Frequently Asked E-Land Registry Questions

1. After paper plans are removed from the LRO, and they are online, how do I access a full scale print of a plan?
2. After a vault is closed to clients for searching of paper records, what is the process to request to view the original copy of a plan or document if the image or part of the image they need is unreadable?
3. What if I need a certified copy of a plan where the original had been colour coded?
4. Will clients be charged a fee for such requests?
5. A plan may be colour-coded and online images are black and white, which makes it difficult to identify the area highlighted by color outline.
6. How long will it take for the online replacement image of a plan or document to be made available in POL?
7. Why are some online plans in colour?
8. Some plans were digitized from microfilm, and the approval stamp may have been on the back of the plan. How will the client retrieve this information?
9. Will the client have to pay an access fee when the only reason for the visit to the Land Registration Office is to obtain a copy of a plan due to the fact that the online image is not readable or partly not readable?
10. In Halifax where some of the plans were digitized from microfilm, for some of the microfilmed plans the original microfilming was done at a very slight scale reduction. Does this mean I am not able to get a full scale print-out of the plan from the image?
11. The online e-land status page indicates a site is e-land but I see documents or plans with no image? What is the definition of e-land?

After paper plans are removed from the LRO, and they are online, how do I access a full scale print of a plan?

The full plot to scale of any online plan can be purchased from any regional office where there is a large format plotter/printer (Halifax, Pictou, Sydney, Bridgewater, and Lawrencetown). Please refer to our fees schedule for pricing.

Back to top

After a vault is closed to clients for searching of paper records, what is the process to request to view the original copy of a plan or document if the image or part of the image they need is unreadable?

The image quality issue is reported through Ask Property Online A Question and the Document/Plan Imaging Team will make all attempts to improve upon the existing online image. If need be, the original be will be requested from offsite storage to be re-scanned to replace the current image online.

Back to top

What if I need a certified copy of a plan where the original had been colour coded?

The certified copy can only be made in black and white. If there is absolutely no way to identity the area referred to as being outlined in colour/described by colour outline, the client can request the original paper plan from the offsite storage through Ask Property Online A Question in order to allow the lawyer/searcher to confirm the colored/outlined area on the original. The certified copy should be requested from the LRO following the usual process; it will be produced from the online image and certified by the Registrar to be a true copy of the registered document/plan.

Back to top

Will clients be charged a fee for such requests?

The client will not be charged a fee for the retrieval of an original to be rescanned if the quality of the image online was less than that of the original and prevents the user from completing his/her work.

Back to top

A plan may be colour-coded and online images are black and white, which makes it difficult to identify the area highlighted by color outline.

For many years we have been warning that colour should not be used on documents and plans submitted to the Land Registry. All documents and plans are scanned in black and white and the coloured lines will not be readable in colour. In most cases where a different colour was used to outline an area, the darker line in black and white indicates where the areas are. Often the related interest document that describes the area in metes and bounds is enough to describe/identify the area on the plan outlined in colour. If there is absolutely no way to identity the area on the plan described by colour, the client can request the original paper plan from the offsite storage through Ask Property Online A Question if it is not available on site (the plans that come in daily for registration will be kept on site until they are available on line after they go through the Quality Control process).

Back to top

How long will it take for the online replacement image of a plan or document to be made available in POL?

A client should expect a two-day turnaround if a plan must be retrieved from offsite storage to be rescanned. However, many requests are filled well within that time period. The two day turn around rule does not apply where documents and plans have not been removed from the County offices.

Back to top

Why are some online plans in colour?

There were some cases where registered plans with colour outlines could not be scanned to produce an accurate representation of the original. In these cases there was no other option but to scan in colour. Our rule is that the online image should be as readable and reproducible as the original. Colour scanning was sometimes our only option to adhere to this rule.

Back to top

Some plans were digitized from microfilm, and the approval stamp may have been on the back of the plan. How will the client retrieve this information?

If the approval date information is not viewable on the image and the plan index does not have this information, the client can request this information and it will be retrieved from document storage; during this process the approval information will be placed in the plan index.

Back to top

Will the client have to pay an access fee when the only reason for the visit to the Land Registration Office is to obtain a copy of a plan due to the fact that the online image is not readable or partly not readable?

In the unlikely event that an image is not readable and no image "fix” is possible using the original image file, we would retrieve the plan from offsite storage and re-scan and replace it online. If the method required to replace the image online creates too much of a time delay, a copy of the original plan may be sent to the client or be left at the LRO for pick-up by the client. If the client was coming to the LRO to pick up a plan only, there would be no access fee.

Back to top

In Halifax where some of the plans were digitized from microfilm, for some of the microfilmed plans the original microfilming was done at a very slight scale reduction. Does this mean I am not able to get a full scale print-out of the plan from the image?

The full plot to scale of any online plan can be purchased from any regional office where there is a large format plotter/printer (Halifax, Pictou, Sydney, Bridgewater and Lawrencetown). The slight scale reduction is so insignificant that the difference would not be noticeable on a full plan print out.

Back to top

The online e-land status page indicates a site is e-land but I see documents or plans with no image? What is the definition of e-land?

Land Registration Offices are deemed e-Land when the scanning of plan and document inventory is complete and the original inventory has been removed from the site.

In some Land Registration Offices additional indexing may be required for the oldest volumes. For example some offices have Grant, Will, Proprietors and Farm Loan Board books that have the index at the beginning of the book and require staff to index before uploads can take place.

For plans we have similar issues in that the complete plan inventory has been scanned but index entries may require additional attributes or corrections before the scanned plans can be linked and uploaded. This work is being done as quickly as possible but until then we appreciate the searching community notifying us of anything that’s not online so we can address those issues in a timely manner.

Back to top