Preparing a certificate of location for a lease on water property in the domain of the State

Individuals that apply for right may be required to hire a land surveyor for the production of a certificate of location showing the leased site. The certificate must show all structures that encroach on the water property in the domain of the State and state the size of the leased area. The certificate will then be attached to the applicant’s lease.

A certificate of location prepared by a land surveyor is required in the following instances: 

• For-profit leases 
• Public access leases in favour of a municipality or organization
• Breakwaters 
• Landings for more than six watercraft 
• Marinas 
• Beaches 
• Backfill or median strips 

The land surveyor must download the files in ZIP format (ZIP 3.40 Mb) (French) needed to fulfill the mandate. The ZIP files contain the following:

• General instructions
• Special instructions for preparing a certificate of location to be attached to a beach, water structure or marina lease. Examples of each are also available
• Graphic framework

The land surveyor should submit a Request concerning the boundaries of the waters in the domain of the State (French) to the Direction principale des opérations hydriques (DPOH)—Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP). This is required to receive the information about the property in MELCC files and enables full comprehension of the area to be surveyed. With that information in hand, the surveyor can:

• Conduct a field survey 
• Prepare the certificate of location  
• Submit a preliminary version of the certificate of location to the Direction principale des opérations hydriques for validation and approval 
• Forward five certified true copies of the certificate of location to the Direction.