Splitting a block in Adelaide is a planning, survey and titles process, not just a survey. Find out what it involves, then talk to an independent Licensed Surveyor.
Subdivision in Adelaide means changing the boundaries of a block so it becomes two or more allotments, each with its own title. Land Services SA describes land division as work done under Part 19AB of the Real Property Act 1886 or the Community Titles Act 1996. The survey is one link in a chain that runs from a first chat with the council to new certificates of title, and a licensed surveyor is one of the professionals Land Services SA strongly recommends you engage.
Torrens Survey Co is an advertising and introduction service. It doesn't carry out surveys or prepare plans. It puts you in touch with an independent Licensed Surveyor, who quotes and contracts with you directly. In South Australia, only licensed surveyors can undertake a boundary survey or place a survey mark that defines a property boundary (Surveyors Board SA), so check any surveyor's licence on the Surveyors Board register. Not sure whether your block can be split at all? Call (08) 5550 3814 and start with that question.
The division of a block into at least two allotments that are held independently of one another, generally with no shared facilities or infrastructure.
The division of land into at least two lots plus an area of common property. By-laws are compulsory for every community land division.
The Licensed Surveyor prepares and certifies the plan. It has to show the relevant topographic features, registered easements and the buildings that stay or go.
The surveyor lodges the plan with Land Services SA online. Land Services SA says over 98% of plan types can be lodged through digital plan lodgement.
Consent comes from the State Commission Assessment Panel, or from an accredited professional surveyor for simple deemed-to-satisfy divisions. Which route your block takes depends on the zone and overlays.
For a division into more than 5 allotments, the surveyor places survey marks within 30 days after the works for roads, drains or other services are complete.
Land Services SA sets the process out in eight steps. Its fact sheet predates the current Planning and Design Code, so a few agency names have changed, but the order still holds.
The Certificate of Approval comes before anything reaches Land Services SA. Once the State Commission Assessment Panel gives it, the plan of division, the application and the necessary consents can be lodged. The surveyor lodges the plan through Electronic Plan Lodgement, and a conveyancer or solicitor prepares the application, which is a legal dealing.
Consent is needed from the registered proprietors and from any registered interests on the Certificate of Title, such as a mortgage. Most lenders also want the plan deposited before settlements can occur. That's the point the allotments are legally created.
A division involves several separate parties, and only some of them do any surveying. Knowing who holds which job makes a quote easier to read.
Torrens Survey Co is none of these. It introduces you to an independent Licensed Surveyor, and the decisions on planning, title and law stay with the surveyor, the council or planning authority, and a conveyancer or lawyer. If the block also needs levels for a design, read about feature and level surveys, and if an existing fence is in doubt, see boundary surveys first.
These are the statutory fees in force from 1 July 2026, and they change every 1 July. They're government fees, not the surveyor's fee. The planning fees notice doesn't say whether GST applies, so this page doesn't label them incl or ex GST.
For a community plan, Land Services SA lists examination at $618.00 for 5 lots or less and $1,231.00 for 6 lots or more, with the same $189.00 deposit, $112.00 for each lot title and $188.00 levy, plus a document fee. These figures don't add up to a single total, because the planning consent fee, referrals and document fee that apply depend on the application.
They also leave out the surveyor's fee, the conveyancer's fee, and the charges other organisations make to connect services to the new allotments. Surveyors quote each job, so ask for the quote in writing and ask what it covers. For the wider picture on price, see land surveying cost in Adelaide.
Land Services SA is blunt about timing. Because of the numerous agencies involved and the processes an application goes through, it says a division of land can take many months, sometimes even years. No official month figure is published, and Torrens Survey Co doesn't offer one.
Some clocks are written into the rules. A relevant authority can't decide a division application until it has a report from the Commission, though it may presume the Commission doesn't want to report if none arrives within 20 business days. SA Water's assessment is valid for 60 business days after it is delivered, and a land division certificate lapses unless it is extended.
Whether your block can be divided depends on the zone and any overlays in the Planning and Design Code. No minimum allotment size is quoted here, because the surveyor or council checks the zone for your address. Nobody can promise approval in advance. Infill is already how much of the city grows, and the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan says over 80% of Inner South dwelling growth over the last five years came from general infill. Local pages cover southern Adelaide, the western suburbs and the eastern suburbs, and a call to (08) 5550 3814 is a fair first step.
The surveyor's fee is quoted per job and depends on the block and the type of title. The government fees for 2026-27 include a $1,229.00 Certificate of Approval fee, a $480.00 SA Water assessment and, if the Commission requires it, an open space contribution of $10,166.00 for each new allotment in Greater Adelaide. Land Services SA charges plan examination, deposit, title and levy fees on top, and connecting services costs extra.
Land Services SA says a division of land can take many months, sometimes even years, because of the numerous agencies involved. No official month figure is published. SA Water's assessment is valid for 60 business days after it is delivered, and a land division certificate lapses unless it is extended, so the order of the steps matters.
No. Land Services SA states that it's no longer possible to create new strata divisions, although existing strata schemes continue under the Strata Titles Act 1988. The two routes open to a new division are Torrens title, with at least two independently held allotments, and community title, with at least two lots plus common property and compulsory by-laws. The surveyor and your conveyancer can tell you which suits your block.
There's no single figure to quote. The minimum depends on the zone and any overlays in the Planning and Design Code, which the surveyor or council checks for your address. A preliminary enquiry at the local council is the first step in Land Services SA's process, and nobody can promise approval before that check.
The Licensed Surveyor lodges the plan of division through Electronic Plan Lodgement once the State Commission Assessment Panel has given the Certificate of Approval. A conveyancer or solicitor prepares the application, and Land Services SA examines the plan, deposits it and issues the titles. Most lenders want the plan deposited before settlements can occur, and you can check a surveyor's licence with the Surveyors Board SA Registrar on (08) 8212 0343.
Tell us what the survey is for and get a written quote.
