Before you pay for a single plan, know this: in Greater Adelaide, the open space contribution the Commission may require for one new allotment is $10,166.00 in 2026-27. That’s one line on a long bill, and it’s why the first job in learning how to subdivide a block of land is to understand the whole project, not just the survey. This guide walks through the steps in the order they happen in South Australia, the fees that are published, the ones that are not, and where an independent Licensed Surveyor comes in.
It’s general information, not legal or planning advice. The decisions sit with the council or planning authority, a conveyancer or solicitor, and the surveyor who quotes your job.
Torrens title or community title: decide before anything is drawn
Land division is, in the words of Land Services SA, “the alteration of the boundaries of land”. In South Australia it is done under Part 19AB of the Real Property Act 1886 or under the Community Titles Act 1996. Those give two different kinds of result, and the choice shapes everything after it.
A Torrens title division creates at least two allotments held independently of one another, and there are generally no shared facilities. A community title division creates at least two lots plus an area of common property, and by-laws are compulsory. Which one fits depends on what the new lots will share, and that’s a question for the surveyor and your conveyancer before any plan is drawn. Our Torrens title versus community title guide goes through the differences.
One thing to watch for: you can no longer create new strata divisions in South Australia. If a builder, agent or website offers you a “strata split”, ask exactly what they mean.
If you already know what you want to do with the block, the quickest useful step is to tell us what the survey is for. We put you in touch with an independent Licensed Surveyor, who quotes in writing and contracts with you directly.
How to subdivide land in South Australia: the steps in order
Land Services SA lists the sequence below. The commentary is ours.
- Preliminary enquiry at the council. Ask what the zone and any overlays in the Planning and Design Code allow on your land. Don’t rely on a minimum block size you found online. Zones and overlays differ across Adelaide, and the council or the surveyor checks yours.
- Contact a land surveyor and a conveyancer or solicitor. Land Services SA “strongly recommended” you use a professional licensed surveyor and a conveyancer or solicitor. The surveyor lodges the plan through the Electronic Plan Lodgement system. A registered conveyancer or solicitor prepares the application.
- Lodgement and approval. The application goes through the State Commission Assessment Panel. For some simple divisions that meet deemed-to-satisfy rules, an accredited professional surveyor may act as the relevant authority. Ask whether yours is one.
- Lodgement with Land Services SA.
- Examination of the plan.
- Examination of the dealings. Registered interests on the title, such as a mortgage, need the holder’s consent. Your lender has a say here.
- Deposit of the plan.
- Issue of title. The new titles exist only once this step is done.
SA Water is involved in every division. Its assessment is valid for 60 business days, and the assessment fee is credited against SA Water’s charges. That validity window is worth planning around, so ask your surveyor how it fits your timetable.
Timing matters more than most owners expect. Most lenders need the plan deposited before they will proceed to settlements. If you plan to sell the back block to fund the build on the front, your finance depends on step seven.
How long does it take?
The only official wording is Land Services SA’s: “the division of land can take many months, sometimes even years.” There is no official month figure for Adelaide, so treat any number you are given as an estimate. The variables are the council assessment, SA Water, any registered interests, and how clean the survey evidence is. Nobody can promise you a date, and this page won’t.
What it costs to subdivide a block of land in Adelaide
Start with the only whole-project figure we have found for the Adelaide metropolitan area. Sawley Lock O’Callaghan, an Adelaide surveying firm, said on a page modified 12 May 2025 that a standard one-into-two division costs “in the order of $30,000 - $34,000”. That figure includes state and council fees, Land Services SA plan fees, surveyor and consultancy fees, conveyancer or solicitor fees and SA Water fees. It doesn’t say whether GST is included.
The same firm warns that SA Water may charge non-standard costs for water or sewer extensions, deeper connection pits or dewatering, which “could increase the costs significantly”. Power and NBN connection are extra. Treat that range as one firm’s statement on one date, not a price for your block.
The statutory pieces are published and change each 1 July. These are the 2026-27 amounts:
| Item (2026-27) | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Open space contribution, Greater Adelaide | $10,166.00 per new allotment | The Commission may require it for divisions of 20 allotments or less. A two-lot Torrens division creates one new allotment. |
| Land division authorisation | $210.00 | For no more than 4 additional allotments and no public road. |
| Commission advice (regulation 76) | $240.00 | Charged per the fees notice. |
| Certificate of Approval (section 138) | $1,229.00 | Statutory fee. |
| SA Water assessment | $480.00 | Credited against SA Water’s charges. |
| Land Services SA, surveyed plan | $1,231.00 examination, $189.00 deposit, $112.00 per title, $188.00 Survey Act levy | Plus a document fee. |
| Conveyancing Centre (SA) | $660.00 incl. GST to prepare and lodge the division forms | Plus $88 incl. GST for each consent arranged. |
Two cautions on that table. First, the open space contribution is the amount in force when the application was made, so a later fee change doesn’t touch an application already lodged. Second, which of these fees apply varies by application. This page doesn’t add them into a “total government cost” because that number would be wrong for somebody.
The survey itself is not in the table. Adelaide surveying firms don’t publish prices for this work. Surveyors quote each job, and the price depends on the block, the evidence on site and what the plan involves. Our guide to the cost of subdividing land in Adelaide unpacks the fee stack further, and the open space contribution has its own explainer.
