Sturgeon County’s road network is intended for public use, while also recognizing that industry and development regularly rely on the road infrastructure. Road Use Agreements (RUA) protect our roads by helping the County monitor heavy vehicle traffic, manage wear and tear on the roads, plan maintenance activities, and ensure safe hauling practices are in place.
When You Need a Road Use Agreement:
- If you are exceeding 5 truck loads to a site per day, or more than 10 truck loads in total.
- Industry like gravel trucks and infilling hauls of clay, topsoil, or marginal soil.
- All oil & gas industry hauling including drilling rigs.
- RUAs are required year-round, even when road ban season is over.
Applications must be submitted at least five business days before the start date of the planned haul. Please ensure any required development permits are in place.
Exceptions (Road bans still apply)
- Potable water haulers
- Agricultural trucks with farm license plates directly involved in the growth or production of crops, forages and livestock, or used to transport agricultural products to or from market
Fill Material
If you are transporting fill material, you may need a development permit in addition to a road use agreement. You will be required to provide the development permit number on your road use application.
Contact Planning and Development for assistance:
Planning & Development Services
Email
780-939-8275
Fines
If you fail to obtain a road use agreement, you may be subject to fines as per Sturgeon County’s traffic bylaw.
Bylaw 1419-18: Regulation of Traffic Bylaw
Road Bans
Every spring, the weight for commercial vehicles and the goods they carry is restricted on many Sturgeon County Roads. This restriction protects our roads from damage.
The Transportation & Engineering seasonal road ban Road Ban Order 1/2025 (see attached) will be in effect Monday, March 3, 2025, at 7:00 a.m.
Exemptions
The following vehicles are exempt from a road ban:
- a vehicle in respect of which the combined gross weight of all the axles of the vehicle does not exceed 5000 kilograms,
- a school bus as defined in the Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulation,
- a rubber tired farm tractor if it is not pulling a trailer,
- a vehicle crossing a highway,
- a vehicle operated by or on behalf of the Government for the purpose of testing pavement strength,
- a vehicle transporting fresh milk and cream, or either of them, from the place where the milk or cream is produced,
- a vehicle transporting pregnant mare urine from the place where the urine is produced,
- a vehicle transporting eggs from the place where the eggs are produced.
If a road ban is in effect, the following commercial vehicles may carry on the axles on that highway up to 90% of the maximum allowable weight permitted for that axle group:
- a vehicle transporting
- bread,
- mail as defined in the Canada Post Corporation Act (Canada),
- heating fuel,
- fertilizer,
- a bus, other than a school bus, carrying passengers.
If a road ban is in effect, a commercial vehicle transporting domestic drinking water may carry on the axles on that highway up to 80% of the maximum allowable weight permitted for that axle group.
Exemptions are as per Section 12, subsections 5 and 6 of the Commercial Vehicle Dimension and Weight Regulation, Traffic Safety Act.
Over-Dimensional and Overweight Permits
Permits for over-dimensional and/or over-weight loads travelling on Sturgeon County roadways must be applied for through the Alberta Transportation permitting system TRAVIS, or can be obtained from Roadata Services Ltd. (www.roadata.com). This also applies to non-divisible loads which cannot be broken down to meet road bans or legal axle weights for the requested route such as concrete pumper trucks, mobile cranes, etc
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sturgeon County provide road ban exemption permits?
Generally not for divisible loads like gravel, concrete, soils etc. Non-divisible loads must apply for a single trip overweight permit through TRAVIS or Roadata.
Does Sturgeon County require a TAC permit for tridem axle units?
Annual TAC permits are not required by Sturgeon County.
Do farmers need to follow road bans?
Yes. Road bans still apply to agricultural operations just like any other hauling in order to protect County infrastructure.
Do farmers need a road use agreement?
No, agricultural trucks with farm licence plates directly involved in the growth or production of crops, forages and livestock, or used to transport agricultural products to or from markets are exempt from the requirement of a Road Use Agreement.
Are farmers exempt from “No Truck Routes”?
Yes. “No Truck Routes” do not apply to agricultural hauling.
Provincial Highway Concerns
The Government of Alberta is responsible for maintaining all provincial highways. Visit the Alberta Transportation website for more information.
For information or to share a concern, contact Ledcor at 1-866-453-3267.
Please visit Alberta 511 for concerns about numbered highways.