What Municipal Governments Handle in New Brunswick
In Canada, the bulk of heavy-weight public records - land titles, deeds, court files, corporate filings, vital records - is administered at the provincial level, not the municipal level. For New Brunswick, those provincial systems are:
- Land & property records: handled by Service New Brunswick - Land Registry, not by the city.
- Courts: cases are heard in Provincial Court or the Court of King's Bench, not a municipal court. Search via CanLII (NB).
- Vital records: birth, death, marriage certificates are issued provincially.
- Corporate registration: provincial registries.
At the city / town level, the records you can get directly from the municipality are:
- Building permits, development permits, occupancy permits
- Business licences (where the city licenses locally)
- Bylaw violations and municipal court tickets
- Council meeting minutes, agendas, and bylaw texts
- Property-tax billing records (the assessment itself is provincial; the tax is collected with municipal input)
- Municipal right-to-information (FOIPP) requests for city-held records only
Jump to a City
Cities & Towns - Official Sites
Every link below has been verified against the municipality's official website. Click the name or URL to go directly to the city's official site.
Moncton · City · pop. ~79,000
NB's largest and fastest-growing city; major bilingual hub. Hosts the Moncton Provincial Court. Property assessments handled by NB Property Assessment; tax billed by Service NB using data from the municipality.
Official site: www.moncton.ca/en
Saint John · City · pop. ~69,895
The oldest incorporated city in Canada (1785); principal port on the Bay of Fundy. Registry of Deeds for Saint John County is administered by Service NB.
Official site: saintjohn.ca/en
Fredericton · City (Capital) · pop. ~63,000
Provincial capital. Houses the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Court of Appeal, and Legislative Assembly. City Clerk handles municipal right-to-information requests.
Official site: www.fredericton.ca
Dieppe · City · pop. ~28,114
Officially bilingual city in Greater Moncton. Municipal court functions handled through Moncton/Service NB.
Official site: www.dieppe.ca/en/index.aspx
Riverview · Town · pop. ~20,000
Town on the south bank of the Petitcodiac River, opposite Moncton. Municipal records at Town Hall, 30 Honour House Court.
Official site: www.townofriverview.ca
Quispamsis · Town · pop. ~18,500
Largest town in NB by population. 8 elected council members. Property tax billing through Service NB.
Official site: www.quispamsis.ca
Rothesay · Town · pop. ~12,000
Suburban town east of Saint John. Town Hall handles bylaw records and building permits.
Official site: www.rothesay.ca
Miramichi · City · pop. ~17,537
Eastern NB city formed from amalgamation (1995). Covers lower Miramichi River area.
Official site: www.miramichi.org
Edmundston · City · pop. ~16,440
French-language city in northwest NB at Madawaska County. Municipal court and city clerk records.
Official site: www.edmundston.ca
Bathurst · City · pop. ~12,157
Northeastern NB's hub city on Chaleur Bay. Municipal court, property records via Service NB.
Official site: www.bathurst.ca
Oromocto · Town · pop. ~9,223
Home of CFB Gagetown, Canada's largest army training base. Some records overlap with federal jurisdiction.
Official site: www.oromocto.ca
Campbellton · City · pop. ~7,047
Northern border city on the Restigouche River facing Quebec. Municipal records and court services.
Official site: www.campbellton.ca
Sackville · Town · pop. ~6,099
University town, home of Mount Allison University. Town Hall handles municipal records.
Official site: sackville.com
Grand Bay-Westfield · Town · pop. ~5,117
Suburban town on the Saint John River. Municipal office for building permits and bylaws.
Official site: www.towngbw.ca
Shediac · Town · pop. ~7,535
Acadian coastal town; 'Lobster Capital of the World'. Municipal records and tourism permits.
Official site: shediac.ca
Province-Wide Resources
Directory References
We cross-reference our municipal listings against the authoritative Canadian directories:
- Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) - official NL municipal association directory
- Statistics Canada - Census Profile - population and community identifiers
- Wikipedia - List of NL municipalities (reference cross-check)
- Wikipedia - List of NB communities (reference cross-check)