In the late 1990s, the Province of British Columbia introduced substantial updates to its local government enabling legislation with a series of amendments to the Municipal Act, then the lengthiest statute in the province. First, the Municipal Act was renamed as the Local Government Act. Next, the Legislature enacted the Community Charter as the core enabling legislation for nearly all municipal governments and repealed large sections of the Local Government Act, while leaving in it enabling provisions specifically related to regional districts and improvement districts. The City of Vancouver retained its distinct city charter dating back to the 1950s in the form of the Vancouver Charter, which was left relatively undisturbed by the advent of the Community Charter.

In addition to these above-referenced statutes, any person or organization dealing with local governments in British Columbia should be aware that there are a variety of other statutes and regulations besides the Local Government Act and the Community Charter that confer and limit the authority of local governments. The following is only a select list of the total panoply of such statutes and regulations:

• Additional Powers Regulations to the Community Charter and Local Government Act
• Agricultural Land Commission Act and Agricultural Land Reserve regulations
• Assessment Act
• Building Act and BC Building Code
• Bylaw Notice Enforcement Regulation
• Cannabis Control and Licensing Act
• Community Charter Bylaw Enforcement Ticket Regulation
• Conflict of Interest Exceptions Regulation
• Contaminated Sites Regulation
• Controlled Alien Species Regulation
• Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
• Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
• Dike Maintenance Act
• Drainage, Ditch and Dike Act
• Drinking Water Protection Act
• Emergency and Disaster Management Act
• Environment and Land Use Act
• Environmental Management Act
• Expropriation Act
• Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act
• Financial Disclosure Act
• Forest Act
• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
• Gaming Control Act
• Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District Act
• Greater Vancouver Water District Act
• Heritage Conservation Act
• Hospital District Act
• Human Rights Act and Human Rights Code
• Interpretation Act
• Islands Trust Act
• Judicial Review Procedure Act
• Land Act
• Land Commission Act
• Land Title Act
• Liquor Control and Licensing Act
• Local Elections Campaign Financing Act
• Local Government Bylaw Notice Enforcement Act
• Local Government Grants Act
• Local Services Act
• Motor Vehicle Act
• Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act
• Municipal Replotting Act
• New Westminster Redevelopment Act
• Oak Bay Special Powers Act, 1935
• Occupiers Liability Act
• Offence Act
• Ombudsperson Act
• Private Managed Forest Land Act
• Public Health Act
• Residential Tenancy Act
• Resort Municipality of Whistler Act
• Riparian Areas Protection Act
• School Act
• Societies Act
• Subdivisions Regulations
• Taxation (Rural Area) Act
• Transportation Act
• Trespass Act
• Utilities Commission Act
• Water Sustainability Act
• Wildlife Act