Editing List of communities in Alberta (section)

=== Specialized municipalities ===
{{main|List of specialized municipalities in Alberta}}
According to Section 83 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), a municipality may incorporate as a specialized municipality under one of the following three scenarios:
* where the Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs (AMA) is satisfied that the other incorporated statuses under the MGA do not meet the needs of the municipality's residents;
* to form a local government that, in the opinion of the Minister of AMA, will provide for the orderly development of the municipality in a similar fashion to the other incorporated statuses within the MGA; or
* for any other circumstances that are deemed appropriate by the Minister of AMA.<ref name=munact />

Essentially, specialized municipalities are municipalities that are unconventional in nature compared to other municipalities in Alberta, and they are incorporated under the authority of the existing MGA instead of relying on the creation of their own separate acts (i.e., the Special Areas Act<ref name=specact /> allowed the incorporation of Alberta's three special areas and the Metis Settlements Act<ref name=metisact /> allowed the incorporation of Alberta's eight Métis settlements).<ref name=muntypes />

Alberta's six specialized municipalities have a combined population totalling 242,395 as of 2019.<ref name=2019pop />
{{:List of specialized municipalities in Alberta}}