Leasing Crown Land

The Department of Natural Resources (NR&R) oversees and authorizes activities on Crown land in Nova Scotia. Crown lands are considered public assets which can be used for such things as economic development, recreation, and protection of biodiversity. NR&R has adopted a proactive approach to land asset management and has identified that availability of Crown lands can be an important component for economic and social enterprises and for community development. The Crown Land Leasing Policy sets out the process for leasing Crown land.

One of the authorities used to manage Crown lands are long-term land leases. Leases can be issued in response to an application or as a result of a public tendering process initiated by NR&R. To assist those interested in using Crown land, a user guide has been developed (Guidelines for the Preparation of Crown Land Lease Applications ). The guide explains the process and requirements for applying for a Crown land lease.

The Guidelines outline the following topics (for a copy of the guidelines click on the PDF link):

  1. General information on accessing Crown land;
  2. Eligibility
  3. How to make an application;
  4. Requirements of a development plan;
  5. Fees and other requirements such as land surveys, land market value appraisals and financial securities and/or performance bonds;
  6. Renewal and monitoring for lease compliance.