Alberta province-wide · Bow · Oldman · South Saskatchewan
Sold-archive comparables, a moderated buy and sell board, and province-wide FITFIR priority ranking on the EPA active licence export. Confirm every authorization in the Environmental Records Viewer before you file.
Bill 7 came into force March 11, 2026, the first real Water Act update in over 25 years. Section 81.1 now requires transfer applicants to submit their agreements and the price paid, and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is drafting what becomes public. As those prices surface, the firm with the cleanest comparable set answers the question every transfer turns on: what is allocation worth in this basin right now. Water Register is building that record.
Alberta water rights run on prior appropriation: first in time, first in right. The Water Act received Royal Assent in 1996 and came into force January 1, 1999, formalizing licences under Crown ownership, FITFIR seniority, and statutory transfer of allocation between holders (Sections 81–83). When watersheds hit allocation limits, the province closed them to new surface licences. The Bow, Oldman, and lower South Saskatchewan sub-basins closed in 2006. Since then, most new surface allocation in those areas has come through permanent or temporary transfers between existing licence holders, not new diversions.
The Water Amendment Act (Bill 7) took effect March 11, 2026, the first major amendment since the Act came into force. Lower-risk inter-basin transfers can now proceed by Ministerial Order if they pass environmental tests; larger or higher-risk moves still need a special Act of the Legislature. Transfer applicants must submit their agreements and any price paid (Section 81.1). Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is still drafting what becomes public. Bill 7 also streamlined licensing decisions, reduced the default environmental holdback on transfers, allowed rooftop rainwater harvesting and wastewater reuse, and merged the Peace, Slave, and Athabasca into one administrative basin.
Closure stops most new Crown surface licences. It does not stop all water use. Growth in closed basins usually comes from transfers between existing holders, not fresh diversions. Open basins still accept new grants, with the same transfer and amendment paths available everywhere.
Water Register classifies each EPA export row by instrument (licence type) on every tier, and by inferred origin (original grant vs transfer vs amendment) on Professional. The framework is public; ERV remains the system of record.
Pathway reference and methodology Why the SSRB closed Explore licences
Get notified when Alberta Environment and Protected Areas publishes transfer prices under Section 81.1 for your watershed.
Search and filter the provincial water licence export from Alberta Open Government. Filter by licence number, holder, watershed, priority date, volume, and purpose. Free tier shows the results table; Professional adds full licence detail, ATS location, diversion map, CSV export, and closed-watershed bulk filters.
Workflow guides for the teams that run transfer diligence, closed-basin planning, and market research. View all guides.
After approval, feature any listing ($249 CAD, 60 days pinned placement).