Quarries

This area summarizes the administration and assessment of quarry materials and provides links to quarry location maps, and applications for quarry permits and licenses.

Legislation

The Department of Industry, Energy and Technology (IET) is currently reviewing the Quarry legislation and making recommendations for revisions. Documentation and feedback from the legislative review process is available online at Quarry Legislation Review | EngageNL

Policies

  • Matters the Minister May Consider When Issuing a Quarry Instrument Policy
    • This policy outlines the matters the Minister may consider when determining whether a quarry instrument (e.g., exploration licence, permit or lease) will be issued.
    • Companies must be registered and in good standing with Companies and Deeds Online (CADO), and
    • The applicant’s current status of compliance with this Act will be considered before issuing a quarry instrument (in instances where a permit or lease has been issued).

Quarry Rights Administration

This section provides detailed information on quarry rights acquisition, maintenance and assessment, and links to online information.

Materials Administration

  • Applications and Permitting
    • Fees and royalties for quarry tenure:
      • Rental: $120/hectare per year
      • Royalty: $0.75/cubic metre
      • A non-refundable quarry permit application fee of $100 must be submitted with the rental fee.
    • Duration of Permit/Lease:
      • Quarry Permits are issued for up to 12 months and must be re-applied for within two months of the expiry date listed on the permit.
      • Quarry Leases are typically issued for a period of 5 years up to a maximum of 20 years.
    • Condition(s) attached to Permit/Lease: different departments may set certain terms and conditions on the permit or lease in order for it to be approved.
  • Administration of the Quarry Materials Act
    • Setting regulations to effectively administer the Quarry Materials Act
  • Implementation of the Quarry Materials Act
    • Enforcing the Act and its regulations through quarry inspections.

Exploration and Assessment of Quarry Materials

  • Assessment of Quarry Materials
    • Aggregate source which deals with sand and gravel pits.
    • Rock source which deals with road-cuts and rock quarries.
    • Aggregate quality deals with the petrographic and geological history of the source.
  • Management of Resource
    • After an assessment is done, it is decided what the resource may be used for (ex. asphalt, concrete aggregate, Class A or B material for road building or for fill material).
  • Implementation of the Quarry Materials Act
    • Enforcement of the Act and regulations relating to the Act.

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Quarry Boundaries and Maps

Quarry Permits, Quarry Leases and Exploration Licences

  • Click to download the following data: Google Earth Drive (Quarry Boundaries)
    • Quarry Permit and Quarry Lease boundaries (note, this listing is a work-in-progress).
    • Quarry Materials Exploration Licences
    • No Permits Available areas (designated in accordance with Section 5 of the Quarry Materials Regulations

If you identify errors or omissions or have concerns about any of the shape files provided here, please forward your concern via email to Quarries@gov.nl.ca with reference to the File Number (all file numbers begin with 711) and company name of that quarry permit/lease/exploration licence.

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Quarry Applications, Guides & Reference Information

The following section provides the applications and forms to obtain approval to conduct quarry activity in the province. Please pay special attention to the following notes regarding all applications for quarry tenure:

  • All fees must be paid online at https://nl.tr.jit-tr.com/pay-online/
    • Please include proof of online payment with your submitted forms/applications
    • If a payment is greater than $15,000, please email quarries@gov.nl.ca to arrange an alternate method of payment (e.g., wire transfer).
  • All companies applying for quarry tenure (e.g., subordinate permits, quarry permits and quarry leases) must be registered and in good standing with Companies and Deeds Online (CADO).
    • This applies only to companies, and not individual people
    • To check your company’s status with Companies and Deeds Online (CADO), please visit Search Companies and Deeds Online

 

