Avoid Mistakes by Being Prepared
You do not have to brand livestock in Alberta. You may choose not to brand and accept the risk that goes with having unbranded livestock. However, if you use an unregistered brand, you are breaking the law.

When cattle or horse brands are registered, they may be used in one of six positions on an animal:

Cattle: Shoulder, Rib or Hip on either the left or right side.
Horses: Jaw, Shoulder or Thigh on either the left or the right side.

The brand must be applied to the exact part of the animal specified on your Registration Certificate. When the same characters that make up the brand are applied to a different position on the animal, it becomes a different brand with a different Owner. If you apply the brand to the left shoulder when your registration says left hip, you could duplicate a brand already owned by someone else.

When branding errors occur, the Brand Recorder must be notified right away. You must provide a complete description of the livestock branded incorrectly, how many, color and sex. This will prevent sale proceeds or animals from being held when livestock are sold.

Purchase Your Lifetime Brand
The cost to purchase a lifetime brand is $220 plus $11.00 GST. As the brand owner, you own the right to use that brand for your lifetime. Please read brand design policy before purchasing a brand. To purchase your brand online, click the button below:

Download a Brand Application

• Printable Brand Application

Transferring or Selling Your Brand
Now that you own the brand, you also have the right to sell it. You can set your own selling price if you wish to sell or transfer your brand to someone else. (Please contact the Brand Recorder to have your name/brand added to a list kept current of all people wishing to sell their brands.) All transfers need the Brand Recorder’s approval.

If a brand owner dies, the brand can also be legally transferred. The Brand Recorder requires a written request to transfer the brand, a notarized copy of the Will and Death Certificate or a copy of the Grant of Probate of the Estate. This is required as proof of who has the authority to sign on behalf of the Deceased before a brand will be transferred. Upon receipt by the Brand Recorder of the written request and the required documents, LIS will forward the transfer documents to the producer. The fee to transfer a brand from one owner to another is $25 plus $1.25 GST. Remember, when application is made to transfer a brand, LIS will only approve the transfer when there is no similar brand located within a 50-mile radius of where the new brand Owner's livestock are pastured.