List of lower-tier municipalities or unitary authorities in British Columbia by population

In the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC), the system of local government is for the most part a two-tiered system. The municipalities of BC, which constitute the lower tier of local government, are permanent communities (from small towns to major cities) which have been incorporated as administrative divisions of their county. Each municipality is administered politically by a municipal council, which is chaired by an elected mayor (who is ex officio head of government of a municipality) or his deputy mayor/chief of staff.

The counties of BC constitute the upper tier of local government in the province. County governments, like municipal governments led by a mayor, themselves consist of a county council chaired by an elected county prefect, who is responsible for a number of wider (county-level) public services (such as healthcare, education, power and infrastructure, sanitation, and corrections) and some other local government services outside the county's incorporated municipalities for the unincorporated communities (which are typically provided in much greater quality and quantity) at the municipal level; all communities within the boundaries of a given county which do not form part of or constitute part of any municipality are referred to as unincorporated communities, which as implied above must rely upon the county-level administration for the provision of all local government services in the area.