Know what the parcel allows before you commit
Listings describe potential. The Code and the title decide it, and the numbers that matter are applied to the land rather than to the zone as a whole.
Where South Australia catches people out
The agent says the block can be divided
Land division is assessed against the minimum site area and frontage that apply to that parcel, and every resulting allotment has to satisfy them — including the balance. Being over the minimum overall does not mean an extra allotment is available.
You compare it to a similar property nearby
Technical and Numeric Variations are applied spatially, so a neighbouring parcel can carry different figures. Comparable-looking sites are frequently not comparable in Code terms.
Planning approval is the only approval you think about
An encumbrance or easement registered on title can prohibit what the Code allows. It survives planning consent, and it is not discoverable from the address.
What to use, and when
SA Planning Insight
$39Plain-English answer for what you want to do at that address, read from the Code policy applying to the parcel.
Certificate of Title & Plan
from $64Encumbrances and easements — the findings that make the planning answer irrelevant.
SA Planning Reports
From $399When the purchase depends on a development outcome and you need it assessed rather than indicated.
Getting started
The free snapshot covers the zone and overlays in about thirty seconds. For anything you are seriously bidding on, pair the $39 Insight with the title.
General information about the South Australia planning system, not advice on a particular site. What applies to a property depends on its zone, the controls affecting it and what is proposed.