What is an easement?

Common types of easements

• Sewer easement — gives SA Water the right to access and maintain sewer mains running through your land. Usually 3m wide. You cannot build over it.
• Drainage easement — for stormwater or council drainage infrastructure. Similar restrictions.
• Electricity easement — for SA Power Networks transmission lines or substations.
• Right of way (or right of carriageway) — gives a neighbour the right to drive across part of your land to reach their property. Common with battle-axe / hammerhead blocks.
• Easement of support — relating to retaining walls or buildings on boundaries.
• Easement for the supply of services — water, gas, or telecommunications infrastructure.

What an easement does to your property

• Restricts what you can build — you typically cannot build a permanent structure (house, garage, pool, retaining wall) over an easement. The easement holder must be able to access the infrastructure.
• Restricts what you can plant — large trees with deep root systems are often prohibited within easement boundaries.
• Triggers maintenance obligations in some cases — depends on the wording of the easement.
• Affects subdivision feasibility — a 3m sewer easement running through the middle of an 800m² block can kill any subdivision plan because neither new lot can build over the easement.
• Affects resale — easements are searchable and informed buyers will discount accordingly.

Cost impact — when easements get expensive

• Relocating a sewer easement — if your dream extension would sit on top of a sewer main, SA Water needs to approve relocating it. $15,000–$40,000 typical cost, plus 3–6 months of design and approvals.
• Right of way disputes — neighbours arguing over shared driveway use, maintenance, or width. Legal fees $5,000–$20,000+ when it escalates.
• Subdivision blocked — a sewer easement on a 1,000m² block can make a side-by-side split impossible, sinking a $300,000+ development plan.

How to find easements on a property

1. Read the Form 1 — every SA seller must disclose easements. Page 1 priority item.
2. Get a Certificate of Title search — lists every registered interest. Done by your conveyancer.
3. Order a survey plan — shows where easements run physically across the land.
4. Ask the agent — they should know, but verify with the documents.

What our Zone Check tool does (and doesn't) show

Easements are not in PlanSA's open data — they live on the Certificate of Title, held by Land Services SA. Our Subdivision & Zone Check tool surfaces zone, overlays, and TNVs but cannot show easements. For that, you need:

• The Form 1 (free from the seller before contract signing) — covered in our Form 1 Red-Flag Checker
• A title search via your conveyancer (~$50–$100)

Easement vs encumbrance vs covenant

• Easement: a right to use part of the land (e.g. drive over it, maintain a sewer in it)
• Encumbrance: a broader category that includes easements, mortgages, charges, and anything else registered against title
• Covenant: a restriction on how the land can be used (e.g. "no commercial activity", "single-storey only") — common in newer estates and gated communities

Read more

• Form 1 survival guide — finding easements before you sign
• What is a Form 1?