Where a Licensed Surveyor fits, and what to ask for
The Surveyors Board of South Australia puts it plainly: “In South Australia, only licensed surveyors can undertake a boundary survey or place a survey mark that defines a property boundary.” The Survey Act 1992 backs that up. Only a licensed surveyor, or someone under their supervision, may place a survey mark, and a cadastral survey for a fee must be by or through a licensed surveyor. Plans must be certified by a surveyor who is a natural person.
Torrens Survey Co isn’t a surveying practice and doesn’t hold a surveying licence. We put you in touch with independent Licensed Surveyors. There’s no searchable online register, so check any surveyor’s licence yourself. The Board points to the Registrar (registrar@isasa.org.au, (08) 8212 0343) or the Gazette list of Licensed and Registered Surveyors, updated each July and January. The Surveyors Board public information page explains the difference between the two categories.
When you ask for a quote, get these things in writing:
- What the survey work covers, and what it leaves out. Council, SA Water and Land Services SA fees are usually separate.
- Whether the quote includes identifying the existing boundaries, which is how the surveyor works out where the title lines fall on the ground. See identification surveys.
- Whether a feature and level survey is needed. If a designer or builder will later draw a house on one of the new lots, the site plan for a development application needs existing levels and boundary offsets. A feature and level survey is the usual way to get them, and our land division surveys page covers how it fits with the division.
- Who does what between the surveyor and your conveyancer, so nothing is dropped between the two.
For bigger jobs the rules tighten. A land division with more than five allotments or a new road needs contours “vouched for by a licensed surveyor”. A simple two-lot split isn’t in that group, but ask.
To get a written quote, tell us what the survey is for or call (08) 5550 3814. The form comes first, because it lets you describe the block, the plan and any deadline in one go.
Three blocks, three surprises
These are hypothetical, anonymised situations built from the published figures. They’re not accounts of real jobs.
A 1960s brick home on a 900 m2 block in Campbelltown. The owners want to split off the back. The Greater Adelaide Regional Plan 2025 notes that infill in the Campbelltown council area has generally been townhouses, so they’re not the first to think of it. They find a minimum block size online and start budgeting. But the zone and overlays in the Planning and Design Code decide what’s possible, not a number on a website, so the council enquiry comes first. If it clears, the published fees for one new allotment include $10,166.00 for open space, $210.00 for authorisation, $240.00 for Commission advice, $1,229.00 for the section 138 certificate and $480.00 for the SA Water assessment. Land Services SA charges $1,231.00 to examine the plan, $189.00 to deposit it, $112.00 per title and a $188.00 levy. That’s before the survey, the conveyancing and SA Water’s connection charges, and it’s deliberately not added up.
A bluestone villa in Unley whose side wall sits on the title boundary. The owners want to divide off the rear. A wall on a boundary line is a question of degree. If it turns out to sit over the line, that’s an encroachment, which SA Government describes as a structure that “intrudes onto another person’s land”, and it can include eaves and balconies as well as walls. The Encroachments Act 1944 lets either owner apply to the Land and Valuation Court. The Board notes that major discrepancies between boundaries and fencing “are not uncommon”. The owners need a Licensed Surveyor to establish where the existing line and the wall sit, and only then does the new line get drawn. Guessing from the fence is how this one goes wrong. Nothing here says where any wall or fence sits, or that a division would be approved. That’s the surveyor’s decision, and the authority’s.
A Salisbury block where the services are the problem. The owners budget from the $30,000 to $34,000 range and are surprised when SA Water raises non-standard work. The extension of a sewer, a deeper connection pit or dewatering are the kinds of things Sawley Lock says can push costs up, “significantly”. That’s why the SA Water assessment ($480.00, valid for 60 business days) belongs early in the process, not late. Power and NBN connection sit outside that range altogether, so the owners need quotes for those too.
Getting started without wasting money
The order that saves the most money is usually this. Ring the council first and ask about the zone. Get a written quote from a Licensed Surveyor that says what it includes. Get a conveyancer’s quote in writing as well. Only then decide whether the numbers, added up by you with all the extras, make sense for your block.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I subdivide my block?
It depends on the zone and any overlays in the Planning and Design Code, not on a block size you’ve seen quoted online. The council’s preliminary enquiry is the starting point, and a Licensed Surveyor checks the land itself. Nobody can promise that a division will be approved before the application is assessed.
How much does it cost to subdivide land in Adelaide?
Sawley Lock O’Callaghan, an Adelaide surveying firm, said on a page modified 12 May 2025 that a standard one-into-two division costs “in the order of $30,000 - $34,000”. That’s one firm’s statement and it doesn’t say whether GST is included. SA Water non-standard work, power and NBN connection can add to it.
How long does land division take in South Australia?
Land Services SA says the division of land “can take many months, sometimes even years”. There’s no official figure in months for Adelaide. The council assessment, SA Water, registered interests such as a mortgage and the state of the survey evidence all affect it.
Do I need a Licensed Surveyor to subdivide?
Yes, for the plan. Land Services SA strongly recommends a licensed surveyor and a conveyancer or solicitor, and the surveyor lodges the plan electronically. Only a licensed surveyor can place a survey mark that defines a boundary. The Land Services SA land division page explains the process.