Planning & Development

Subdividing Land

An application for subdivision can be found here

You may complete the subdivision application yourself or have an Alberta Land Surveyor or a professional planner represent you. Council has appointed Municipal Planning Services (2009) Ltd. to be the Subdivision Authority for Smoky Lake County. Applications for Subdivision are available at the County Office or on our website and can be submitted with fees to Municipal Planning Services (2009) Ltd. at #208, 17511-107 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5S 1E5.

Once a subdivision application is approved, you will be mailed the conditional approval along with a copy of the approved tentative plan. A conditional subdivision approval is valid for a period of one year. The conditional approval and approved tentative plan from Municipal Planning Services (MPS) must then be submitted to an Alberta Land Surveyor to have the appropriate document prepared (such as a “Descriptive Plan” or “Plan of Survey”).

The final survey plan must then be submitted to Smoky Lake County and MPS. Subsequently, a Development Agreement can be prepared and executed between the landowner and the County. Once the Development Agreement is executed and all conditions of the subdivision have been met, you may contact the County and MPS for final endorsement. Once the plan has been endorsed it may be registered at Land Titles Office.

What is subdivision?

Subdivision is a legal process where land is divided into two or more parcels in order to obtain a separate land title for each parcel. This process is governed by the Province of Alberta’s Subdivision and Development Regulations, the Smoky Lake County’s Municipal Development Plan and the Land Use Bylaw, and is administered by Smoky Lake County. The number of times land can be subdivided depends on the scale and location of the proposed subdivision. Special considerations impacting the subdivision process include provincial highways, water-bodies, topography and abandoned well-sites. The type of criteria required to evaluate applications and the associated development conditions, reflect the scale and impact to the local community.

What is a Development Agreement?

A Development Agreement is a legal document that details a developer’s obligations and the standards required by the County including, but not limited to, access to the development, construction of the internal subdivision roads, site drainage requirements, water and wastewater servicing, the installation of other utilities, and the improvements required to reserve and other open space areas in the proposed development. Financial security, typically in the form of a letter of credit, could be requested by the County to ensure that the necessary work is carried out by the developer.