How to Find Your Property Boundaries in Nova Scotia

Fences, hedges, old stone walls and driveways often look like boundaries, but they do not always sit on the real lot line. If you are planning a shed, a fence, a new addition or a sale, you want to know where your land actually starts and stops.

Finding your boundary is usually a step-by-step process. You begin with paper and mapping records, then decide whether you need someone to confirm or mark the line on the ground.

This article covers the law of Nova Scotia.

Start with your deed and its description

Your deed, or the document you received when you bought, contains a legal description of the land. That description is what defines the parcel on paper. Look through your closing documents for it, because your lawyer will usually have given you a copy.

In Nova Scotia, a document relating to a registered parcel may describe the land in one of three ways: the full text of the legal description, a short form legal description, or the PID for the registered parcel as at the date of registration or recording. So your deed may show a long written description, or it may simply refer to a number.

Keep in mind that a written description can be hard to picture. Older descriptions may refer to neighbours, roads or landmarks that have changed over time, which is one reason people turn to maps and surveys.

Find your PID and why it matters

A PID is a parcel identification number. A parcel register must contain the PID assigned to the parcel. Think of it as the parcel's reference number, and the key you use to look it up in provincial records.

• Check your deed, closing documents or property tax paperwork for the PID.
• Use the PID, not just the civic address, when you search records, since it points to the specific parcel.
• Confirm that the PID you are using matches the land you believe you own.

Use Property Online for mapping

Property Online is the Province's online real property information system. It gives browser-based query access to provincial mapping and electronic document submission. Users must subscribe and sign a user agreement.

For a homeowner, this means you can look at provincial mapping to see the general shape and location of your parcel and the parcels around it. It is useful for getting oriented before you spend money on anything else.

Be realistic about what a map shows. A map image helps you understand the layout, but it does not place a stake in the ground. If a precise answer matters, for example in a dispute with a neighbour, a map alone is usually not enough.

Lawyers who submit documents electronically must be an authorized lawyer with Property Online. An authorized lawyer must hold a current Property Online authorized lawyer user agreement with the Minister and a pre-authorized debit agreement between their law firm and the Minister. Most documents are submitted electronically by authorized lawyers.

What if your parcel has no PID?

Some parcels have no PID. If that is your situation, the owner must request one using Form 1 before submitting a Parcel Description Certification Application.

This is a technical process, and the steps can depend on how your land was originally described. A lawyer can tell you whether it applies to you and help with the paperwork.

When to involve a lawyer and a land surveyor

The province recommends a lawyer for real property transactions, including identifying the correct PID and matching the legal description to the parcel. That matching step is exactly what matters when you are trying to understand a boundary.

A Nova Scotia land surveyor is the professional who measures the land and can mark the lot lines on the ground. You are likely to want one when:

• a neighbour disagrees about where the line is
• you plan to build or put up a fence close to the edge of your lot
• the deed description is old, unclear or does not seem to match what is on the ground
• you are buying or selling and want certainty about the land

Rules about survey requirements, what a survey must show and what it costs depend on the situation, so ask your lawyer or surveyor before you commit.

What to do next

• Find your deed and closing documents, and read the legal description.
• Locate your PID and confirm it matches your land.
• Look at the provincial mapping through Property Online, or ask your lawyer to look it up for you.
• Compare the map and description with fences, walls and landmarks on the ground, without assuming they mark the line.
• If anything does not match, or a neighbour is involved, speak with a lawyer first and then a Nova Scotia land surveyor.
• Hold off on building near the edge of your lot until the line is confirmed.

If a disagreement is already under way, keep your records and avoid moving or removing fences or markers until you have had advice.

Frequently asked questions