Buying at SilverStar: the rules, costs and watch-outs

Buying at SilverStar is like buying anywhere in BC in most ways: an accepted offer, subjects, a deposit, a lawyer or notary, and completion. What’s different is the setting. SilverStar is an unincorporated resort in the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO), with its own zoning bylaw, a provincial exemption for short-term rentals, a private resort association, heavy snow and a water utility run by the regional district. This guide walks through each piece and ends with a due diligence checklist.

Who governs SilverStar

SilverStar is not a municipality. It sits in RDNO Electoral Area C (BX / SilverStar), represented on the regional board by an elected director. Land use is set by the Silver Star Official Community Plan (Bylaw 1925) and the Silver Star Zoning Bylaw (Bylaw 1926), both adopted in 2004 and amended since. Building permits and inspections come from RDNO Building Inspection (250-550-3700). Some of the resort’s development land is controlled by the Province. Residential lots are generally sold as fee simple or bare-land strata, but always read the title to be sure.

Sources: RDNO Area C; Bylaw 1926 (consolidated).

Property types and what they mean

• Hotel condos: units in a hotel building, often with a rental pool or management agreement. Low maintenance, but personal use may be restricted and fees can be high. Read the agreement before anything else.
• Strata condos and townhomes: the usual BC strata ownership, with strata fees, a contingency reserve fund, a depreciation report and bylaws that may limit rentals, pets or renovations.
• Bare-land strata lots and homes: you own the lot and the house, and share common property such as roads or ski runs. Alpine Meadows and parts of Cabin Colony work this way.
• Freehold chalets and houses: no strata, but still subject to zoning, any building scheme or covenant on title, and the resort association if you rent.
• Vacant lots: check zoning, building envelope, slope, snow storage, servicing and any design guidelines before you commit.

Taxes: what you pay, and what you don’t

Property transfer tax (PTT)

BC’s PTT is 1% on the first $200,000, 2% from $200,000 to $2,000,000, 3% above $2,000,000, and a further 2% on residential value over $3,000,000. On a $700,000 purchase, that’s $12,000.

• First-time buyers’ exemption: full exemption on the first $500,000 for homes worth $835,000 or less, and a partial exemption up to $860,000. You must live in the home as your principal residence, so it rarely applies to a ski-weekend place.
• Newly built home exemption: full exemption up to $1,100,000 and partial up to $1,150,000, again for a principal residence.

Taxes that don’t apply here (as of September 2026)

• Speculation and vacancy tax: the City of Vernon is a taxable area, but the RDNO’s rural areas, including SilverStar in Electoral Area C, are not on the list. That’s a real saving for second-home owners who leave the place empty much of the year. The list can change.
• Foreign buyers’ additional 20% PTT: applies only in the Capital, Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, Central Okanagan and Nanaimo regional districts. The North Okanagan is not one of them. Separate federal rules on residential purchases by non-Canadians may still apply, so non-Canadian buyers should get legal advice first.

GST

5% GST applies to newly built and substantially renovated homes, including new lots from a developer in many cases. Federal rebates for first-time buyers of new homes have been announced and changed in recent years; check the current rules with the Canada Revenue Agency and your lawyer.

Annual property tax

Because SilverStar is a rural area, your property tax is billed by the Province’s Surveyor of Taxes, not a city. The notice bundles school tax, the rural area levy, BC Assessment, the Municipal Finance Authority, police tax, the regional hospital levy and RDNO service charges such as fire and drainage. Ask for the latest tax notice on any property you’re considering.

Sources: BC PTT; first-time buyers’ exemption; newly built home exemption; SVT taxable areas; additional PTT; RDNO property taxes.

Run your own numbers, including PTT with exemptions, in the cost-of-ownership calculator.

If you plan to rent

SilverStar Mountain Resort is on the Province’s list of exempt mountain resort areas, so the principal-residence requirement for short-term rentals doesn’t apply inside the mapped boundary. But there are four more layers: the provincial registry ($100 or $450 a year), the zoning bylaw (up to five sleeping units), private rules (resort association membership, and mandatory Central Reservations in Alpine Meadows) and strata bylaws. The short-term rental guide explains each one.

Snow: storage, roofs and removal

With around 700 cm of snow in an average winter, snow is a design problem, not an afterthought.

• Snow storage is in the bylaw. For single-family, duplex and townhouse parking areas, the Silver Star Zoning Bylaw requires snow storage within 10 m of the parking area and equal to 50% of its size. The requirement can be met instead with an off-site snow dump arrangement or a heated parking surface. For apartments, snow storage is set at the development permit stage.
• Roofs. Look at roof pitch and where the roof sheds: over doors, decks, stairs, parked cars and neighbours’ lots is a problem. Ask about ice damming, heat cables, snow guards and roof age. For new builds and additions, confirm the design snow load with RDNO Building Inspection and a local structural engineer.
• Removal. Stratas usually handle common areas (Alpine Meadows fees cover grooming; Cabin Colony has organized plowing on Silver Lode Lane). For a freehold home, budget for a snow removal contract and ask the seller who they use.
• Parking. The bylaw also requires parking for short-term rentals: one space per rental in single and duplex dwellings.

Source: Silver Star Zoning Bylaw 1926, Division Eight.

Water, sewer, fire and garbage

Water comes from the RDNO’s Silver Star Water Utility. In January 2026 a water main broke on Silver Queen Road and a water quality advisory was issued, then lifted three days later, a reminder that mountain utilities work hard in winter. Drainage is an RDNO service. Ask the seller or strata for recent utility bills and confirm sewer servicing and fees for the specific property. The Silver Star Fire Department serves the village, and garbage goes to the Silver Star Transfer Station.

Sources: RDNO Area C; Vernon Morning Star, Jan. 28, 2026.

Strata and resort association documents

For any strata property, make your offer subject to reviewing:

• Form B information certificate (fees, special levies, contingency reserve fund balance, rental restrictions).
• Two years of council and AGM minutes; look for roof, snow, water and envelope issues.
• The depreciation report and the current budget.
• Bylaws and rules, especially on rentals, pets and renovations.
• For hotel condos: the rental pool or management agreement and its fees and use restrictions.
• If you plan to rent: the Silver Star Resort Association membership requirements and fee.

Buying in winter vs summer

Most SilverStar buyers look in winter, when they’re on the mountain. That’s a good time to see the snow load, parking and ski access, but snow hides roofs, decks, drainage and foundations. If you buy in winter, get a thorough inspection with the right access, ask for photos of the property in summer, and consider a holdback or a spring re-inspection if something can’t be seen. Summer buyers should ask the seller how the home works in a big snow year.

Due diligence checklist

• Title search: fee simple or strata, and any covenants, easements or building schemes.
• Zoning on the RDNO map, and whether a suite or rental use is permitted.
• Rental rules: provincial registry, resort association, strata bylaws, any mandatory manager.
• Home inspection by someone who knows mountain homes: roof, snow shedding, envelope, heating, wood-burning appliances.
• Latest property tax notice and utility bills.
• Insurance quote before you remove subjects; ask about vacancy clauses for second homes.
• Internet options at the address.
• Walk the ski route to and from the property in ski boots.
• Confirm parking and snow storage meet the bylaw.
• For a new build: GST, the home warranty and the builder’s track record.

Why use a buyer’s agent

SilverStar is a small market with few sales each month, so pricing is about judgment as much as data. Sean pulls the SilverStar sales himself, reads strata documents with you, and knows which questions to ask a seller about snow, water and rentals. Buyer representation usually costs the buyer nothing directly because the seller pays the commission. For valley homes, Sean’s Vernon hub has the full MLS® search.