Alberta is the fourth-most populous province in Canada with 4,262,635 residents as of 2021 Census of Population and is the fourth-largest in land area at . Alberta's 344 municipalities cover of the province's land mass and are home to of its population. These municipalities provide local government services, including roads, water, sewer and garbage collection among others, and a variety of programs to their residents.
According to the Municipal Government Act (MGA), which was enacted in 2000, a municipality in Alberta is "a city, town, village, summer village, municipal district or specialized municipality, a town under the Parks Towns Act, or a municipality formed by special Act". The MGA also recognizes improvement districts and special areas as municipal authorities while Metis settlements are recognized as municipalities by the Government of Alberta's Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Cities, towns, villages, summer villages, municipal districts, specialized municipalities and improvement districts are formed under the provincial authority of the MGA. Special areas and Metis settlements are formed under the provincial authority of the Special Areas Act (SAA) and the Metis Settlements Act (MSA) respectively, of which both were enacted in 2000. As provincial law, the MGA, the SAA and the MSA were passed by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta with royal assent granted by the Lieutenant Governor.
Of Alberta's 341 municipalities, 253 of them are urban municipalities (19 cities, 105 towns, 78 villages and 51 summer villages), 6 are specialized municipalities, 73 are rural municipalities (63 municipal districts, 7 improvement districts and 3 special areas) and 8 are Metis settlements. The MGA, the SAA and the MSA stipulate governance of these municipalities. Alberta's Ministry of Municipal Affairs is responsible for providing provincial services to municipalities.
Over half of Alberta's population resides in its two largest cities. Calgary, the largest city, is home to of the province's population (1,306,784 residents), while Edmonton, Alberta's capital city, is home to (1,010,899 residents). Improvement District No. 13 (Elk Island). Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park) and Improvement District No. 25 (Willmore Wilderness) are Alberta's smallest municipalities by population; they are unpopulated according to the 2021 Census of Population. The largest municipality by land area is Mackenzie County at , while the smallest by land area is the Summer Village of Castle Island at .
Urban municipalities
Alberta's Municipal Government Act (MGA), enacted in 2000, defines urban municipality as a "city, town, village or summer village." For federal census purposes, Statistics Canada recognizes all four urban municipality types as census subdivisions.
Combined, Alberta has 257 urban municipalities comprising 19 cities, 106 towns, 81 villages and 51 summer villages. The 257 urban municipalities have a total population of 3,533,377, a total land area of . These totals represent of Alberta's population yet only of its land area.
Cities
The MGA previously stipulated that an area may incorporate as a city if it has a population of 10,000 people or more and the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than . Bill 21 amended the MGA in 2022 to remove these two city status requirements.
Alberta has 19 cities that had a cumulative population of 3,023,641 in the 2021 Census of Population. These 19 cities include Lloydminster, of which a portion is located within the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan. Alberta's largest city by population and land area is Calgary with 1,306,784 and , while Wetaskiwin is its smallest city by population with 12,594 and land area at . Beaumont is Alberta's newest city; it became Alberta's 19th city on January 1, 2019.
Towns
The MGA previously stipulated that an area may incorporate as a town if it has a population of 1,000 people or more and the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than . Bill 21 amended the MGA in 2022 to remove these two town status requirements.
Alberta has 105 towns that had a cumulative population of 471,028 in the 2021 Census of Population. The province's largest and smallest towns by population are Cochrane and Rainbow Lake with 32,199 and 495 respectively, while its largest and smallest by land area are Drumheller and Eckville with and respectively. Diamond Valley is Alberta's newest town, formed by the amalgamation of Black Diamond and Turner Valley on January 1, 2023.
Villages
The MGA previously stipulated that an area may incorporate as a village if it has a population of 300 people or more and the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than . Bill 21 amended the MGA in 2022 to remove these two village status requirements.
Alberta has 79 villages that had a cumulative population of 32,191 in the 2021 Census of Population. The province's largest and smallest villages by population are Stirling and Edberg with 1,164 and 126 respectively, while its largest and smallest by land area are Chipman and Edberg with and respectively. The last communities to incorporate as villages were Alberta Beach and Spring Lake, which both changed from summer villages to villages on January 1, 1999.
Summer villages
Under previous legislation, a community could incorporate as a summer village if it had "a minimum of 50 separate buildings occupied as dwellings at any time during a six-month period". A community can no longer incorporate as a summer village under the MGA.
Alberta has 51 summer villages that had a cumulative population of 5,955 in the 2021 Census of Population. The province's largest summer village by population is Norglenwold with 306, while Castle Island is Alberta's smallest summer village with a population of 15. The province's largest and smallest summer villages by land area are Silver Sands and Castle Island with and respectively. Gull Lake and Kapasiwin were the last communities in Alberta to incorporate as summer villages. Both were incorporated on September 1, 1993. Since then, two summer villages have incorporated as villages (Alberta Beach and Edmonton Beach, now named Spring Lake) and one has dissolved (White Gull).
