Land Lease Communities

A land-lease community (LLC) is a type of housing tenure where the resident owns their home but leases the land on which their home is situated.

In HRM, land-lease communities are regulated by the Land-lease Communities By-law (By-law L-500). Community operators are required to obtain an annual operating license and meet minimum operating standards for services and infrastructure. Applications for an operating license will be made through the Permitting, Planning, Licensing & Compliance Customer Portal.

The placement of individual homes and the construction of accessory buildings within LLCs is regulated by the Halifax County Mobile Home Park By-law or the City of Dartmouth Mobile Homes and Mobile Home Parks By-law, depending on their location.

For more information, please refer to Land-lease Communities: Supplemental Guide to By-law L-500.

Complaints

Complaints regarding a land-lease community can be made to 311 for Licensing inquiries and assistance with applications, and Compliance concerns, inquiries, and complaints. Licensing Support staff will respond within 3 business days.

Further Information

Have further questions about land-lease communities or permitting requirements? Please contact licensing@halifax.ca.

How to set up a new account in the Customer Portal

• Go to the Permitting, Planning, Licensing & Compliance Customer Portal and under 'Register', click here to register.
• After setting up the Customer Account, the next step within the process will be to set up a Business Account - both are required to apply. Follow the instructions in How to Create a Business Profile to have this portion of the account set up to be able to proceed.
• Once the accounts are set up, follow the details in the next step.

Applying for an Annual Land-lease Community License

• On the main 'Apply for a New Business License' application page, click on the option for the Land-lease Community application under that section.
• When entering the application, the draft application number will be noted at the top of the page. 
• Details: 
  • Enter in the 'Activity Start Date' which will be the start date of your application. This will either be today's date for a new application, or the date the previous license is set to expire. 
• If you set up your business account prior to starting the application, choose it in the 'Existing Business' dropdown, if not, choose 'New Business' at the top, and create it now following the How to Create a Business Profile steps.
• Documents Required: Depending on the location of the land-lease community, it will be regulated by the Bylaw L-500: Respecting the Construction and Operation of Land-lease Communities. 
  ALL land-lease communities, regardless if they are on Halifax Water, require water testing quarterly for drinking water (microbiological quality), and annually for Chemical and Physical Quality testing.  
  • The following documents will depend on the location:
    • NS Power Annual Inspection Report
    • NSECC Facilities Registration Letter
    • NSECC Sewage Treatment Plant Operating Approval
    • Playground Inspection Report
  • Click the '+Upload File button to upload all required documents then hit 'Next'.
• On the Submit Application Page:
  • Check off the Customer Attestation box after reading the information and agreeing to it.
  • Confirm all details are correct, and the correct license is being applied for
  • Confirm the licensing fees of $250 are showing. 
  • Choose to 'Pay Fees & Submit Now' or 'Pay& Submit Later' (this option will leave it in draft until it is submitted for review).

Renewing an Annual Land-lease Community License

There are three ways to renew an existing land-lease license:

Option 1:

1. After logging into the Permitting, Planning, Licensing & Compliance Customer Portal go to the tab called 'My Businesses'.
   1. The license will show based on the location it is approved for. 
   2. Next to the license, on the far right, if it is up for renewal, it will have an icon that looks like pieces of paper and arrows. 
   3. Click on the Icon and it will take you into a renewal application.
   4. Follow the steps, upload all required documents.
      • Documents Required: Depending on the location of the land-lease community, it will be regulated by the Bylaw L-500: Respecting the Construction and Operation of Land-lease Communities.
        ALL land-lease communities, regardless if they are on Halifax Water, require water testing quarterly for drinking water (microbiological quality), and annually for Chemical and Physical Quality testing.  
        • The following documents will depend on the location:
          • NS Power Annual Inspection Report
          • NSECC Facilities Registration Letter
          • NSECC Sewage Treatment Plant Operating Approval
          • Playground Inspection Report
        • Click the '+Upload File button to upload all required documents then hit 'Next'.
   5.  Pay the annual fee and click 'Pay & Submit'.

Option 2:

1. After logging into the Permitting, Planning, Licensing & Compliance Customer Portal go to the tab called 'My Businesses'.
   1. All businesses will be showing where licenses are located, based on address. 
   2. Click on the appropriate one to view.
   3. Once open, it will list all licenses associated at that address. If one is up for renewal, it will have a link in blue at the far right of the license number that says, 'Renew License'.
   4. Click on the link and proceed through the steps, upload all required documents.
      1. Follow the steps, upload all required documents.
         • Documents Required: Depending on the location of the land-lease community, it will be regulated by the Bylaw L-500: Respecting the Construction and Operation of Land-lease Communities.
           ALL land-lease communities, regardless if they are on Halifax Water, require water testing quarterly for drinking water (microbiological quality), and annually for Chemical and Physical Quality testing.  
           • The following documents will depend on the location:
             • NS Power Annual Inspection Report
             • NSECC Facilities Registration Letter
             • NSECC Sewage Treatment Plant Operating Approval
             • Playground Inspection Report
           • Click the '+Upload File button to upload all required documents then hit 'Next'.
   5.  Pay the annual fee and click 'Pay & Submit'.

Option 3:

1. Click on 'Search' at the top of the page and enter either the address for the license, or the license number. 
   1. Once it loads, it will show all details of the current license application.
   2. On the right side, there will be options under 'License Activities' to Apply for Amendment, Initiate Renewal, or Download License.
   3. Click 'Initiate Renewal'. This will take you into the application to renew.
   4. Proceed through the steps, upload all required documents.
      1. Follow the steps, upload all required documents.
         • Documents Required: Depending on the location of the land-lease community, it will be regulated by the Bylaw L-500: Respecting the Construction and Operation of Land-lease Communities.
           ALL land-lease communities, regardless if they are on Halifax Water, require water testing quarterly for drinking water (microbiological quality), and annually for Chemical and Physical Quality testing.  
           • The following documents will depend on the location:
             • NS Power Annual Inspection Report
             • NSECC Facilities Registration Letter
             • NSECC Sewage Treatment Plant Operating Approval
             • Playground Inspection Report
           • Click the '+Upload File button to upload all required documents then hit 'Next'.
   5.  Pay the annual fee and click 'Pay & Submit'.

Helpful Links

Public Drinking Water Supply
Guidelines for Monitoring Public Drinking Water Supplies
Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines
The Drop on Water
Halifax Water Design Specifications for Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Systems
Nova Scotia Residential Tenancies Program
Canadian Playground Safety Institute