Applications & Forms

Form: When to use the form: Notes: Fees/Payments Required:
Quarry Application Form When applying for a new quarry permit or lease
  • Submit to QuarryApp@gov.nl.ca
  • Incomplete applications will be rejected and the application fee will not be refunded.
  • If you have already been advised by the Mineral Lands Division that a lease is required for a specific quarry, you must prepare the Quarry Lease development, rehabilitation and closure plans (see guideline).
  • Application Fee: $100 (non-refundable)
  • Rental ($120 per hectare) due before issuance of the permit (the applicant will be contacted when the payment is required).
Quarry Re-Application Form If you previously held a permit for a site, and that permit has been expired for less than two months.
  • Submit to Quarries@gov.nl.ca
  • If the permit has been expired for more than two months, you must submit the Quarry Application form again.
  • Application Fee: $100 (non-refundable)
  • Rental: $120 per hectare (due on privately owned and Crown land)
Subordinate Permit Application Form This form is required when seeking approval to operate within an approved quarry permit held by another person/company/government.
  • Submit to Quarries@gov.nl.ca
  • Before submitting this application, you must seek approval from the permit holder. You must also be familiar with the boundary and terms and conditions of the permit.
  • For assistance in completing this form, please refer to the GUIDE.
  • Royalty ($0.75 per cubic metre)
Quarry Materials Exploration Licence Application An exploration licence is required to conduct exploration for quarry materials (e.g., conduct testing and geotechnical assessments of material).
  • Application Fee: $0.10 per hectare
Application for Quarry Materials Exploration Approval Before conducting work on a Quarry Materials Exploration Licence (e.g., test pitting), you must submit this form and receive an approval from the Exploration Approvals Geologist.
  • The Application for Exploration Approval is required for most quarry exploration programs including those that will require atv or excavator access travel / access trails, test pitting and sampling.
  • If the planned exploration program will not result in any ground disturbance (e.g., prospecting and mapping), you must still notify the department via the Notification of Planned Exploration Work Form
  • Please submit the appropriate form(s) to Exploration_Approval@gov.nl.ca
  • No fee.
Statutory Return Form This form is used to report the volume of material extracted from the permit or lease for the calendar year.
  • Please reference the Guide to completing the Statutory Return Form
  • Submit to Quarries@gov.nl.ca
  • Reports the production for the calendar year (e.g., January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024).
  • Required every year, even if there is no production.
  • Quarry Permits: must be accompanied by the royalty payment no later than 2 months following the expiry/cancellation of the permit.
  • Quarry Leases: must be accompanied by the royalty payment no later than December 31st, 2024.
  • Royalty: $0.75 per cubic metre of material removed
Quarry Closure Self-Assessment Form When a permit or lease is no longer required (e.g., allowing a permit to lapse, site exhausted of material, etc.).
  • Submit to QuarryInspections@gov.nl.ca.
  • Must be completed to demonstrate that the required final rehabilitation and closure work has been completed.
  • No fee
Quarry Lease Transfer Form To transfer an existing Quarry Lease to another company/person.
  • Submit to Quarries@gov.nl.ca
  • This form can only be used to transfer Quarry Leases.
  • Quarry Permits cannot be sold or transferred.
  • Additional instructions are included on page 2 of the document.
  • No fee

Guides

Help Guides on obtaining Quarry Information

Guidelines for the preparation of various quarry tenure-related documents:

Environmental Guidelines for Quarry Material Exploration and Development

Reference Information

  • Compliance Inspection Form
    • This form is used by the Department’s inspectors to determine the status of compliance of an operation with the terms and conditions of a permit or lease. A completed copy of this form is sent to the permit/lease holder via email after the site has been inspected. The permit/lease holder is responsible for completing remedial actions listed in the report to ensure compliance issues are addressed.
  • Quarry Closure Self-Assessment Form
    • Upon determining that a quarry permit is no longer required for a particular area, the permit holder must complete and submit this form to demonstrate the required rehabilitation and closure work has been completed.
  • Standard Terms & Conditions
    • This document includes the standard terms and conditions that apply to all permits and leases. Site specific conditions may also apply to an operation and these are outlined in the permit/lease document.
  • Land Use Atlas
    • This online mapping tool provides information relating to land use (e.g., Crown Land titles, municipal planning areas, public water supply areas, etc.)
  • Pay Online
    • All quarry fees and royalties must be paid online.

Listing of Service Providers for quarry / aggregate clients:

The following is a listing of services providers that offer assistance with various quarry-related needs such as applications, mapping, legal surveys, aggregate resource assessments, environmental assessment registration documents, stake-holder engagement, etc. If you would like to be added to this listing, please complete the following Google Form: Quarry Industry Consultants and Service Providers (google.com)

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Quarry Permit Application Management

Quarry Application Tracking Log

The Quarry Application Tracking Log is a Google sheet showing all submitted quarry permit applications. The document updates instantly as changes are made by the Quarries Section staff.

Please note:

  • Applications are entered in this spreadsheet upon receipt and are assigned a temporary tracking number (e.g., Q24-001).
  • Applications will not receive a file number until ‘Step 2: Start of the Referral Process’.
  • Rows highlighted in red identify applications that require additional information from the applicant. If your application is highlighted in red with a status of “INFORMATION REQUIRED FROM APPLICANT”, please check the email address associated with the application for an email message of what is needed.
  • Rows highlighted in green identify applications that have been issued; rows highlighted in grey identify applications that have been closed (e.g., rejected, withdrawn, etc.). A colour coding legend is available on the second tab of the spreadsheet.

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