Can you build over an easement? How to find yours

Usually not without the written consent of whoever holds it. An easement is a registered right over part of your land, most commonly for drainage, sewerage or access. The land is still yours, but the easement holder, usually a council or a utility, is entitled to reach whatever runs through it, and that shapes what you can build there.

To check a particular block, type its address into RapidSiteplan: it reads the lot and the rules that apply there and checks the structure you place against them, in minutes.

Why does an easement matter for your project?

Putting a shed, patio or pool over an easement without consent is a common backyard mistake, and an expensive one. If the asset owner needs to get at their pipe, structures over the easement can be ordered off at your cost. A build-over without consent also has a way of surfacing right when you are trying to sell.

How does build-over consent work?

Most utilities and councils run a build-over application process. Some structures are allowed with conditions (clear footing zones, removable sections), some are refused. Fences and gardens are usually fine. Concrete slabs and habitable rooms usually are not. Apply before you build, never after.

How do I find the easements on my lot?

Easements appear on the title and the registered survey plan for the lot, and most are mapped in the state cadastre. RapidSiteplan loads mapped easements onto your site plan, shades them so they are hard to miss, and warns you when a proposed structure lands on or beside one. Better to hear it from the software than from the water authority.

What only your address can answer

whether an easement crosses your lot, how wide it is and what it is for
who holds it: the council, a water utility or another owner
where the pipe or service runs inside it
what else, such as a sewer main, sits close to where you want to build

RapidSiteplan reads your own block from its address: the boundaries, the buildings already on it, the rules that apply there and any overlay or easement, and checks what you plan to build against them on a scaled site plan.

Search your address to start. Site plans and assessments in minutes. The post on existing services plans covers how to find the sewer and the other lines on a lot.

Common questions

What is an easement on a property? An easement is a registered right for someone else, usually a council or utility, to use part of your land, most often for drainage, sewerage or access. It stays with the land when the property sells.

Can you build over an easement? Usually not without the written consent of the asset owner. Some structures are refused outright, others are allowed with conditions such as removable footings. Build over one without consent and you can be ordered to remove it at your own cost.

How do I find out if my property has an easement? Easements appear on the title and the registered plan, and most are mapped in the state cadastre. RapidSiteplan loads mapped easements onto your plan and warns you if a proposed structure lands on one.