There are two primary ways to recognize the heritage value or a property or site:
• Include it in Oak Bay's Community Heritage Register and/or
• Designate it as a heritage site.

The Oak Bay Community Heritage Register is an official list of buildings and sites deemed of heritage value or character, as adopted by resolution of the Municipal Council. Including a property on the Heritage Register is voluntary. It does not offer heritage protection, and is not the same as "designation". If the Municipal Council deems the site as significant it can trigger a protection process. Buildings that are on the Register are incorporated into the Heritage Building Inventory. A copy of the Oak Bay Community Register is available for viewing at Oak Bay municipal hall or online.

Heritage designation is a method of conserving property. The effect of heritage designation is to preserve the key features of a building and/or land that give it a distinctive heritage character. A property owner may apply to have a site designated as heritage. Properties are evaluated according to a list of criteria for assessing heritage merit. A building is formally designated as a municipal heritage site by bylaw adopted under heritage provisions of the British Columbia Local Government Act, thus assuring that a heritage legacy remains to be appreciated by present and future generations.

One of the purposes of the Oak Bay Heritage Foundation is to provide cost-sharing grants to owners of buildings listed on the official Oak Bay Community Heritage Register and to owners of designated heritage buildings. Buildings protected under a Heritage Revitalization Agreement may also be eligible for the Heritage Restoration Grants programme.

For further information, download these PDFs: