Adelaide surveyors quote each job and rarely publish prices. Here's what moves a quote, which fees are published, and which figures are national rather than local.
There's no single price for a land surveyor in Adelaide. The Adelaide surveying firms we checked ask for a quote and don't publish a dollar figure for a boundary, feature and level, contour or set-out survey. This page covers what moves the price, the government fees that are published, and the national ranges people quote, each labelled as national.
Torrens Survey Co is an advertising and introduction service. It does not survey and holds no surveying licence; it puts you in touch with an independent Licensed Surveyor, who quotes and contracts directly with you. Call (08) 5550 3814 and describe the block and what the survey is for, so the quote you get is for the right survey.
| Service | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boundary identification (re-pegging) | $800 to $2,500 (national guides) | Not an Adelaide price. Two national guides, GST not stated. |
| Feature and level survey | $800 to $2,200 (national guide) | Trade Heroes, updated 6 Mar 2026. Not an Adelaide price; GST not stated. |
| Contour survey | $1,200 to $3,000 (national guide) | Trade Heroes. A surveying firm's national guide puts feature and contour at $1,500 to $4,500. |
| Set-out survey | No figure published | No Adelaide price found, and national figures are too inconsistent to quote. Ask for a quote. |
| Land division, standard 1-into-2 (whole project) | $30,000 to $34,000 | One Adelaide surveying firm's guide, modified 12 May 2025, GST not stated. Covers fees, surveyor, conveyancer and SA Water. |
| Open space contribution | $10,166 per new allotment | 2026-27, Greater Adelaide. Payable only if the Commission requires it. |
| Planning, Commission and SA Water fees | Certificate of Approval $1,229; authorisation $210; Commission advice $240; SA Water assessment $480 | 2026-27 government fees, listed separately, not totalled. Which fees apply varies by application. |
| Land Services SA plan lodgement | Examination $1,231; deposit $189; $112 per title; Survey Act levy $188 | From 1 July 2026, plus a document fee. GST not stated. Not a total. |
These are published figures from the sources named above, not our quotes. Your price comes from the surveyor's written quote for your block.
Adelaide surveying firms almost never put a price on a boundary survey, a feature and level survey, a contour survey or a set-out. Every firm page we checked says to ask for a quote. That's the honest state of the market, and it's why the table above leaves those rows either blank or clearly marked as national.
The national figures come from cost guides written by a marketplace and by a surveying firm, mostly for marketing. They're wide, they're not tied to Adelaide, and they don't agree on what a set-out survey even is. Treat them as a sense of scale, not a budget, and don't hold an Adelaide quote up against them as if they were the going rate.
If you want the survey types explained before you ask for a price, start with boundary surveys, identification surveys and feature and level surveys.
Two blocks in the same suburb can quote very differently. The surveyor prices the work involved, and that depends on the site and on what you need handed back at the end.
That's why a phone quote without the title and the block in front of the surveyor is only a guess. Ask what the price includes before you compare two of them.
Splitting a block is the one job where real numbers exist, because most of the cost is government fees. For 2026-27 these include a $1,229 Certificate of Approval, a $210 land division authorisation, $240 for Commission advice and a $480 SA Water assessment. Land Services SA charges $1,231 for plan examination, $189 to deposit the plan, $112 per title and a $188 Survey Act levy, plus a document fee.
The open space contribution is the large one: $10,166 for each new allotment in Greater Adelaide, but only if the Commission requires it. A 1-into-2 division creates one new allotment. We haven't added these into a single government total, because which planning fee, referral and document fee applies depends on the application.
For a whole project, one Adelaide surveying firm's guide, modified 12 May 2025, puts a standard metro 1-into-2 division at "in the order of $30,000 - $34,000". It includes government fees, the surveyor, a conveyancer and SA Water, and it doesn't state GST. The same firm warns that SA Water can charge non-standard costs for water and sewer work, that power and NBN connection aren't part of the application, and that government costs rise considerably when more than one extra allotment is created.
Conveyancing is a separate line: one SA conveyancing firm charges $660 including GST to prepare and lodge the forms, and $88 including GST for each consent. Land Services SA says a division can take many months, sometimes even years, so time is a cost too. The full picture is on our land division surveys page.
To compare two quotes fairly, give both surveyors the same information: the address, the title, the survey type you have been asked for and who is asking. Then ask what is included, what would cost extra and what you receive at the end. Before you sign anything, check the surveyor's licence with the Surveyors Board register or the Registrar on (08) 8212 0343. The Board says surveys by unlicensed practitioners have no legal standing.
If the survey is about a fence, the Fences Act 1975 (SA) counts the cost of any survey reasonably required for the fencing work as part of the cost of that work. The Legal Services Commission says that if you both want the survey you can share the cost, but if not, the person who arranges it will have to pay for it. A neighbour can object to paying for a survey they think isn't needed, and a Magistrate would then decide if it was reasonably required.
That's general information, not legal advice. For a dispute, talk to a conveyancer, a solicitor or the Legal Services Commission. To work out which survey your situation needs before you chase a price, call (08) 5550 3814.
No Adelaide firm we checked publishes a price for a boundary, feature and level, contour or set-out survey, so there's no honest local figure to give you. National cost guides put boundary work at roughly $800 to $2,500, feature and level at $800 to $2,200 and contour at $1,200 to $3,000, but those are national, not Adelaide prices. The only way to get a real number is a quote from an independent Licensed Surveyor who has seen your title and your block.
The price depends on the block, the evidence on site and the survey type. Block size and shape, the number of corners, how old the survey evidence is, access and terrain all change the work involved. A surveyor who names a figure before seeing the title is guessing, so a quote that follows a look at the details is more useful.
One Adelaide surveying firm's guide, modified 12 May 2025, puts a standard metro 1-into-2 land division in the order of $30,000 to $34,000, including fees, the surveyor, a conveyancer and SA Water. It doesn't state GST. Government fees for 2026-27 include an open space contribution of $10,166 per new allotment if the Commission requires it, so the bill depends heavily on your block and your application.
The Legal Services Commission says that if you both want the survey you can agree to share the cost, but if not, the person who arranges it will have to pay. Under the Fences Act 1975 (SA), a survey reasonably required for the fencing work counts as part of the cost of that work, and your neighbour may object to paying for it. If it goes to court, a Magistrate decides if the survey was reasonably required. For your situation, talk to a solicitor or the Legal Services Commission.
No. The Surveyors Board of South Australia says that only licensed surveyors can undertake a boundary survey or place a survey mark that defines a property boundary, and that surveys by unlicensed practitioners have no legal standing. Check any surveyor's licence with the Surveyors Board register or by emailing registrar@isasa.org.au before you agree to a quote.
Tell us what the survey is for and get a written quote.
