A site survey gives your designer, architect or builder an accurate picture of the existing conditions on your property. It can show buildings, ground levels, trees, fences, retaining walls, driveways and visible services.

However, a standard site survey does not necessarily confirm the legal position of your property boundaries.

This distinction matters when you are planning a new house, extension, retaining wall, fence, pool or another structure close to a boundary. Depending on your project, you may need a detail and contour survey, an identification survey, or both.

What does a site survey show?

A site survey is also commonly called a:

• Detail survey
• Detail and contour survey
• Feature survey
• Contour survey
• Topographic survey

The terminology can vary between surveyors, designers, builders and councils. In most cases, these surveys record the existing physical features and levels across a property.

A residential site survey may show:

• Existing houses, sheds and other structures
• Ground levels and contour lines
• Floor, ridge and gutter heights
• Fences and retaining walls
• Driveways, paths and kerbs
• Significant trees and vegetation
• Visible stormwater infrastructure and services
• Power poles, pits and service connections
• Features on neighbouring properties relevant to the design
• An adopted or temporary site benchmark

Your designer uses this information to prepare plans that respond to the actual slope, features and constraints of the site.

For renovations and extensions, a 3D spatial site survey may also capture the existing house internally and externally. This can give the designer a point cloud showing the building’s existing shape and layout.

Does a site survey establish the legal boundaries?

Not unless boundary identification work forms part of the survey scope.

A standard detail and contour survey focuses on site features and levels. It may show property boundaries based on available cadastral records, but those lines have not necessarily been surveyed and marked on the ground.

The Queensland Government explains that feature or site surveys do not define property boundaries. The boundaries may be approximately plotted using existing survey information rather than verified as part of the field survey.

A survey that formally identifies an existing property boundary is generally called an identification survey or boundary survey.

In Queensland, only a registered cadastral surveyor can perform this work and place survey marks that define a property boundary. This requirement helps protect landowners because determining a boundary involves reviewing survey evidence, existing marks, registered plans and surrounding property information.

What is an identification survey?

An identification survey determines and marks the position of your existing property boundaries.

Depending on the scope and site conditions, the surveyor may:

• Search for existing survey marks
• Review the registered survey plan and historical survey records
• Measure the property and relevant surrounding evidence
• Reinstate missing boundary corners
• Place new boundary marks or pegs
• Locate buildings, fences or structures relative to the boundary
• Identify apparent encroachments
• Prepare an identification survey plan or report

An identification survey does not create new lots or change your title. It confirms where the existing boundaries sit on the ground.

The work required can vary considerably. A newer subdivision with accessible survey marks may be relatively straightforward. An older property with missing marks, irregular boundaries or conflicting occupation may require more investigation.

When is a detail and contour survey enough?

A detail and contour survey may be enough during the early design stage when the designer mainly needs information about:

• Site slope
• Existing buildings
• Trees and vegetation
• Retaining walls
• Visible services
• Neighbouring structures
• General site layout

For example, a designer preparing an early concept for an internal renovation may not need the property boundaries marked on the ground.

The correct scope still depends on the project. The designer, engineer, building certifier or town planner should confirm what information they need before you book the survey.

Providing the proposed scope or preliminary plans to your surveyor helps them prepare a suitable quote. It also reduces the risk of needing another site visit later.

When should you add a boundary survey?

You should consider an identification survey when the legal boundary position could affect the design, approval or construction work.

Common examples include:

Building close to a side or rear boundary

Boundary setbacks are measured from the legal property boundary, not necessarily the existing fence.

If your extension, garage, carport, deck or new house sits close to a boundary, your designer needs reliable boundary information. A small difference between the assumed and surveyed boundary position can affect setbacks and the available building area.

Constructing a new fence

An existing fence does not automatically establish the legal boundary. Fences can sit inside one property, cross the boundary or follow an old occupation line.

Confirming the boundary before installing an expensive fence can reduce the chance of a dispute with your neighbour.

Building a retaining wall

Retaining walls can affect both properties and may require excavation, drainage and access. If the wall is near a boundary, you should confirm that the design and construction remain within the correct property.

The survey does not replace engineering or building approval advice, but it gives the project team a reliable boundary position.

Installing a pool

Pool structures, fencing, equipment and associated works must fit within the property and comply with applicable setbacks. This can become tight on smaller blocks or where the pool sits between a house and a boundary.

Buying or selling a property

An identification survey can help a purchaser understand whether the buildings and fences appear to sit within the property boundaries.

It may identify issues such as a shed, retaining wall or part of a house crossing a boundary. These matters are usually easier to investigate before settlement than after the property changes hands.

Resolving a possible encroachment

If you suspect a fence or structure crosses the boundary, online maps and tape measurements will not provide a reliable answer.

A registered cadastral surveyor needs to investigate and determine the boundary. If the survey identifies a possible encroachment, you may also need legal advice about the available options.

Demolishing and rebuilding

A replacement house may use a different footprint from the existing dwelling. Designers often need confirmed boundary information to calculate setbacks and position the proposed building accurately.

A surveyor may later return to set out the approved building position before construction starts.

Is the existing fence the boundary?

Not necessarily. A fence provides evidence of how the land has been occupied, but it does not by itself define the legal boundary.

A fence may have been placed:

• Inside the owner’s property
• Along an approximate line
• Around trees or site obstacles
• Using old or incorrect information
• Without a boundary survey

You should not assume a fence is correct when planning work close to it.

If a survey finds that a fence does not follow the boundary, that does not automatically settle questions about ownership, occupation or responsibility for moving the fence. Those issues may require discussion with the adjoining owner and, in some cases, legal advice.

Can you use council mapping or Queensland Globe?

Online mapping is useful for early property research, but it should not be used to position construction work or settle a boundary question.

Digital property layers provide a graphical representation of land parcels. The displayed line can shift depending on the mapping source, imagery, scale and underlying data.

Aerial photography can also create the impression that a fence or building crosses a boundary when the issue is simply an alignment difference between separate datasets.

Use online mapping to understand the general property arrangement. Use a registered cadastral surveyor when you need the boundary accurately identified on the ground.

Can both surveys be completed together?

Yes. In many cases our team complete the detail and contour survey and identification survey during the same site visit is the most practical approach.

A combined scope can give your designer:

• Accurate site features and levels
• Confirmed property boundaries
• The position of the existing house relative to those boundaries
• Information needed to calculate setbacks
• A better base for design and approval work

It may also reduce repeat attendance and prevent redesign if an assumed boundary position turns out to be incorrect.

However, you should not automatically order every available survey. Send us the project description, preliminary plans and any instructions from your designer or certifier. We can then recommend a scope based on the proposed work.

What information do we need from you for a quote?

To obtain an accurate survey proposal, provide:

• The property address
• A short description of the proposed work
• Any concept plans or sketches
• Your designer’s survey brief, if available
• Your building certifier’s requirements
• Whether construction will sit close to a boundary
• Any known concerns about fences or encroachments
• Required drawing formats, such as PDF, DWG, RCP or LAS

It is better to confirm the required scope at the start than to find out later that important levels, adjoining features or boundary information were not included.

Choosing the right survey for your project

A detail and contour survey and an identification survey serve different purposes.

The detail survey records what is physically on and around the site. The identification survey determines where the legal property boundaries sit.

Some projects only need one. Many residential builds, extensions and developments need both.

We provide both detail and contour surveys and boundary identification surveys across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and most of South East Queensland.

Send us your property address, proposed work and any available plans. We can review the information and provide a free survey proposal suited to your project.