Short answer: an easement survey is when a licensed land surveyor finds where easements recorded on your title sit on the ground, so you know what you can build near, what you must keep clear, and where services or access rights run. In Geelong and across Victoria, easements are common on residential titles, and locating them accurately early avoids redesign, council delays and disputes with neighbours or authorities.
If you are planning an extension in Belmont, a garage in Lara, a dual occupancy, or buying a block on a newer estate, here is what an easement survey involves and when it is worth doing.
What is an easement on a Victorian title?
An easement is a legal right for someone else to use part of your land for a stated purpose, even though you own the freehold. Typical purposes on titles in the Geelong region include:
- Drainage or sewer — pipes or overland flow paths for a water authority or council
- Carriageway — a right of access for a neighbour or shared driveway
- Electricity or other services — overhead or underground infrastructure
- Party wall or similar rights on some older inner-Geelong lots
The easement appears on your certificate of title and on the plan of subdivision or title plan. The wording names the purpose and who benefits. What the paper does not always make obvious is exactly where that strip sits relative to your house, fence, driveway or proposed building. That is the job of the land surveyor.
This article is general information about surveys, not legal advice. If you need to know whether you can build in an easement or vary one, talk to your solicitor or conveyancer as well as your surveyor.
When do you need an easement survey in Geelong?
It is worth engaging a licensed land surveyor to locate easements when:
- you are designing a house, extension, garage, shed or pool and want to know how close you can go to an easement
- council or a service authority has asked for confirmation that a proposal clears an easement
- you are buying a property and the title shows easements near where you want to build
- you are subdividing and need existing and proposed easements shown correctly
- you suspect a fence, driveway or building may already encroach on an easement
- you need the easement marked on site for excavation, landscaping or fencing
Homeowners in Belmont, Highton, Newtown and older parts of Geelong often find drainage or sewer easements along the rear or side boundary. On newer estates around Lara, Armstrong Creek and the Bellarine, drainage and shared-service easements are planned into the subdivision — but they still need to be set out accurately before you dig or pour concrete.
How an easement survey differs from a feature and level survey
A feature and levels survey maps what is physically on the land — buildings, fences, trees, contours and spot levels — so a designer can work with the site. An easement survey focuses on rights that exist on title, which may have little or no visible sign on the ground.
In practice the two are often combined. The surveyor re-establishes enough of the title boundary to place the easement correctly, then shows both the physical features and the easement lines on one plan. Our earlier article on the value of a features and levels survey explains how that base plan supports design; adding easements to the same drawing is what stops a design from failing at permit stage.
What the land surveyor actually does
1. Title and plan research
The surveyor obtains the current title, plan of subdivision or title plan, and related survey records through Land Use Victoria. Those documents state the easement’s width, location relative to boundaries, and purpose. Neighbouring plans are checked where they help confirm how the easement was originally laid out.
2. Relating the easement to the title boundary
Easements are described relative to title boundaries, so the surveyor must first know where those boundaries sit on the ground. That usually means a partial or full title re-establishment: finding existing survey marks, measuring occupation, and fixing the corners that control the easement.
3. Marking and plotting
Once the geometry is resolved, the surveyor calculates the easement edges, marks them on site (pegs, paint or offsets), and plots them on a survey plan relative to buildings, fences and proposed works so your designer, builder or council officer can read it clearly.
4. Reporting anything unusual
If fences, buildings or driveways already sit inside an easement, or if the records are ambiguous, the surveyor will note that. Resolving an encroachment or seeking consent to build in an easement is a separate step involving the beneficiary and often legal advice — but the survey gives everyone a measured baseline.
Building near or in an easement
As a rule of thumb, structures and significant earthworks should stay clear of easements unless the party who benefits has agreed in writing. Water authorities and councils commonly require clear access for pipes and overland flow. Carriageway easements need to remain usable for those with the right of access.
Whether a particular deck, carport or retaining wall can sit in or over an easement depends on the easement’s purpose, the beneficiary’s requirements, and any planning or building rules that apply. Do not rely on a neighbour’s recollection or a builder’s tape measure — get the line surveyed and get any consent process right.
Under the Surveying Act 2004 (Vic), defining title boundaries and related title geometry is work for a licensed surveyor. Marking an easement tied to those boundaries sits in the same professional space.
What affects the scope of an easement survey
Every property is different, so a quote is prepared for the specific title and what you need shown. Typical factors include:
- how many easements sit on the title and how they relate to the boundaries
- the age and quality of nearby survey marks
- whether you need the whole property or only the portion affected by proposed works
- whether features and levels are required on the same plan
- access, vegetation and the size of the land
Rural or semi-rural lots around Lara, the Surf Coast hinterland or towards Ballarat can take longer when marks are sparse. Compact suburban lots in Belmont or Corio are often quicker when recent subdivision marks remain.
Easements when you buy or subdivide
Before you buy, read the title and plan carefully (or have your conveyancer explain them). If an easement crosses the only sensible place for a garage, pool or extension, an easement survey — sometimes combined with a feature survey — is cheap insurance compared with discovering the problem after settlement.
If you are subdividing, new easements for drainage, sewer or access are often required by council or service authorities. A licensed surveyor prepares the plan of subdivision that creates those easements correctly. Getting existing easements wrong on the plan is a common cause of referral delays.
Book an easement survey with Geelong Land Surveyors
Geelong Land Surveyors locates and marks easements for homeowners, designers, builders and developers across Geelong, Belmont, Lara, the Bellarine and the wider region. For a quote, send your property address and a short note about what you are planning through our contact page, or call 0412 722 261.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build over an easement?
Often you cannot, or you need written consent from the authority or person who benefits from the easement. It depends on the easement’s purpose and the beneficiary’s rules. Get the easement surveyed first, then seek the right consent before you design or build.
Is an easement the same as a boundary?
No. The boundary is the edge of your land. An easement is a right over part of the land inside (or along) those boundaries. Both need a licensed land surveyor to locate them accurately on the ground.
Will the easement show up on a feature and level survey?
Only if the surveyor is asked to plot it from title. Features and levels show what is physically there; easements are legal interests on title. Ask for both on the one plan when you are designing near services or access rights.
Who can mark an easement on site?
In Victoria, a licensed surveyor should define and mark easements that are tied to title boundaries. A builder or excavator can work to marks the surveyor has placed, but they should not invent the line from a sketch alone.
Do new estates still need easement surveys?
Yes, when you are building close to an easement or council asks for confirmation. Newer plans are clearer on paper, but the line still has to be transferred accurately from the plan onto your block before you dig.