An Edmonton tax certificate is a City of Edmonton document that confirms the property taxes charged for the current year, any amount still owing, and any arrears attached to the account. Real estate lawyers, mortgage lenders, and buyers use it to make sure no unpaid tax debt transfers with the title at closing. You can order one yourself through the city’s online portal for $36.1City of Edmonton. Property Tax Search & Certificate Service
What the Certificate Shows
An Edmonton tax certificate lists the taxes imposed for the current year, the amount still owing, and the total of any arrears carried forward from earlier years. It also includes the property’s legal description, municipal address, and monthly payment details if the owner is on an installment plan.1City of Edmonton. Property Tax Search & Certificate Service
Those figures are what a lawyer uses to calculate closing adjustments. If the seller has already paid the full year and the sale closes mid-year, the buyer typically reimburses the seller for the unused months. If the seller owes arrears, those amounts come off the sale proceeds. The certificate is the authoritative record behind those numbers.
Tax Certificate or Tax Search
The city sells two different documents, and ordering the wrong one is a common mistake. A tax certificate is the closing document: current-year levy, taxes owing, arrears. A tax search is broader in some ways and narrower in others. It shows the legal description, municipal address, current assessed value, year built, annual property tax amount, local improvement charges, and the current account balance.1City of Edmonton. Property Tax Search & Certificate Service
If you need to know about local improvement charges for things like sidewalk or roadway upgrades attached to the property, that information appears on the tax search, not the tax certificate. Real estate lawyers handling a purchase often order both: the certificate for the lender, the search for the local improvement charges that will carry to the new owner.
How to Order Online
The portal is at taxcertificates.edmonton.ca. You can sign in through a MyProperty account or use guest checkout for a one-time order.1City of Edmonton. Property Tax Search & Certificate Service
To pull up the account, you need the property’s 10-digit tax roll number, which appears in the top right corner of the annual Tax Assessment Notice mailed to property owners. If you don’t have the notice, the municipal address will find the account, and the portal will ask you to confirm the address before you proceed.1City of Edmonton. Property Tax Search & Certificate Service
Choose either a tax certificate or a tax search, add it to your cart, and check out. Once payment goes through, you get an email with a link to download the PDF. You can forward that PDF directly to a lawyer or lender.
Fees for 2026
Fees are set under Bylaw 17693, with the current schedule established by Bylaw 21198 effective January 1, 2026. Online orders cost less than staff-assisted requests.2City of Edmonton. City of Edmonton Bylaw 17693 – A Bylaw Fixing the Fees for Assessment and Tax Services
- Tax certificate, online: $36.00 per property tax account.
- Tax certificate, staff-assisted: $47.75 per property tax account.
- Tax search, online: $19.50 per property tax account.
- Tax search, staff-assisted: $23.50 per property tax account.
Timing for the 2026 Tax Year
One detail catches people off guard early in the year. Edmonton’s tax certificates and searches will not include 2026 levy information until May 9, 2026, and annual tax notices are scheduled to be mailed on May 25, 2026.1City of Edmonton. Property Tax Search & Certificate Service Certificates ordered before that date will show prior-year levy data. Arrears and outstanding balances remain accurate, but the current-year levy line won’t reflect the 2026 amount. For spring closings, lawyers typically build in a holdback and adjust once the actual levy is set.
When You Actually Need One
The most common trigger is a property sale. Your lawyer will order the certificate as part of the standard closing process, and the cost is usually passed through to the buyer or seller depending on the purchase agreement.
Refinancing is the other frequent reason. Lenders want proof that the property securing their loan carries no tax arrears, because municipalities have priority over mortgage lenders when collecting unpaid property taxes. A certificate showing a clean account satisfies that requirement.
You might also want one for your own records after paying off a large tax balance, or when reviewing a property you plan to buy at a tax sale. In each of those cases, the online portal handles the request without a phone call or a trip to city hall.