Most municipal corporate record series (e.g., historic Council meeting minutes, Bylaws etc.) are not part of Oak Bay Archives. For access, please contact administration@oakbay.ca. Homeowners or authorized agents can access to current property records from the Building & Planning Department: inspections@oakbay.ca
The Archives holds several historic (discontinued) corporate record series documenting property construction and taxation:
Appraisal cards
Appraisal cards were used by the municipal finance department to document the value of land and improvements throughout Oak Bay for taxation purposes. Their use was discontinued when the BC Assessment Authority was established in 1974.
Oak Bay Archives holds two series of historic appraisal cards (“long” and “short”), covering most (not all) houses built in Oak Bay before 1970. These are available for reference at the Archives. They have also been digitized and images can be shared on request. The cards will usually include date of construction, owner, builder, and dates of additions. Some include a rudimentary floor plan and/or one small exterior photograph. All photos from the appraisal cards are online HERE.
Assessment Rolls
Tax assessment rolls include the name of the property owner, legal property description (Section/Block/Lot), property size, and assessed value. NB the rolls do not include house numbers! The 1912 roll includes street names but the 1907 roll does not.
Assessment rolls prior to 1925 are available to view at the Archives. Transcripts of the 1907 and 1912 ledgers by Oak Bay Archives volunteers are available as .pdf files below:
Building Permits
Municipal building permit records begin in September 1908 (permit #1). Entries include:
- present street name and house number (the index notes historic changes where applicable)
- permit number and date issued
- owner’s name
- contractor’s name
- purpose of buildings
- main materials used
- number of storeys
- number of rooms
- estimated cost
- architect/designer if any.
Oak Bay Archives: Building Permit Ledgers, 1909-1971. Digital images of the original ledgers:
- CR-135/1/1/1, permits 24-4649 (21 May 1909 – 15 Sep 1942)
- CR-135/1/1/2, permits 4650-7151 (29 Sep 1942 – 29 May 1953)
- CR-135/1/1/3, permits 7152-9592 (1 Jun 1953 – 28 Aug 1959)
- CR-135/1/1/4, permits 9593-12083 (1 Sep 1959 – 9 Dec 1965)
- CR-135/1/1/5, permits 12084-15474 (13 Dec 1965 – 17 Sep 1971)
A volunteer project is currently underway to index these historic building permit records: Building permits Index to 1960 (vols 1, 2, and part of 3)