How To Order Land Titles

[DarkAisling]

Figure I've been keeping this "secret" long enough. Anyone can do it (providing you have a credit card), and it is perfectly legal. You can not, however, legally resell or share the titles you've ordered with others.

In Internet Explorer, go to https://alta.registries.gov.ab.ca/spinii/logon.aspx

Click on "Guest Login" in the light mint coloured bar.



Click on "I Agree"



No need to create a private account.

Click on "Search" (mint text in the white bar)



Click on "Titles and Registered Documents"



Decide how you are going to search. For this example I'll use "Standard ATS"



Enter the location you would like ownership info for (I'm using numbers I've pulled out of the air). Set "Rights Type" to "Surface," and click "Search" (sorry, took screen shot before I entered the numbers, but you'll see them on the next screen shot).



Check the box beside the title you would like (choose the current title), and click "Add to Cart." When it has been added to your cart, red text will appear above the ATS location to indicate that it has been successful. To purchase the title, click on "Shopping Cart" (mint coloured text, in the white bar . . . beside the "Search" text).



Confirm your delivery option (Email is usually best), and click "Checkout"



Fill out the required information (email address, and credit card information), and click "Finalize Checkout"



The title you've ordered will be delivered to you shortly, via the method you requested. You will not receive a phone number, but you will receive the land owner's name and mailing address: enough to at least fire off a letter to ask for permission to access the private land.

And, I will reiterate that this is public information. It does not fall under any privacy act, and it is not protected information.

[hal53]

Wonder how that doesn't fall under the privacy act???...oh well....could be interesting when a bunch of land owners start getting e-mail requests for access!!!...LOL!!!!

[DarkAisling]

Originally Posted by hal53

Wonder how that doesn't fall under the privacy act???...oh well....could be interesting when a bunch of land owners start getting e-mail requests for access!!!...LOL!!!!

The landowner's email address is not provided on the title. It is the mailing address that is provided.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by hal53

Wonder how that doesn't fall under the privacy act???...oh well....could be interesting when a bunch of land owners start getting e-mail requests for access!!!...LOL!!!!

this service has actually been around for years. A lot of permit agents get their info here.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by DarkAisling

The landowner's email address is not provided on the title. It is the mailing address that is provided.

Oh, I see...that's kind of cool then...good place to start when looking for access.....neat

[Double Shovel]

As a landowner, If I received a letter and someone was asking permision to hunt on my land, I would probably throw it out. If you can't phone and or show up to ask, you don't need to hunt. I always tell people who phone looking for money for donations,"you show up at my door and we will talk".
Probably your best way to gain permission, show up on there door.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by Double Shovel

As a landowner, If I received a letter and someone was asking permision to hunt on my land, I would probably throw it out. If you can't phone and or show up to ask, you don't need to hunt. I always tell people who phone looking for money for donations,"you show up at my door and we will talk".
Probably your best way to gain permission, show up on there door.

I agree...but I think the point was to know "who's" door you're showing up at???...maybe...IMHO

[DarkAisling]

Originally Posted by hal53

I agree...but I think the point was to know "who's" door you're showing up at???...maybe...IMHO

Many people don't live anywhere near the land they own. They can be hundreds of kilometers away. Also, it is entirely possible that a renter could mascaraed as an owner.

How someone chooses to ask permission is really of no consequence to me, I have merely provided the means for someone to determine who owns a piece of land and where that person may be contacted (without having to go into a registry office).

[hal53]

^^^ that was my point...good tool for people from out of the area to get a good starting point....nice idea....

[sigma1]

Great way to buy that remote piece of land that nobody knows who owns. Picked up my old stompin grounds this way, 80 acres against a ducks unlimited project for 15000 all treed and highland, all it took was an offer sent to the owner.

[albertadave]

How much does it cost? Just curious.

[DarkAisling]

Originally Posted by albertadave

How much does it cost? Just curious.

Oops. $10 a title.

[albertadave]

Thanks.

$10 for a single title? yikes, I think I will stick with my county maps...

[mikeo2]

I use it all the time for work and hunting. The hunting use is when the county map says a farm name or an Alberta limited company, the land title will give you the given and family name of the owner.

[Cattle Dog]

Thank you , Shelley: that was very good info; i will have to try it.

While i use M.D. maps for ownership, this is good info if you are looking at a vacant lot, or property to buy: it should show the owner and mortgage holder, and liens, etc.

Agree with showing up in person to ask permission; some of us like to tell the hunter where he may or may not hunt; and what he is allowed to hunt and what he isn't alloweed to hunt. Also, if another hunter is already in a thicket of trees, then the farmer doesn;t want the new hunter going in and ruining the first guy's hunting.

[DarkAisling]

Originally Posted by Cattle Dog

While i use M.D. maps for ownership, this is good info if you are looking at a vacant lot, or property to buy: it should show the owner and mortgage holder, and liens, etc.

They are very useful, and they do give all of that info.

Also, if the owner holds the water rights on the land, that will also be specified on the title. All of the titles I've ordered for my own personal use have been to determine water rights: can I fish there or not?

[densa44]

If you buy a county map. The map will show all the registered owners of the land 1/4 section in size. It will also show where the houses are.

I'm with the other land owner who responded, I'd like to know with whom I am speaking.

If you a bit about farming, you can guess where the person who is farming the land lives, pretty close anyway. Knock on the door with the map, you may be pleasantly surprised what you will find out. Mark on the map the local info you receive, the hood of a truck works great for this purpose.

Get the names of the people who are still on the land and are the farmers.

I always offered some of what we got, if they were interested, one great hunt, we took their teen aged son, we had a fine time.

The land titles are not as useful as before because so much land is rented.

[northerntrapper]

Just a word of caution on using the 'county' or MD maps. The one's up here are not accurate and could get you into trouble. They don't seem interested in correcting them, just selling them. I've bought two, about 5 years apart, and they both went into the recycle bin.

[DarkAisling]

Originally Posted by northerntrapper

Just a word of caution on using the 'county' or MD maps. The one's up here are not accurate and could get you into trouble. They don't seem interested in correcting them, just selling them. I've bought two, about 5 years apart, and they both went into the recycle bin.

They can be a good place to start, but you are correct that they can't be relied on to be accurate or up to date.

I work in a legal land survey firm, and there is not a single county/MD map in our office. They simply don't meet our needs for accuracy. Whenever accurate ownership information is required we pull titles, and there are times when I will look at hundreds of titles in a week.

[DarkAisling]

Giving this a bump, as I have had two requests for land title info in the last two days.