OnLand Help Centre /Historical Books

Historical Books

In the Historical Books Search, you can view copies of the original paper property records registered prior to the introduction of Ontario’s electronic land registration system. You can also search for a Retake for a clearer copy of a page, if needed. 

Search for Historical Books

  1. On the OnLand Homepage, from the Find your Land Registry Office options, begin typing the name of the city, town, or LRO name, or number you’d like to search in. The results will display as you type.
  2.  From the results in the list, scroll down and select your LRO.
  3. From the Find your land registry service options, select Historical Books.
  4. From the Book Category drop-down list, select the type of land record you’d like to view.
  5. Add any additional search criteria to help refine your search results. Search criteria can include Geographic Description details from your title deed, property tax notice or other land document, such as concession, or plan number.
    1. Note: If you already know the number of the book you’re looking for, select Search by Book Number, and enter the book number in the field.
  6. Select Search Books.
    1. The search results display.  
  7. From the displayed results, find your book number or Geographic Description, and select the View Details button.
    1. The PDF displays.
  8. Navigate through the pages using the Previous and Next buttons, or if you know the page number you want, you can enter it directly in the page field at the bottom of the screen.
  9. Request the page you’re currently viewing by selecting the Add Current Page button, or download a range of pages by entering the start and end page numbers in the From and To fields, then select Add Range.
    1. The pages will display under Total Selected Pages.
    2. Note: To request more than 20 pages, complete the full request for the first 20, then on the Confirmation & Downloads page, select Return to View Book to select more.
  10. Select I accept the Terms of Service.  
  11. Select Request Selected Pages.
    1. The Review Your Request window opens.
  12. Review your request details. To have your requested pages sent to your email address, enter it, and select Continue.
    1. The Order Confirmation & Downloads page appears.
  13. To download your pages, select Download next to your pages, and select either Email Receipt or Download Receipt.
    1. Tip: It is a good idea to download your receipt as well as emailing it, as a precaution.
  14. To request more pages, select Return to View Book, or Return to Historical Books Search to perform a new search.

Browse for Historical Books

  1. On the OnLand Homepage, from the Find your Land Registry Office options, begin typing the name of the city, town, or LRO name, or number you’d like to search in. The results will display as you type.
  2.  From the results in the list, scroll down and select your LRO.
  3. From the Find your land registry service options, select the Historical Books.
  4. Select the Browse Books tab.
  5. Select the link on the desired Book Category.
  6. From the displayed results, find your book number or Geographic Description, and select the View Details button.
    1. The PDF displays.
  7. Navigate through the pages using the Previous and Next buttons, or if you know the page number you want, you can enter it directly in the page field at the bottom of the screen.
  8. Request the page you’re currently viewing by selecting the Add Current Page button, or download a range of pages by entering the start and end page numbers in the From and To fields, then select Add Range.
      1. The pages will display under Total Selected Pages.
      2. Note: To request more than 20 pages, complete the full request for the first 20, then on the Confirmation & Downloads page, select Return to View Book to select more.
  9.  Select I accept the Terms of Service.  
  10. Select Request Selected Pages.
    1. The Review Your Request window opens.
  11. Review your request. To have your requested pages sent to your email address, enter it, and select Continue.
      1. The Order Confirmation & Downloads page appears.
  12. To download your pages, select Download next to your pages, and select either Email Receipt or Download Receipt.
      1. Tip: It is a good idea to download your receipt as well as emailing it, as a precaution.
  13. To request more pages, select Return to View Book, or Return to Historical Books Search to perform a new search.

Search for Retakes

  1. On the OnLand Homepage, from the Find your Land Registry Office options, begin typing the name of the city, town, or LRO name, or number you’d like to search in. The results will display as you type.
  2. From the results in the list, scroll down and select your LRO.
  3. From the Find your land registry service options, select the Search button on the Historical Books tile.
  4. From the Book Category drop-down list, select Retake.
  5. In the Other Information field, add any relevant keywords to help refine your search results.
  6. Select the Search Books button.
  7. Find your book number in the list of results, and select the View Details button to the right of it.
  8. When the book pages are displayed, navigate through the pages using the Previous and Next buttons, or if you know the page number you want, you can enter it directly in the page field at the bottom of the screen.
  9. Request the page you’re currently viewing by selecting the Add Current Page button, or download a range of pages by entering the start and end page numbers in the From and To fields, then select Add Range.
    1. The pages will display in the Total Selected Pages list.
    2. Note: To request more than 20 pages, complete the full request for the first 20, then on the Confirmation & Downloads page, select Return to View Book to select more.
  10.  Select I accept the Terms of Service.  
  11. Select Request Selected Pages.
    1. The Review Your Request window opens.
  12. Review your request. To have your requested pages sent to your email address, enter it, and select Continue.
    1. The Order Confirmation & Downloads page appears.
  13. To download your pages, select Download next to your pages, and select either Email Receipt or Download Receipt.
    1. Tip: It is a good idea to download your receipt as well as emailing it, as a precaution.
  14. To request more pages, select Return to View Book, or Return to Historical Books Search to perform a new search.

Find Retakes / Rescanned Pages in the Search Results

  1. From the search results for your book, check the Description/Comments column for the Retake link.
  2. Select the Retake link.
    1. The Retakes results are displayed.
  3. Find your book number or geographic description in the list of results, and select the View Details button.
  4. When the book of rescanned pages is displayed, navigate through the pages using the Previous and Next buttons, or if you know the page number you want, you can enter it directly in the page field at the bottom of the screen.
  5. Request the page you’re currently viewing by selecting the Add Current Page button, or download a range of pages by entering the start and end page numbers in the From and To fields, then select Add Range.
    1. The pages will display in the Total Selected Pages list. 
    2. Note: To request more than 20 pages, complete the full request for the first 20, then on the Confirmation & Downloads page, select Return to View Book to select more.
  6. Select I accept the Terms of Service.  
  7. Select Request Selected Pages.
    1. The Review Your Request window opens.
  8. Review your request. To have your requested pages sent to your email address, enter it, and select Continue.
    1. The Order Confirmation & Downloads page appears.
  9. To download your pages, select Download next to your pages, and select either Email Receipt or Download Receipt.
    1. Tip: It is a good idea to download your receipt as well as emailing it, as a precaution.
  10. To request more pages, select Return to View Book, or Return to Historical Books Search to perform a new search.
    1. Note: There may be more than one Retake entry for a book. If so, select the View Details button next to each Retake entry in the results for that book number.