The majority of NIHO's property boundaries date back to the original surveyors of British Columbia.

In 1874, the Federal Free Homestead Act allowed settlers to buy their homesteads from the crown for about $1.00/acre, if they cleared, fenced, and resided on the land for 3 years. After the homesteader found a parcel of land he wished to homestead he would request a surveyor to come out and formally define his boundaries. The surveyors would then first establish the corner post and then the  boundaries. He would put in four corner posts with three bearing trees for each corner post. He would also blaze the trees on all four boundaries. As he was establishing the corner posts and boundaries, he would keep very detailed notes and produce a report, including a hand-drawn map of the property. These notes are still kept in Victoria, and you can request copies of them from the Surveyor General's office.

As a side note, these notes can turn out to be invaluable when you go to look at your property, especially if the corner post no longer exists. Using these notes, you can determine where the corner posts of the property were originally set, and re-walk the property lines to make sure you are on the right  property.

Our current subdivisions were created using licensed land surveyors.

Do you have any other questions related to property boundaries? Click here to contact a NIHO Land specialist for more answers.