Overview

The Office of the Surveyor General oversees all:

  • surveys of Crown land
  • legal descriptions of Crown land

It also maintains:

  • a database of official geographic features and place names
  • all Crown land survey records
  • lot and concession information (cadastre) for mapping and legal purposes
  • a database of georeferenced control points (COSINE)
  • the boundaries of Ontario and all Crown land parcels

Information for surveyors

To survey Crown land and mining claims on Crown land, you must follow the “Instructions Governing Ontario Crown Land Surveys and Plans - August 2020 (PDF)”.

These instructions are published for Ontario land surveyors, licensed under the Surveyors Act.

They provide guidance and direction to Ontario land surveyors retained to perform Crown land surveys under the authority of the Public Lands Act, Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, and the Mining Act.

The August 2020 update includes:

  • eliminating the requirement for survey firms to purchase a duplicate plan from the Land Registry, removing this burden from businesses
  • a more streamlined process for reviewing mining returns to align with the new Mining Act and to provide more clarity to the survey and mining industry
  • updated technical specifications to ensure modern survey methods, technology and standards are employed within the survey industry and that land surveys are conducted efficiently

If you require this information in an alternative format, email crownlandsurveys@ontario.ca.

To request Crown land survey records

Anyone can request Crown land survey records from the Office of the Surveyor General.

Email your request to surveyrecords@ontario.ca.

Include the following in your email:

  • geographic township
  • lot
  • concession

You may also include the:

  • survey date
  • surveyor
  • purpose or the type of plan

For more information

For general inquires about land surveying or Crown land surveys, contact us at:

Email: crownlandsurveys@ontario.ca
Phone: 705-755-2100