How Do I Find My Property Boundary Lines?
Your property boundaries are defined by your land title and registered survey plan, not by fences or online maps. To accurately locate those boundaries on-site, a Registered Surveyor retraces the original survey, locates existing survey marks, and marks your legal boundary lines and corners.
This is called a boundary survey or boundary identification survey. Complete Precision Surveys provides certified boundary surveys across Greater Sydney, with over 15 years’ experience locating and marking property boundaries.
Survey we provide
Thinking of a new fence or just want to know your property lines? Our Registered Surveyors can determine and mark the boundaries of your land.
Get in touch with us with your concepts and we can assist with preparation of subdivision plans for duplexes, town houses and strata type developments.
Looking to build new or renovate? Our detail surveys capture the lay of the land and physical features such as buildings, fences and other infrastructure essential for design & planning purposes.
Can I Find My Boundary Lines Myself?
There are a few DIY methods people commonly try first, but it’s important to understand their limitations.
Fences are built for practicality, not precision. It’s very common for fences in Sydney to sit off the true boundary — sometimes by a few centimetres, sometimes by more than a metre. Never assume your fence marks the legal boundary.
These tools can give you a rough idea of where your boundaries sit, but the overlays are often inaccurate and have no legal standing.
Consumer GPS is usually only accurate to within a few metres. That level of error can easily place a “boundary” well inside a neighbouring property.
Original survey marks sometimes still exist, but pegs can be disturbed, buried or moved over time. A moved peg can be more misleading than having no peg at all.
These methods are fine for a general indication. But if you’re building a fence, planning an extension, resolving a dispute or carrying out construction near a boundary, the only legally reliable option is a boundary survey by a Registered Surveyor.
What Does a Boundary Survey Involve?
When you engage Complete Precision Surveys to find your property boundary lines, here’s what happens:
We obtain your land title and the registered deposited plan, along with the plans of neighbouring lots, to establish exactly how your boundaries were originally defined.
We retrace the original surveyor’s work and calculate the precise position of your boundary lines and corners.
We place pegs, nails, or paint marks (whatever suits your site) so you can physically see exactly where your boundaries run.
If required, we can provide a survey report or plan showing the boundary positions relative to fences, buildings, and other structures — invaluable for fencing disputes, council matters, or legal purposes.
Most residential boundary mark-outs in Sydney are completed within a few days of booking, and we’ll give you a clear timeframe and fixed quote upfront.
When Do You Need to Find Your Boundary Lines?
Sydney property owners typically need a boundary survey when they’re:
- Building or replacing a fence — so both owners know the fence sits on the correct boundary
- Resolving a boundary dispute — a registered survey provides clear, independent evidence of where the legal boundary sits
- Building, extending or renovating — to ensure structures comply with boundary setbacks
- Installing a pool, retaining wall, granny flat or driveway — where mistakes near boundaries can be costly to fix
- Buying or selling property — to identify encroachments or confirm existing structures align with the title
- Subdividing land — where accurate boundary definition is essential before work begins
What Happens During a Boundary Survey?
A boundary survey confirms where your legal property lines sit on the ground. The surveyor reviews your title documents and registered plans, checks existing survey evidence, then identifies or re-marks the boundary corners on-site. In most cases, you’ll also receive a survey plan or report for fencing, construction, renovations or development approvals.
The surveyor reviews the property records, attends the site, and uses surveying equipment to compare the legal boundaries with what physically exists on the ground. They’ll usually search for existing survey marks nearby to help confirm the original boundary position. If marks are missing or unclear, the boundary is re-established using survey measurements and available evidence.
Depending on the job and site conditions, the surveyor may place new boundary pegs, pins or marks at the property corners so the boundaries can be clearly identified on-site.
Most boundary surveys include a survey plan or report showing boundary measurements, corner locations and any relevant findings. This information can then be used for fencing, extensions, construction projects, subdivision planning or resolving boundary disputes.
Boundary Line FAQs
The cost of a boundary survey depends on the size of your block, the number of boundaries you need marked, the age and quality of the original survey plans, and how many survey marks still exist in your street. A standard residential boundary mark-out is one of the most affordable surveys you can commission — and far cheaper than rebuilding a fence, wall, or structure that’s been put in the wrong place.
Contact us with your address and we’ll give you a fast, fixed quote — usually the same day.
Not necessarily. Fences are frequently built off the true boundary line, sometimes deliberately, often by accident. The only way to confirm whether your fence sits on the boundary is a survey by a Registered Surveyor.
Only a surveyor registered with the Board of Surveying and Spatial Information of NSW (BOSSI) can carry out cadastral boundary surveys. Complete Precision Surveys is fully registered and licensed.
Registered Surveyors — fully licensed with BOSSI to undertake cadastral (boundary) surveys in NSW
15+ years’ experience marking boundaries across every part of Greater Sydney
Modern, high-precision equipment for accurate, reliable results
Fast turnaround — clear timeframes, surveys delivered on schedule
5-star rated by Sydney homeowners, builders, and developers on Google
Whether it’s a single fence line in Campbelltown or a full boundary survey for a development site in the Inner West, we deliver precise data you can build on.
Yes, you can get a rough idea of where your property boundaries sit without hiring a surveyor. However, DIY methods should only be used as a general guide. Legal property boundaries in NSW are determined by registered survey plans and physical survey marks, such as boundary pegs, meaning online maps and measurements cannot be relied on in formal disputes or construction matters.