# BC Laws

> Search and read British Columbia's laws through the King's Printer's CiviX Server API: find statutes and regulations by keyword, browse the library, and get an act, a regulation or a single section as text. No account or API key required.

App · 4 actions. Web page: https://docs.lodol.com/docs/integrations/bc-laws

## Actions

### Browse laws

Browse the BC Laws library folder by folder: from the A to Z list, into an act's folder with its regulations, point-in-time versions and tables of changes, down to the documents. No API key required.

**Inputs**

- Folder ID (`folder_id`, text): The folder to open, as a previous Browse laws or a search result's parent ID gives it. Leave it blank for the top of the collection.
- Collection (`collection`, text): Which part of the library the ID belongs to. Search results say; almost everything is in the public statutes and regulations. One of: `statreg` (Public statutes and regulations), `psl` (Private, special and local statutes). Default: `statreg`.

**Outputs**

- `collection` (text): The collection: 'statreg' (public statutes and regulations) or 'psl' (private, special and local).
- `count` (number): How many items were returned.
- `folder_id` (text): The folder that was opened.
- `items` (list): The folders and documents in it, in order.

**Example output**

```json
{
  "collection": "statreg",
  "count": 2,
  "folder_id": "01009",
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "01009_01",
      "status": null,
      "title": "Drinking Water Protection Act",
      "type": "document",
      "url": "https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/01009_01"
    },
    {
      "id": "reg01009",
      "status": null,
      "title": "Regulations",
      "type": "folder",
      "url": null
    }
  ]
}
```

### Get document

Get a British Columbia act or regulation as text: its title, chapter or regulation number, dates, and its sections with their headings, parts and numbered provisions. No API key required.

**Inputs**

- Document ID (`document_id`, text, required): The act's or regulation's BC Laws ID, as Search laws and Browse laws return it, e.g. 01009_01 for the Drinking Water Protection Act.
- Collection (`collection`, text): Which part of the library the ID belongs to. Search results say; almost everything is in the public statutes and regulations. One of: `statreg` (Public statutes and regulations), `psl` (Private, special and local statutes). Default: `statreg`.
- Number of sections (`max_sections`, number): How many sections to return, from the start, 1 to 500. Defaults to 50. From 1 to 500. Default: `50`.

**Outputs**

- `amendments_note` (text): A regulation's note on its latest amendment, e.g. '[Last amended October 27, 2025 by B.C. Reg. 168/2025]'.
- `assented_to` (text): When an act received royal assent, e.g. 'April 11, 2001'.
- `chapter` (text): An act's chapter number.
- `collection` (text): The collection: 'statreg' (public statutes and regulations) or 'psl' (private, special and local).
- `count` (number): How many sections were returned.
- `deposited` (text): When a regulation was deposited.
- `document_id` (text): The document's ID.
- `document_type` (text): What it is, as BC Laws labels it: 'act', 'regulation', or another kind such as a table of changes.
- `enabling_act` (text): The act a regulation is made under.
- `regulation_number` (text): A regulation's number, e.g. '200/2003'.
- `section_count` (number): How many sections the document has.
- `sections` (list): The sections, in order.
- `title` (text): The act's or regulation's title.
- `truncated` (true/false): True when the document has more sections than were returned.
- `url` (text): The document on the BC Laws website.
- `year_enacted` (text): The year an act was enacted.

**Example output**

```json
{
  "amendments_note": null,
  "assented_to": "April 11, 2001",
  "chapter": "9",
  "collection": "statreg",
  "count": 1,
  "deposited": null,
  "document_id": "01009_01",
  "document_type": "act",
  "enabling_act": null,
  "regulation_number": null,
  "section_count": 55,
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Relationship with other Acts",
      "number": "2",
      "part": "Part 1 \u2013 Introductory Provisions",
      "text": "(1) The authority that is provided under this Act is in addition to and does not restrict authority provided under any other enactment that may be used to protect drinking water.\n(2) Nothing in this Act affects the powers, duties and functions of a medical health officer under the Public Health Act or any other enactment."
    }
  ],
  "title": "Drinking Water Protection Act",
  "truncated": true,
  "url": "https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/01009_01",
  "year_enacted": "2001"
}
```

### Get section

Get one section of a British Columbia act or regulation as text, with its heading and numbered provisions. A section the document does not have comes back with 'found' set to false rather than failing the step. No API key required.

**Inputs**

- Document ID (`document_id`, text, required): The act's or regulation's BC Laws ID, as Search laws and Browse laws return it, e.g. 01009_01 for the Drinking Water Protection Act.
- Section (`section`, text, required): The section number, e.g. 5, 12.1 or 3a.
- Collection (`collection`, text): Which part of the library the ID belongs to. Search results say; almost everything is in the public statutes and regulations. One of: `statreg` (Public statutes and regulations), `psl` (Private, special and local statutes). Default: `statreg`.

**Outputs**

- `collection` (text): The collection: 'statreg' (public statutes and regulations) or 'psl' (private, special and local).
- `document_id` (text): The document's ID.
- `found` (true/false): Whether the document has this section. When false, heading and text are empty.
- `heading` (text): The section's heading.
- `number` (text): The section number.
- `text` (text): The section's text, one provision per line with its number in front, e.g. '(1) The minister may...', and nested provisions indented.
- `url` (text): The document on the BC Laws website.

**Example output**

```json
{
  "collection": "statreg",
  "document_id": "01009_01",
  "found": true,
  "heading": "Drinking water advisory committees",
  "number": "5",
  "text": "(1) The minister may, after consultation with the Provincial health officer, establish an advisory committee to provide advice and recommendations with respect to drinking water matters referred to the committee by the minister.\n(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the minister may establish an advisory committee to provide advice and recommendations respecting standards and requirements to be established under this Act.",
  "url": "https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/01009_01"
}
```

### Search laws

Search British Columbia's statutes and regulations, best match first, with snippets showing where the words appear and each document's ID and link. Quote words to search a phrase. No API key required.

**Inputs**

- Search for (`query`, text, required): Words to find. Put a phrase in quotes, e.g. "drinking water".
- Skip (`offset`, number): How many results to skip, for the next page. Defaults to 0. At least 0. Default: `0`.
- Number of results (`limit`, number): How many results to return, from 1 to 100. From 1 to 100. Default: `20`.
- Snippets per result (`fragments`, number): How many snippets to return per result, 1 to 9. From 1 to 9. Default: `3`.
- Snippet length (`fragment_length`, number): Roughly how long each snippet is, 20 to 199 characters. From 20 to 199. Default: `100`.

**Outputs**

- `count` (number): How many results were returned.
- `offset` (number): How many results were skipped.
- `query` (text): The words searched for.
- `results` (list): The matching documents, best first.
- `total` (number): How many documents matched in all.

**Example output**

```json
{
  "count": 1,
  "offset": 0,
  "query": "drinking water",
  "results": [
    {
      "collection": "statreg",
      "document_id": "01009_01",
      "location": "-- D --/Drinking Water Protection Act [SBC 2001] c. 9/00_01009_01.xml",
      "parent_id": "01009",
      "rank": 1,
      "snippets": [
        "... Drinking Water Protection Act ...",
        "... Water Sustainability Act ; ..."
      ],
      "status": null,
      "title": "Drinking Water Protection Act",
      "url": "https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/01009_01"
    }
  ],
  "total": 944
}
```