Filing a Certificate of Pending Litigation

Last revised September 09, 2026

A Certificate of Pending Litigation (CPL) is a Land Title Act form used when a party to an action is claiming an interest in land. A CPL protects a valid interest in land until litigation is resolved; once a CPL is registered, the land title is ‘frozen’ and cannot be changed until the CPL is cancelled. This makes certain actions impossible, such as selling or refinancing the property. Note there are exceptions to this; section 216(2) of the Land Title Act outlines when a land title can be changed even when a CPL has been registered.

A party can file for a CPL under s.215 of the Land Title Act. The Certificate of Pending Litigation was formerly called Certificate of lis pendens.

How to file a Certificate of Pending Litigation

A Certificate of Pending Litigation can be filed by any party to the proceeding. The originating document to the proceeding (eg. Notice of Civil Claim) must claim an interest in land under the Land Title Act or a right of action concerning land that is given by another statute (eg. Builder’s Lien Act).

The Land Title & Survey Authority requires CPLs to be submitted electronically through the Land Title system and will not accept mail or in-person filing. The CPL submission is made through the LTSA web filing forms using the Form 17 (Charge, Notation or Filing). A web filing form must be completed online using a LTSA Enterprise account. An Enterprise account is for professional, business or government agencies and is not available to individual users. 

If interest is being claimed over multiple parcels of land, a separate CPL must be filed for each. A person whose property is the subject of a CPL may apply to have it cancelled under s. 252 of the Land Title Acf if no action has been taken in the lawsuit for a year.

Four CPLs are set out in the Land Title Act depending on the statute the action is based on. Civil (Form 31, Form 32); Family (Form 33); and Estate (Form 24). CPLs can  also be registered under acts other than the Land Title Act, such as the Builders Lien Act or Court Order Enforcement Act. If an action is based on a statute other than the Land Title Act, that statute may set out a mandatory form of CPL to be used instead of those set out in the Land Title Act.

Practical commentary about filing a certificate of pending litigation can be found in:

•  volume 1 of the Land Title Manual: 215 Registration Of Certificate Of Pending Litigation In Same Manner As Charge 
•  the Land Title Web Forms Practice Guide, Form 17 (Charge, Notation or Filing).

Content reviewed September 9, 2026