Geo-Administrative Areas in Alberta are defined as land areas with explicitly established boundaries, set by legislation or by a government agency, for the purpose of managing and administering land use within the relevant ministry or authority. These areas are created to facilitate governance, planning, and administration of land resources, and their boundaries are legally recognized and enforced.
There are 54 boundaries included within the Base Feature Geo-Admin Bundle:
This representation of Alberta's boundaries accurately reflects the legal and administrative borders of the province.
District offices oversee local transportation infrastructure, management, permits, maintenance, planning and related development activities for highways and roads.
The first level of administrative organization established by Alberta Transportation for the management of roads, including both primary and secondary highways.
City status in Alberta is primarily determined by reaching a minimum population threshold of 10,000 and the density of development, with formal approval from Alberta Municipal Affairs.
Regions used by provincial ministries to organize, coordinate, and deliver a broad range of services and supports to older adults and their families: both person-centered and responsive to community circumstances.
Federal Government Department of National Defence’s Air Weapons Range is a designated area in Alberta used as a practice and firing range for military training exercises.
Federal Government Department of National Defence’s military bases are designated areas where various military activities occur to support the operations of the Canadian Armed Forces.
A land use zoning system established to guide the management and protection of public lands and resources, particularly in the foothills and eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Designated zones where geophysical exploration activities such as seismic surveys, test drilling, or other subsurface investigations are either entirely prohibited or subject to stringent restrictions.
These zones are used to implement closure orders and fire control orders, helping authorities manage wildfire risk and coordinate fire prevention and response activities.
Boundaries divide the province into three regions: Northeast, Northwest, and Southand are used to determine jurisdiction for fish and wildlife management across Alberta.
A designated area that groups water bodies with similar fish species and management needs, each governed by specific regulations to support sustainable fisheries.
A specific tract of public forest land where a company is granted long-term (typically 20-year, renewable) rights to establish, grow, harvest, and remove Crown timber.
Used to allocate timber harvesting rights to companies and individuals through a forest tenure system, which includes Forest Management Agreements, Timber Quotas, and Timber Permits.
Used for the prevention and control of damage to Alberta’s forests from threats such as fire, insects, disease, and other harmful agents.
Green Areas encompass the forested and less populated parts of the province, and White Areas are the settled and more populated regions, dominated by agricultural lands and private ownership.
The original foundation from 1948, when Alberta divided its public lands into two main zones for administrative and land management purposes: the Green Area and the White Area.
Points representing hamlets (parcels of land smaller than 1850 square metres), locality (unincorporated place or an area with scattered population) and townsites (federally administered village).
A Hamlet is an unincorporated community that must have at least five dwellings, with most parcels smaller than 1,850 square metres, and contain parcels for non-residential purposes.
Large regions where the population and tax base are insufficient for a self-sustaining municipality and too sparsely populated to support a conventional local government structure.
Federally designated land, held in trust by the Crown, managed under the Indian Act, and set aside for the exclusive use and benefit of a First Nation band.
Planning areas for the sustainable and equitable use of land or energy resources, ensuring that local priorities are addressed through detailed planning, stakeholder engagement, and alignment with broader policy goals.
The Sub-Regional Plans describe land-use zonation and objectives within individual defined planning areas, to guide development, conservation, and resource use.
A province-wide structure for coordinated land management provides a decision-making framework that reflects province-wide goals, principles, and priorities.
Self-governing, constitutionally recognized community with a collectively held land base, established to protect the culture, rights, and interests of the Métis people in Alberta.
MDs and counties are predominantly rural, encompassing farmland, Crown land, country residential subdivisions, and unincorporated communities, including those recognized as hamlet.
Boundaries within which the NRCB operates and regulates confined feeding operations and certain natural resource projects, as well as responding to complaints and providing oversight.
Areas where burning permits are not required by clients, intended to simplify burning regulations in certain zones where the wildfire risk and population density may be lower.
Council established to investigate, monitor, evaluate, plan, and promote practical measures to foster and advance general development in northern Alberta.
The province of Alberta is covered by 2838 complete and 269 partially complete 1:20 000 NTS blocks and is not part of the formal NRCan NTS program.
NRCan’s reference is based on degrees of latitude and longitude and is formed by intersecting every 1/4 degree of the meridians with every 1/2 degree of parallels. There are 15 - 50K tiles in one 250K tile.
The National Topographic System of Canada (NTS) grid is formed by intersecting every degree of the meridians with every two degrees of parallels. Alberta is covered by 45 - 250K blocks.
Network of lands managed to conserve natural landscapes, support biodiversity, provide outdoor recreation, and protect ecological, cultural, and heritage values.
Electoral divisions under the Alberta Electoral Divisions Act of May 16, 2003. This dataset is no longer valid and is of historical interest only.
Electoral divisions under the Alberta Electoral Divisions Act of December 2, 2010. This dataset reflects the legally valid boundaries for provincial general elections, superseding previous versions.
Boundaries of Alberta's 87 Provincial Electoral Divisions, which were enacted in December 2017 and came into effect for the 2019 provincial general election.
Areas designated for the protection of wildlife within 400-yard corridors of various road centre-lines in Alberta, where hunting is prohibited and the use of firearms is highly restricted.
Areas with high recreational use and amenities like information kiosks and interpretive signs; they are ideal for those seeking structured yet natural settings for camping, hiking, or day use.
Used to protect areas containing sensitive resources such as wildlife and their habitats, vegetation, soils and watersheds as well as to separate or manage conflicting recreational activities.
Primary units for commercial trapping in Alberta, allowing licensed trappers to hunt and trap fur-bearing animals within their designated area and lands described on the licence.
Delineated for environmental regulation and oversight and used to organize and manage workloads, regulatory activities, and environmental protection efforts across the province.
Areas used by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEP) to manage regulatory activities, workload distribution, and environmental oversight across the province.
Areas with a management intent statement and specific objectives and guidelines, which guide how resources are to be used, protected, or developed within that area.
An area designated through a Legislative Act in 1948 that provides for the conservation of the forests and the protection of the watersheds and rivers on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains.
Land surveyed prior to the Third System of Survey under the Dominion Land encompassing historical land divisions, Indigenous self-governing communities, and a robust support system for immigrants and refugees.
Southeastern Alberta rural area covering over five million acres, administered by a government-appointed body created in response to severe economic and environmental hardships of the 1930s.
A draw system for special hunting licences to manage hunting pressure on certain big game species and ensure sustainable wildlife populations.
Areas with a flexible governance model for areas with both urban and rural characteristics, to address the needs of communities who do not fit neatly into the standard categories.
Established primarily in resort areas with significant seasonal populations, these communities were created to give both permanent and seasonal residents a voice in local governance.
An urban municipality with at least 1,000 residents and the majority of buildings on parcels smaller than 1,850 m². When a town's population exceeds 10,000, its council may request a change to City status.
Historical treaty lands of Canada negotiated by First Nations treaty-making between 1867 - 1999 are significant to understanding land rights, Indigenous governance, and the history of Alberta.
Large, unincorporated communities within a Specialized Municipality that the provincial government recognizes as equivalent to a city for administrative and program delivery purposes.
Governed by elected councils, a Village can occur when the majority of buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1850 square meters and there is a population of 300 or more.
Geographic areas used for the management, conservation, and regulation of wildlife populations and hunting activities across the province.
