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Housing, property and land

Subdividing land

On this page you will find information about:

What is subdivision
Fees you may need to pay
What to do if your application is refused

What is subdivision

Subdividing land is either dividing an allotment of land into two or more separate allotments or adjusting a boundary between neighbouring allotments. The new allotments will have their own individual certificates of title.

The process of subdividing land can be time consuming, complex and expensive. You can choose to submit the application yourself but as this is a complex process it is strongly recommended you get a professional licensed surveyor or conveyancer to:

determine the planning and development requirements
draft plans
lodge all applications and necessary paperwork
monitor the progress of the application.

If you are lodging an application to create five or more allotments, your plan’s accuracy must be vouched for by a licensed surveyor.

All applications must be prepared according to the Plan Presentation Guidelines. Contact the Development Assessment Commission (DAC) for more advice and information.

For information on how to lodge an application for subdividing land - see Submitting development applications.

Once lodged, you can check the status of your subdivision application online through the Land Division Application Search using either your unique ID number or development application number.

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Fees you may need to pay

As well as the lodgement fees for the DAC and Lands Titles Office (LTO), and the fees charged by a professional surveyor or conveyancer, there are other fees you may be charged when subdividing land.

SA Water may charge fees to connect the new allotments to water and sewerage mains. The amount payable will depend on:

the current location of the mains
the number of allotments and their distance from the mains
whether any internal drains will need to be relocated or altered to accommodate the new allotments.

You may have to pay for the connection or alteration of electricity supplies to the new allotments. ETSA Utilities will be able to provide advice and information about these charges.

You may be expected to pay an open space contribution fee. Large subdivisions of land into multiple allotments must set aside at least 12.5% of the land for use by the general community - eg as a park.

For smaller subdivisions this is impractical and a payment of an open space contribution fee may be required instead. The amount is based on the number of additional allotments to be created and the current rate set by regulations. These fees are payable to the Planning and Development Fund.

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What to do if your application is refused

An application may be refused because:

the subdivision is contrary to your council’s development plans
it’s in a rural area not intended for subdivision
the area of the land is deemed as too small for its proposed use.

In most cases you will have a right to appeal this decision. The DAC will be able to provide advice about why your application was refused and your rights around appealing the decision.

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