BC for farm gate receipts. Our rural Langley guide covers that countryside.

The City of Langley is the compact urban core (see City vs. Township). Its OCP does include an Agriculture land-use designation, with a 2.0-hectare minimum lot size and no subdivision supported. We couldn’t find an official figure for how much City land, if any, is in the ALR itself, so check a specific property on the ALC map.

What you can do on ALR land

Two sets of rules apply: the ALC’s, and local zoning. The ALC’s rules take precedence, but local governments can be stricter. The ALC says farm uses can be restricted locally but not prohibited.

• Farm uses in the ALR Use Regulation include wineries and cideries, farm retail sales, temporary or seasonal agri-tourism, equestrian facilities, and storing, packing and processing farm products. Many come with conditions.
• Some non-farm uses are allowed too, such as a home-based business, kennels, conservation and passive-recreation parks, and education and research (but not schools). A local government can ban some of these.
• Housing is limited. One principal residence per parcel, up to 500 m² of floor area (an attached garage up to 42 m² doesn’t count). A secondary suite only inside that house. One detached additional residence up to 90 m² on parcels of 40 hectares or less, or 186 m² on bigger ones. Anything beyond that needs a Non-Adhering Residential Use application.
• Subdivision needs ALC approval or a regulation that permits it. A zoning minimum lot size doesn’t mean you can split the land.

One for new neighbours: the ALC notes that noise, dust and smells from normal farm practices are protected under BC’s Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act.

Applications, and who decides

Owners who want to do something the rules don’t allow apply through the ALC Portal. Most application types (non-farm use, subdivision, extra housing, soil or fill, inclusion) go to the local government first.

Exclusion (taking land out of the reserve) is different. Only the Province, a local government, a First Nation government or another prescribed public body can apply, so a private owner can’t. When a local government applies, it has to post a sign on the land and hold a public hearing first.

In the Township, an applicant files with the ALC online, then makes a separate Township application through MyTownship. Staff write a report, and council “may refer applications with recommendations to the ALC, or deny the application based on its merits.” A subdivision that creates new lots needs a council resolution before it goes on. If council doesn’t forward an application, the process ends there and the ALC’s share of the fee is refunded.

At the ALC, most decisions come from a regional panel. Langley sits in the South Coast region. Files of provincial importance can go to the Executive Committee, and the CEO can approve some that meet set criteria. The answer is approve, approve with conditions, refuse, or refuse but allow an alternate proposal, and it’s posted on the ALC website two days after the applicant gets it. The ALC aims to decide most within 60 business days, not counting the time spent at the local level. A refusal can be reconsidered only if there’s substantial new information.

For scale: across all of BC in 2025/26, the ALC decided 287 applications, including 94 non-farm use, 60 subdivision and five exclusion applications (four approved).

The “why don’t they just build houses there” question

Because council can’t make that call alone. A council can turn an application down or send it on, but only the ALC can approve a use the reserve doesn’t allow, or take land out. The test the ALC applies comes from its act, and that act is about agriculture. Even a council’s own OCP has to be sent to the ALC for comment when it applies to ALR land. For more on the local side of land use, see how a development gets approved.

Checking a property

The ALC’s ALR Property and Map Finder lets you search by address or PID. ALR land shows up light green with a dark green outline. The map is for reference only, is updated quarterly, and may not match current lot lines perfectly. The ALC says a title notation isn’t a reliable test either. If only part of a lot is in the ALR, the rules apply to that part. For an official answer, email the ALC’s mapping team at [email protected].

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