Overview
Land title documents and plans can be registered at a Land Titles Office.
If you are not familiar with land law and real estate transactions, we suggest you get legal advice and help when dealing with property.
Cost
Fees for document and plan registration are listed in the Tariff of Fees Regulation and are required at the time of submission.
The Land Titles Common Documents Fee Schedule lists fees for the most common documents.
Fees can be paid in person by cash, cheque, credit or debit. Cheques must be made payable to the Government of Alberta.
Land Titles charge account
If you use Land Title services regularly, you can apply for a Land Titles charge account. Contact the Finance Department to set one up:
- Phone: 780-422-7812
- Phone: 780-422-1761 (Edmonton)
- Phone: 403-297-6534 (Calgary)
Register a land title document
The Land Titles Office registers over 150 different types of documents authorized through over 100 Acts. The Acts are available through the King’s Printer Bookstore. The following is a brief description of the most common documents registered.
Step 1. Fill out the form for the document you need
PDF form issues
Fillable PDF forms do not open properly on some mobile devices and web browsers. To fill in and save the form:
- Save the PDF form to your computer – click or right-click the link and download the form.
- Open the PDF form with Adobe Reader. Fill it in and save it.
If you are still having problems opening the form, contact PDF form technical support.
Transfer of land
Application for Transfer of Land
You can also get this form from a Land Titles Office.
This is a transfer of land ownership from one party to another party.
Mortgage
A mortgage is a charge on land created for securing a debt or loan. This document is between a borrower (mortgagor) and a lender (mortgagee), in which the borrower’s land is pledged as security.
Caveat
Caveat Forbidding Registration
A caveat is a warning (in land law) that someone is claiming an interest on a parcel of land. If you believe you are entitled to an interest in land, you may file your claim through a caveat.
A caveat is only a notice of a claim of interest on land. The validity of the claim is disputed in court. If the courts agree that the claim is valid, then any person dealing with that land going forward will be subject to the interest claimed in the caveat.
When a caveat is registered, Land Titles will mail a notice to all registered owners on the title.
Builders’ lien
This gives contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and labourers a way to collect money owed to them for labour and materials used to improve the land, including work on any structures on the land.
Anyone who makes improvements to land by providing work and materials for an owner, contractor or subcontractor may file a builders’ lien.
A builders' lien must be registered at the Land Titles Office within 45 days after the work is completed or the materials supplied.
Builders’ liens for an oil or gas well, or an oil or gas well site, must be registered within 90 days. The lien must be a minimum of $300.
A builders’ lien against untitled minerals must be registered with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals.
Utility Right of Way (URW)
A Utility Right of Way, also known as an easement, grants an individual, company or municipality the right to use a portion of the landowner’s property. For example, a URW could be granted to a pipeline that passes over someone’s land.
Once registered, the right to use the land as laid out in the terms of the URW remains in effect until a release is registered.
Discharge
You can remove or withdraw instruments registered against the title (i.e. caveat, mortgage, builders’ lien) using a discharge.
Discharge of Mortgage or Encumbrance
Partial Discharge of Mortgage or Encumbrance
Cancellation of Builders’ Lien
The original fully executed discharge, along with the registration fee, can be forwarded to a Land Titles Office for registration.
Step 2. Submit the form(s)
Mail or drop off your completed form(s) at one of the Land Titles Offices in Alberta:
Edmonton
Phone: 780-427-2742
Address:
John E. Brownlee Building
10365 97 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3W7
Mailing address:
Land Titles Office
Box 2380
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2T3
Calgary
Phone: 403-297-6511
Address:
Service Alberta Building
710 4 Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 0K3
Mailing address:
Land Titles Office
Box 7575
Calgary, Alberta T2P 2R4
After you apply
Documents that are accepted are registered in the Alberta Land Titles Automation (ALTA) database and given a registration number. Once registered, the customer receives a registration notice. The documents are scanned into SPIN2 and the original documents are retained and archived by the government.
Register a land title plan
Types of plans
Land Titles Offices register survey plans under the Land Titles Act. Plans registered under this Act must be prepared by an Alberta Land Surveyor. Plans registered under any other Act (for example: Navigable Waters Protection Act) don’t need to be prepared by a surveyor.
The following are common survey plans that can be registered at a Land Titles Office.
