Overview

A Crown Patent is a legal document that is used to transfer Crown land (land held by the federal or provincial government in the name of the monarch) to a private owner.

A Crown Patent includes:

  • the name of the person buying the property from the Crown
  • the purchase price
  • a description of the land
  • the date of the patent
  • any conditions or reservations the patent was subject to when it was issued

Conditions and reservations

Conditions are limits that the Crown placed on the use of the land when the patent was issued. For example, some patents stated that the land was only to be used for agricultural purposes.

Reservations are rights kept by the Crown (e.g., minerals, trees, the right to construct roads).

Most Crown Patents contain reservations and conditions. Some of these no longer apply, but many still do. Those that do can sometimes be released. If your property is subject to reservations or conditions you would like removed, you can apply to your ministry work centre.

Crown Patents and Crown Patent Records

A Crown Patent shows what rights were given to the buyer and/or reserved for the Crown at the time it was issued.

Many original Crown Patents have been lost, but the ministry maintains a microfiche record of every Crown Patent that has been issued by the province. These are called Crown Patent Records.

Getting a copy of the Crown Patent or Crown Patent Record will not change the rights you got when you bought or inherited the property.

Where to get a copy of a Crown Patent or Crown Patent Record

You can get a copy of a Crown Patent from:

  • your local Land Registry Office (patents issued since the mid-1960s and patents issued for land governed by the land titles system of registration, primarily Northern Ontario)

You can get a copy of a Crown Patent Record from the ministry.

How to get a copy of a Crown Patent Record

To get a copy of a Crown Patent Record:

  • download and complete the request form
  • submit it to the address indicated on the form

If you want to get a Crown Patent registered today at the Land Registry Office, and do not have the original, you need to get a certified copy of the record.

For more information

If you have questions about how to order a copy of a Crown Patent Record call: 1-888-551-5552