What is an existing services plan?

An existing services plan is a drawing of the lot that shows where the services already run: sewer, stormwater, water, gas, power and telecommunications, with their pits, connections and easements. Councils ask for it, under that name or a similar one, in the checklist for some development applications, so they can see how the new work sits against what is in the ground and how it will connect. Not every job needs one, and the council’s checklist says when yours does.

What does an existing services plan show?

the sewer main, the house connection, inspection openings and maintenance holes
stormwater lines, pits and the place roof water leaves the lot
water, gas, power and telecommunications connections from the street
any easement that holds a service
power poles, pits and street trees along the frontage, close to a driveway or connection
the boundaries, the buildings, a north point and the scale

How do I find my sewer line?

Start with the records. The council or the water utility, depending on the place, often holds a plan of the property’s sewer or house drainage, and you can ask for it by address. Then walk the lot: inspection openings, the overflow gully and any maintenance hole lid show where the line runs and which way it falls. Old records can be wrong or missing, so where the distance matters, a plumber with a camera and a locator can trace the pipe and mark it. The post on building over or next to a sewer covers what happens once you find it.

Where do the other services come from?

A before you dig enquiry brings back the asset owners’ own plans for the mains and cables near the lot. Those plans mostly stop at the connection point. Lines beyond it, such as the power to a shed or a water pipe to a garden tap, are private, and few of them are on anyone’s record. A service locating contractor can find and mark those on the ground, and a surveyor can then fix what is marked. Positions on record plans are indicative, so say on the sheet how each line was found.

Why does the council want to see them?

Footings and pipes can’t share the same ground. A new structure near a main can need the consent of the main’s owner, a new dwelling needs somewhere to connect, and a driveway has to clear the pits and poles at the kerb. The post on granny flat site plans shows how this plays out where the connections matter most.

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the council and building rules for your lot from its address, checks the design against them as you place it, lets you edit it as often as you like, and prints the site plan. Site plans and assessments in minutes. Where the mapping holds sewer mains they show on the lot, with their positions marked as indicative, and you can draw sewer, stormwater, gas, power and telecommunications lines on the sheet.

Search your address, or see what the plan shows for a shed, carport or other outbuilding. The Logan page lists what we hold for that council, and site plans by council covers the rest of Australia.

Common questions

What is an existing services plan? It is a drawing of the lot showing where the sewer, stormwater, water, gas, power and telecommunications already run, with their pits, connections and easements. Councils ask for it with some development applications. The council’s checklist says whether yours needs one.

How do I find my sewer line? Ask the council or the water utility for the plan of the property’s sewer, using the address. Then check it on site against the inspection openings and maintenance holes. A plumber with a camera and a locator can trace the line where the records run out.

Who draws the services plan for a DA? On a small job the owner, a designer or a drafter can usually show the services on the site plan. On a bigger development application a surveyor often locates them and a hydraulic consultant or civil engineer draws the connections. The council’s checklist says what it wants.