How to Do a Land Title Search in Alberta Step by Step

Whether you are buying, selling or just curious about a neighbouring lot, a land title search tells you who owns a property and what is registered against it.

This article walks through the steps, the information you need, and how to read what comes back.

This article covers the law of Alberta.

What you need before you start

Alberta's land registration system is based on the Torrens system and is administered under the Land Titles Act. The Government of Alberta has custody of all original titles, documents and plans and has legal responsibility for the validity and security of registered land title information. That is why a title search is the usual starting point for understanding a property.

To get a current title search you need one of these: a legal description, a land identification number code (LINC), or a title number. These often appear on a property tax notice or an earlier purchase document.

• Legal description of the parcel
• Land identification number code (LINC)
• Title number

A certificate of title is the record of the title to land kept by the Registrar, who must record on it the particulars of instruments, caveats and other dealings affecting the land.

Where to search

Titles can be searched through the Spatial Information System (SPIN2) or a registry agent. Since May 29, 2025, you can also search and pay for titles in the Alberta Registry for Land Online (ARLO) by Plan/Block/Lot, title number, LINC or ATS legal description. Screens and steps may change as systems move toward ARLO, so follow the on-screen instructions.

Title search fees can change, so check the amount shown before you pay.

Step by step

• Collect the legal description, LINC or title number.
• Choose how to search: SPIN2, ARLO or a registry agent.
• Enter the identifier and confirm the parcel is the right one.
• Run the search in the system you chose, checking any fee shown before you pay, and follow the on-screen instructions to view the current title.
• Order any registered documents you want to read, using their registration numbers where needed.
• Read the title carefully and note anything you do not understand.

For historical (cancelled) titles you may need reference title numbers, the owner's name or a legal description, and some must be ordered from the relevant Land Titles and Surveys office. SPIN2 is also used for copies of documents with 9-digit registration numbers and registered plans.

How to read the results

A land title shows the current owner, mortgages, caveats, easements, contractor claims against the property and other registered interests.

A search reflects only what has been registered, and interests can arise without being on the title. Unpaid taxes, public highways and rights of way are examples.

A certificate of title is conclusive proof in all courts that the named holder is entitled to the land for the estate or interest stated, but this is subject to the exceptions in section 61 of the Land Titles Act and does not protect against fraud.

A caveat can be filed by a person claiming an interest in land, on grounds such as a will, trust deed, instrument of transfer, unregistered instrument or an Alberta statute. An instrument registered after a caveat and affecting the land is subject to the caveator's claim. A caveat may be withdrawn by the caveator or by the agent who signed it, but a caveat protecting an easement, party wall agreement, encroachment agreement or certain restrictive covenants with an identified dominant tenement may be withdrawn only by the registered owner of that dominant tenement.

When you see an easement on a title, it is worth knowing that no easement can be acquired by long use; it must be created by registered instrument or statute. A registered restrictive covenant can bind later owners, who are deemed to have notice of it. However, a registered restrictive covenant may be modified or discharged by court order if that is in the public interest.

Once a certificate of title is granted, no instrument is effectual to pass an estate or interest in the land unless it is executed and registered, although a leasehold of three years or less can pass without registration.

What to do next

Search close to your closing or decision date, since the title can change after you look. Documents received by Land Titles are processed by date received, so something recently submitted may not yet show. Requests are examined in the order they entered the Registrar's pending registration queue, and for current processing times Alberta directs users to SPIN II.

If you are registering a document rather than only searching, Alberta states that in-person counter service in Calgary and Edmonton will resume once registration turnaround time falls below 30 business days. Alberta has stated that the counters closed from September 15, 2025, and that completed packages may be submitted by mail, courier or drop-off.

The Land Titles Act also protects a bona fide purchaser who has made all reasonable efforts to confirm that the transferor or mortgagor is the registered owner. How this applies to your purchase depends on your situation, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer.

• Ask a lawyer to explain any caveat, easement or lien.
• Confirm the owner's name matches the seller.
• Ask about matters outside the title, such as taxes and municipal rules.

Frequently asked questions