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Public lands fee updates

Changes to fees, rental rates and surface material royalties.

Overview

Under the Public Lands Act, under section 9.1, the Minister may set fees, rents and other amounts payable for the use of public lands.

Public lands fees

Alberta Forestry and Parks (the ministry) has standardized public lands fees to provide consistency across all disposition types — industrial, commercial, recreational and agricultural. These fees do not impact dispositions regulated by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER).

Public lands fees table

Application for a new disposition
Licence of Occupation (DLO)$900
Recreational Miscellaneous Lease (REC)$900
Pipeline Agreement (DPL)$900
Pipeline Installation Lease (DPI)$900
Right of Way Easement (EZE)$900
Vegetation Control Easement (VCE)$900
Commercial/Industrial Miscellaneous Lease (DML)$1,800
Land Review Request (LRR)$1,050
Public Land Sale (PLS)$1,050
Public Land Exchange (PLE)$1,050
Surface Material Licence (SMC)$445
Surface Material Exploration (SME)$525
Surface Material Lease (SML)$1,100
Tourism and Commercial Recreation Lease (TCL)$1,800
Application for other activities
Application for new Consultative Notation$785
Application for an amendment or consolidation for any disposition$400
Application for a renewal for any disposition$400
Application for an assignment of any disposition$3,150
Application for a permit issued pursuant to section 144 (1) (b) to the Public Lands Administration Regulation$450
The deposit on appraisals for the sale application of public land. The deposit is applied towards the sale price of the land if the transaction is approved.$2,000
Reinstatement for any disposition$400
Register a conditional surrender of lease for a DML, GRL, FDL, or SML$400
Application for a reclamation certificate$400
Disposition Mapping fee – New application plan$125
Disposition Mapping fee – Amendment plan$50

Additional notes:

  • Except for the disposition mapping fees, all of the fees do not apply to transactions initiated by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, a municipality or an organization as defined by the Rural Utilities Act in Alberta.
  • All fees are non-refundable.
  • Security deposit is required for all dispositions, some exceptions may apply.

Surface material royalties

Surface material royalties are not indexed to inflation automatically. Prior to 2015, royalties had not been adjusted to reflect market conditions since the early 1990s. Royalty increases reflect the current value of this resource, which has increased exponentially along with Alberta’s population and the administrative costs of the program.

Surface material royalty rates table

Royalty rate (per cubic yard)
Gravel$1.20
Combination of Sand and Gravel$1.20
Manufacturing Clay$1.00
Sand$0.70
Silica Sand$0.70
Topsoil$0.40
Non-Manufacturing Clay$0.20
Silt$0.20
Marl$0.10
Peat$0.10
Surcharges for licences issued at public pits (per cubic yard)
Reclamation surcharge for pits not operated by the ministry$0.10
Surcharge for reclamation, management and administration of pits operated by the ministry is payable in an amount established with respect to the specific pitVaries

Security deposit for surface material lease or surface material licence

Cash deposits of $1,000 per acre, but not less than $250 per acre if circumstances warrant, on the approved operating areas or acceptable negotiable security in a similar amount.

Varies

Invoicing

The ministry administers the collection of public land rent, fees and other charges associated with regulatory decisions issued by both the ministry and the AER.

If you have a concern about your invoice, please contact the ministry and ensure you have the following information:

  • Disposition number (for example, DLO123456, DML123456)
  • Disposition holder name
  • Date of invoice in question
  • Amount of invoice in question

Contact

Connect with Energy and Minerals for invoicing:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-7705
Email: [email protected]

Connect with Public Lands Disposition Management for general inquiries:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Toll free: 310-LAND (5263) or 1-833-310-5689
Email: [email protected]