The Subdivision Process

Applying for Subdivision

The Application Form

Please send us a completed Subdivision Application form to apply. You can also pick the form up at the County Office. You can either complete the form yourself or have an Alberta Land Surveyor or a professional planner assist you.

When filling out your application, make sure to include:

• A sketch of the property including the location, dimension, and boundaries of the existing parcel, and of the proposed new parcel(s)
• The location of all existing buildings, water supply, and sewage systems. Indicate the distances between each of these, as well as the distances to the property line
• Features such as treed areas, sloughs, creeks, steep slopes, pipelines, and oil or gas wells
• A current title search that's been printed within the last 30 days

Depending on your application, we may require other information.

Title Searches

You may order a title search through most licensing agencies, or through the County for a fee.

Application Fees

The fees payable to the County are as follows:

To subdivide out a single parcel from a quarter section, the fee will be $400.00.

Other subdividing costs include the fees of the Alberta Land Surveyor to prepare the Plan for registration, and the cost of registering the Plan at the Land Titles Office. Depending of the details of the subdivision proposal, there may be other costs to get additional information. For example, a multi-parcel Subdivision Application may require soil and water tests.

After Approval

Once your Subdivision Application is approved, you will be mailed the approval along with a copy of the approved tentative plan. You must then take the approval documents from the County to an Alberta Land Surveyor to have the appropriate document prepared (such as a Descriptive Plan or Plan of Legal Survey). Once this plan is prepared and all conditions of the subdivision have been met, your surveyor will send the plan to us for final approval. Once approved, your surveyor will take the approved plan to a Land Titles Office. Once you have done that, your land has been subdivided! Congratulations!

How Long Does It Take?

The County has 20 days to decide if the application is complete. Once accepted as complete, we have sixty days to send the application to referral agencies and affected parties, and to issue a decision on the application. The authority will approve the plan when all the conditions of the approval have been met. We will return the plans to the surveyor to be registered at Land Titles.

Appealing a Subdivision Decision

You may appeal the decision of the subdivision authority if the subdivision has been refused, or if you object to the conditions of approval. Learn more about the appeal process!

Council, affected school authorities, and Provincial Government Departments may also appeal a subdivision decision. Landowners and residents near your subdivision do not have the right to appeal.

You must send your appeal, along with the appeal fee of $100.00 within 14 days after receiving the decision to:

Saddle Hills County

ATTENTION: Tracy Lapping

RR#1, Junction of Highways 49 and 725

Spirit River, AB, T0H 3G0

The Subdivision and Development Appeal Board will hear the appeal at a set date. Very rarely, the appeal may go to the Municipal Government Board. Whether or not this is the case will be noted in your approval letter.

Can I subdivide my land?

The County's Land Use Bylaw provides the maximum number of parcels that you may subdivide from a quarter section, the size restrictions of a parcel, and the uses allowed for that parcel. If the intended use is not allowable on a particular parcel because of zoning, it may be necessary to amend the Land Use Bylaw. Contact the Planning Department for information on subdividing or to amend the Land use Bylaw.

How do I apply?

Forms are available at the Saddle Hills County Complex, or you can download them here. You can either complete the form yourself or have an Alberta Land Surveyor or a professional planner represent you.

A sketch of the property showing the location, dimensions and boundaries of the existing parcel and of the proposed new parcel(s) must be included with the subdivision application form. You must show the location of all existing buildings, any water supply, and any sewage system. You must also indicate the distances between each of these structures, and their distances to the property line. You must also indicate features such as treed areas, sloughs, creeks, steep slopes, pipelines, and oil or gas wells. You must also attach a current title search (i.e. printed within the last 30 days) to your subdivision application. You can order a title search through most licensing agencies, or through the County for a $15 fee. Depending on the details of your application, other information may be required.

Once your Subdivision Application is approved, you will be mailed the approval along with a copy of the approved tentative plan. You must then take the approval documents from the County to an Alberta Land Surveyor to have the appropriate document prepared (such as a Descriptive Plan or Plan of Legal Survey). Once this plan is prepared and all conditions of the subdivision have been met, your surveyor will send the plan to us for final approval. Once approved, your surveyor will take the approved plan to a Land Titles Office. Once you have done that, your land has been subdivided! Congratulations!

What are the fees?

The fees payable to the County are as follows:

First Parcel to the County:

To subdivide out a single parcel from a quarter section, the fee will be $400.00.

Other subdividing costs include the fees of the Alberta Land Surveyor to prepare the Plan for registration, and the cost of registering the Plan at the Land Titles Office. Depending of the details of the subdivision proposal, there may be other costs to get additional information. For example, a multi-parcel Subdivision Application may require soil and water tests.

How long does it take?

The County has 20 days to decide if the application is complete. Once accepted as complete, we have sixty days to send the application to referral agencies and affected parties, and to issue a decision on the application. The authority will approve the plan when all the conditions of the approval have been met. We will return the plans to the surveyor to be registered at Land Titles.

Can I appeal a subdivision decision?

The applicant may appeal the decision of the subdivision authority if the subdivision has been refused or if there is an objection to one or more of the conditions of approval. Under certain circumstances, government departments may appeal a subdivision decision, but adjacent landowners/residents do not have the right of appeal. An appeal, along with the appeal fee of $100.00, must be submitted within 14 days of receipt of the decision and addressed to the Secretary of the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board at RR 1, Spirit River, AB, T0H 3G0. Either the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board or the Municipal Government Board will hear the appeal.