Burnside, Campbelltown and Norwood Payneham & St Peters share one planning region and a lot of established streets. Work out which survey you need, then talk to an independent Licensed Surveyor.
Land surveying in the Eastern Suburbs usually starts with a block that has been around a long time. Where exactly is the boundary, what levels does the designer need, or can the lot be divided at all? The Burnside, Campbelltown and Norwood Payneham & St Peters councils all sit in the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan's Inner Metro region, and that plan focuses on better design outcomes, tree canopy protection and protecting areas with character or historic value.
Torrens Survey Co is an advertising and introduction service. It doesn't carry out surveys. 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 before you agree to anything. Not sure which survey you need? Call (08) 5550 3814 and start there.
For a fence going up or coming down between older Eastern Suburbs properties, or when the pegs have gone. A fence line doesn't show the legal boundary. Only a Licensed Surveyor can determine it.
The usual way to get the existing levels and boundary offsets a site plan needs, whether the designer is drawing an extension or a new home on an Eastern Suburbs block.
Thinking about splitting a block in Campbelltown or Burnside? A Licensed Surveyor works alongside the council, planning consent and Land Services SA steps that come before new titles issue.
Buying in Norwood, Burnside or Campbelltown? An identification survey is how owners check for encroachments involving neighbouring properties before they buy or sell.
The Greater Adelaide Regional Plan (GARP) groups Burnside, Norwood Payneham & St Peters and Campbelltown with Unley, Walkerville and Prospect in its Inner Metro region. For Campbelltown it notes that some infill has occurred, generally in the form of townhouses, and it names Montacute Road close to local services as a strategic housing opportunity. Past infill has also happened on brownfield sites, such as the land that once held the Magill Youth Training Centre.
The plan also names places that are being looked at for change: the Kent Town and Stepney state significant precinct, The Parade urban corridor, the Burnside Village council investigation area and the Magill Campus renewal precinct. It adds that no new general infill development areas have been planned. In practice, a survey is the first step on a block that's being tested for a new house, an extension or a split, so it pays to know what you need before the designer starts.
A planning region isn't a permission slip. Nothing in the plan says any particular allotment can be divided. That's a question for the council, PlanSA and the Licensed Surveyor who looks at your title and your block.
GARP talks about protecting areas that have character or historic value, and that matters when you're weighing up a split. This site hasn't read the council-level heritage or character overlay maps for these three councils, so it won't tell you that a street is restricted or open. The zone and any overlays on your block are checked by the council and the Licensed Surveyor, and the LSSA fact sheet lists a preliminary enquiry at the local council as the first step.
After that comes contact with a land surveyor and possibly a conveyancer or solicitor, then approval from the State Commission Assessment Panel, lodgement with Land Services SA, examination of the plan and dealings, deposit of the plan and issue of title. Land Services SA says the process can take many months, sometimes even years. See the land division surveys page for how it fits together.
On money, surveyors quote each job. One Adelaide surveying firm's published estimate, dated May 2025, put a standard one-into-two division in the metropolitan area at in the order of $30,000 to $34,000 for the whole project (GST treatment not stated). That figure covers government fees, conveyancing and SA Water charges as well as the surveying, and the same firm warns it can rise significantly. The cost guide has more on what feeds into it.
If a fence between two Eastern Suburbs neighbours is the sticking point, the Legal Services Commission says a survey will show the precise location of the boundary. If you both want it you can share the cost, and if not, the person who arranges the survey pays for it. Under the Fences Act 1975, the cost of a survey reasonably required for the fencing work counts as a fencing cost, but a neighbour can object and a Magistrate then decides whether it was reasonably required. A neighbour has 30 days to serve a cross-notice, so read any notice you receive carefully. This is general information, not legal advice. The Legal Services Commission and a solicitor can help with a dispute.
For a design or development application, the site plan has to show the boundaries and dimensions of the site, distances from proposed buildings to the boundaries, and existing and proposed levels. A feature and level survey is the usual way to get that information. If council or your designer has asked for one, a Licensed Surveyor can tell you what's needed for your block.
If you're buying, an identification survey is how owners check that a house, shed or fence sits inside the title. SA Government says an encroachment can include buildings, driveways, eaves and balconies, and that encroachment disputes go to the Supreme Court. When the pegs are missing or a neighbour disagrees, start with a boundary survey. Call (08) 5550 3814 to be pointed to the right one.
The regional plan says it aims to protect areas with character or historic value, and that no new general infill development areas have been planned. This site hasn't read the council overlay maps, so it can't say whether your block is affected. A preliminary enquiry at the council is the first step, and a Licensed Surveyor can check the zone and overlays against your title.
A fence line doesn't show the legal boundary, and SA Government says the boundary can only be determined by a licensed surveyor. Under the Fences Act 1975, the cost of a survey reasonably required for the fencing work can be included as a fencing cost, though a neighbour may object and a Magistrate then decides. Get legal advice if the dispute is heated.
No. The regional plan notes that some infill in Campbelltown has generally been townhouses, and names Montacute Road as a strategic housing opportunity. That describes the area, not your allotment. Planning consent and the Land Services SA process still apply, and the process can take many months, sometimes even years.
Surveyors quote each job, and the price depends on the block, the evidence on site and the type of survey. Very few Adelaide firms publish a dollar figure for boundary or feature and level surveys. Ask for a written quote and check whether it includes or excludes GST.
Tell us what the survey is for and get a written quote.