Subdivision Plan
An owner can subdivide their land with the approval of the subdivision authority, as defined in the Municipal Government Act. The land must be surveyed by an Alberta Land Surveyor.
The owner then registers a subdivision plan, which may include:
- roads
- reserve land
- public utility parcels
The plan must show all of the information required by the act, to define the boundaries of the new parcels.
After the plan is registered, the current titles are cancelled (in full or in part) and new titles are given to the registered owners. Titles to reserves and public utility parcels are given to the municipality, while no titles are issued for roads.
Subdivision plans don’t affect the ownership of mines and mineral rights.
Condominium Plan
A condominium is separate ownership of a space or unit within a building or on bare land within a parcel.
In a building, the boundaries of the units are defined by reference to the floors, walls and ceilings. For a bare land unit, the boundaries are defined by reference to monuments placed in accordance with the Surveys Act.
A monument is any natural or artificial object that is fixed permanently in the land, and is referred to in a legal description of the land.
The common property is the part of the parcel shown in a condominium plan that is not in a unit and is owned by the owners of all the units as tenants-in-common. The shares for each owner are proportional to the shares for their units. There is no separate title issued for common property created by the registration of a condominium plan.
Registering a condominium plan cancels the existing certificate of title for the parcel described in the plan (except for mines and minerals). Separate certificates of title are then created for each unit described in the plan.
Registering a condominium plan also creates a condominium corporation. The corporation includes all unit owners, and its powers and duties are performed by an elected board of directors. The corporation is regulated by its by-laws. The by-laws provide for control, management and administration of the units, the real and personal property of the corporation and the common property. If no Change of By-Laws is registered, then the by-laws prescribed by the Condominium Property Act apply.
Descriptive Plans
A plan of survey typically describes land by monuments placed in the ground. In certain circumstances, a parcel could be created through a metes and bounds description. A descriptive plan describes land boundaries by reference to:
- sections in the surveyed Alberta Township System (ATS)
- registered survey plans
The Registrar is authorized to accept descriptive plans to create new parcels.
Strata Plan
A strata plan is a plan subdividing measurements of volume space into strata spaces. Instead of defining by physical boundaries, like in a condominium plan, strata plans are defined by planes or curved surfaces that have geodetic elevation. Mines and minerals are exempted from the plan.
Right of Way and Related Site Plans
A plan of survey for an easement or right of way can be registered for:
- an undertaking that requires a right of way
- a railway or other purpose not covered by the Land Titles Act, but approved by the Registrar, such as:
- a plan requiring a road closure by-law, lease or restrictive covenant
- a plan showing a body of water (lake, river, etc.) to amend the legal description in a certificate of title due to a change in natural boundary
The registration of this type of plan does not affect the certificate of title to the land shown on the plan, or convey any interest or rights to any person.
Road Plans
The provincial government or municipalities can register a survey of area for public purposes, such as:
- new roads
- road widening
- diversion and drainage ditches
When a municipality or the Crown gets land for public purposes (such as a road) by an agreement with the owner, title to the land is issued to the municipality or the Crown. A plan of survey is then filed at the Land Titles Office. A transfer of land is not required.
Titles to mines and minerals are not affected.
Submitting the plan
Mail or drop off your completed form(s) at one of the Land Titles Offices in Alberta. You can also submit your forms digitally.
Edmonton
Phone: 780-427-2742
Address:
John E. Brownlee Building
10365 97 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3W7
Mailing address:
Land Titles Office
Box 2380
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2T3
Calgary
Phone: 403-297-6511
Address:
Service Alberta Building
710 4 Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 0K3
Mailing address:
Land Titles Office
Box 7575
Calgary, Alberta T2P 2R4
Digital submissions
Alberta Land Surveyor companies can submit their survey plans digitally. Information on how to complete and submit plans digitally can be found in the 'Policy and Procedures Manual' below.
Geo-referencing requirements and sample
Geo-referencing Frequently Asked Questions
Contact
Connect with a Land Titles office:
Edmonton location
Phone: 780-427-2742
Office address:
John E. Brownlee Building
10365 97 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3W7
Mailing address:
Box 2380
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2T3
Calgary location
Phone: 403-297-6511
Office address:
Service Alberta Building
710 4 Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 0K3
Mailing address:
Box 7575
Calgary, Alberta T2P 2R4