List of urban municipalities
+ List of urban municipalities in Alberta Name Status Incorporation date(current status) 2021 Census of Population Population(2021) Population(2016) Change(%) Landarea(km2) Populationdensity(/km2) Acme Village Airdrie City Alberta Beach Village Alix Village Alliance Village Amisk Village Andrew Village Argentia Beach Summer village Arrowwood Village Athabasca Town Banff Town Barnwell Village Barons Village Barrhead Town Bashaw Town Bassano Town Bawlf Village Beaumont City Beaverlodge Town Beiseker Village Bentley Town Berwyn Village Betula Beach Summer village Big Valley Village Birch Cove Summer village Birchcliff Summer village Bittern Lake Village Blackfalds Town Bon Accord Town Bondiss Summer village Bonnyville Town Bonnyville Beach Summer village Bow Island Town Bowden Town Boyle Village Breton Village Brooks City Bruderheim Town Burnstick Lake Summer village Calgary City Calmar Town Camrose City Canmore Town Carbon Village Cardston Town Carmangay Village Carstairs Town Castle Island Summer village Castor Town Champion Village Chauvin Village Chestermere City Chipman Village Claresholm Town Clive Village Clyde Village Coaldale Town Coalhurst Town Cochrane Town Cold Lake City Consort Village Coronation Town Coutts Village Cowley Village Cremona Village Crossfield Town Crystal Springs Summer village Czar Village Daysland Town Delburne Village Delia Village Devon Town Diamond Valley Town Didsbury Town Donalda Village Donnelly Village Drayton Valley Town Drumheller Town Duchess Village Eckville Town Edberg Village Edgerton Village Edmonton City Edson Town Elk Point Town Elnora Village Empress Village Fairview Town Falher Town Foremost Village Forestburg Village Fort Macleod Town Fort Saskatchewan City Fox Creek Town Ghost Lake Summer village Gibbons Town Girouxville Village Glendon Village Glenwood Village Golden Days Summer village Grande Prairie City Grandview Summer village Grimshaw Town Gull Lake Summer village Half Moon Bay Summer village Hanna Town Hardisty Town Hay Lakes Village Heisler Village High Level Town High Prairie Town High River Town Hill Spring Village Hines Creek Village Hinton Town Holden Village Horseshoe Bay Summer village Hughenden Village Hussar Village Innisfail Town Innisfree Village Irma Village Irricana Town Island Lake Summer village Island Lake South Summer village Itaska Beach Summer village Jarvis Bay Summer village Kapasiwin Summer village Killam Town Kitscoty Village Lacombe City Lakeview Summer village Lamont Town Larkspur Summer village Leduc City Legal Town Lethbridge City Linden Village Lloydminster (part) City Lomond Village Longview Village Lougheed Village Magrath Town Ma-Me-O Beach Summer village Manning Town Mannville Village Marwayne Village Mayerthorpe Town McLennan Town Medicine Hat City Mewatha Beach Summer village Milk River Town Millet Town Milo Village Morinville Town Morrin Village Mundare Town Munson Village Myrnam Village Nakamun Park Summer village Nampa Village Nanton Town Nobleford Town Norglenwold Summer village Norris Beach Summer village Okotoks Town Olds Town Onoway Town Oyen Town Paradise Valley Village Parkland Beach Summer village Peace River Town Pelican Narrows Summer village Penhold Town Picture Butte Town Pincher Creek Town Point Alison Summer village Ponoka Town Poplar Bay Summer village Provost Town Rainbow Lake Town Raymond Town Red Deer City Redcliff Town Redwater Town Rimbey Town Rochon Sands Summer village Rocky Mountain House Town Rockyford Village Rosalind Village Rosemary Village Ross Haven Summer village Rycroft Village Ryley Village Sandy Beach Summer village Seba Beach Summer village Sedgewick Town Sexsmith Town Silver Beach Summer village Silver Sands Summer village Slave Lake Town Smoky Lake Town South Baptiste Summer village South View Summer village Spirit River Town Spring Lake Village Spruce Grove City St. Albert City St. Paul Town Standard Village Stavely Town Stettler Town Stirling Village Stony Plain Town Strathmore Town Sunbreaker Cove Summer village Sundance Beach Summer village Sundre Town Sunrise Beach Summer village Sunset Beach Summer village Sunset Point Summer village Swan Hills Town Sylvan Lake Town Taber Town Thorsby Town Three Hills Town Tofield Town Trochu Town Two Hills Town Val Quentin Summer village Valleyview Town Vauxhall Town Vegreville Town Vermilion Town Veteran Village Viking Town Vilna Village Vulcan Town Wainwright Town Waiparous Summer village Warburg Village Warner Village Waskatenau Village Wembley Town West Baptiste Summer village West Cove Summer village Westlock Town Wetaskiwin City Whispering Hills Summer village White Sands Summer village Whitecourt Town Yellowstone Summer village Youngstown Village Sub-total cities Sub-total towns Sub-total villages Sub-total summer villages Total urban municipalities Province of Alberta
Specialized municipalities
Specialized municipalities in Alberta are unique local governments. The MGA previously stipulated that an area may incorporate as a specialized municipality under the following scenarios: where the Minister of Municipal Affairs is satisfied that the other incorporated statuses under the MGA do not meet the needs of the proposed municipality's residents; to form a local government that, in the opinion of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, will provide for the orderly development of the municipality in a similar fashion to the other incorporated statuses within the MGA, including other previously incorporated specialized municipalities; or for any other circumstances that are deemed appropriate by the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
Bill 21 amended the MGA in 2022 to remove these specialized municipality status requirements.