Australia · Lot and plan · October 24, 2026
How to Find a Lot and Plan Number in Australia Free
Find the lot and plan number for any Australian property free in the official state map viewer, then use it to order a title search.
In Australia, land registries, councils and conveyancers don't identify a property by its street address. They use its lot and plan: the lot number, and the number of the registered plan that created it. If all you have is an address, you can find the lot and plan in a couple of minutes in the official state viewer, free.
Why the lot and plan matters
- A title search needs it. Every state land registry can search by address, but the lot and plan is unambiguous. Two addresses can share a block, and a block can have no street number at all.
- Rural land often has no address. A paddock or a bush block may only be known by its lot and plan, or its title volume and folio.
- It catches listing mistakes. If a sale listing says "Lot 4 DP 12345" and the map shows the house on Lot 5, ask why before you go further.
- Councils use it. Development applications, rates notices and planning certificates all quote it.
Step by step
- Open the viewer for your state (buttons below).
- Search the street address. Most viewers geocode the address and zoom to the parcel.
- Turn on the property or cadastre layer if parcel lines are not showing.
- Click inside the parcel. The pop-up or results panel shows the lot and plan. In Victoria it also shows the SPI. In Tasmania it shows the Property ID (PID) and title reference.
- Copy it exactly, plan prefix included. "Lot 4 DP 12345" and "Lot 4 SP 12345" are different properties.
SDT Explorer (NSW Spatial Services) ↗
VicPlan (Victorian Government) ↗
LISTmap (the LIST, Tasmania) ↗
All seven buttons loaded a map with no login when we checked them on October 24, 2026. For the ACT, use ACTmapi from the ACT Government planning website. It refused our server's connection that day, so it has no button here.
What the letters mean, state by state
| State or territory | What you will see | Example |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Lot / DP (deposited plan) or SP (strata plan) | Lot 12 DP 123456 |
| Victoria | Lot on LP, PS or TP, plus SPI | 1\PS123456 |
| Queensland | Lot on RP, SP or CP | Lot 3 on SP98765 |
| Western Australia | Lot on deposited plan, plan, diagram or strata plan; title volume/folio | Lot 100 on DP 12345 |
| South Australia | Title reference (CT volume/folio) and plan parcel | CT 5000/123 |
| Tasmania | PID and title reference | Volume 123456 Folio 1 |
| ACT | Block, section, division (suburb) | Block 5 Section 12 Turner |
| Northern Territory | Lot (town) or NT Portion; volume/folio | NT Portion 1234 |
The examples show the format only. They are not real properties.
New South Wales
In SDT Explorer, search the address and click the parcel. Lot/DP labels also draw on the map as you zoom in, which makes it quick to read a whole street. A strata building shows the common property lot; individual units are on the strata plan.
Victoria
VicPlan shows the lot and plan and the Standard Parcel Identifier (SPI), a single string such as 1\PS123456 that the Victorian land registry uses. The same panel lets you create a free planning property report.
Queensland
Queensland Globe opens as a guest. Search the address, make sure the cadastre layer is on, and click the parcel. Queensland writes it as "Lot 3 on RP123456". RP plans are older registered plans, SP plans are survey plans, and CP plans are Crown plans.
Western Australia
Landgate Map Viewer Plus searches by address, Certificate of Title, lot on plan or Crown allotment. Click the parcel to see the lot, plan and Land ID.
South Australia
The Location SA Map Viewer shows the boundaries. SAPPA (the SA Property and Planning Atlas) is often easier for this job: search the address or click the property, then open the land information to see the title reference.
Tasmania
In LISTmap, add the cadastral parcels layer, search the address and click the property. The identify results show the PID and the title reference (volume/folio). You can also search LISTmap by PID or by volume/folio.
ACT and the Northern Territory
ACT blocks are leasehold and are identified by block, section and division. In the NT, NR Maps shows town lots and NT Portions with their volume/folio.
Mistakes to avoid
- Dropping the plan type. Without DP, SP or RP, the number can match more than one plan.
- Assuming one lot. Many houses, especially older ones, sit across two lots. Click around the whole property, not just the house.
- Trusting a portal over the registry. Real-estate sites sometimes show the lot of the parent parcel before a subdivision is registered.
- New estates. Lots can take a while to appear on the public cadastre after registration. If the map shows one big lot, ask for the registered plan number.
What to do with it
With the lot and plan you can order a title search from the state land registry or a licensed broker. The title shows the registered owner, mortgages, easements and covenants. Title searches cost money in every state, so check the registry's current fee before you order. You can also ask the council for a planning certificate (the name varies by state) to see zoning and hazards.
If the address search fails
Address searches don't always work, especially for rural properties, corner blocks and new streets. Try these instead:
- Search the nearest road or town, then pan and zoom to the property using the aerial imagery.
- Search a neighbour's address and step across to the property next door.
- Use the rates notice. Council rates notices quote the lot and plan, or the title reference, on the front.
- Ask the selling agent for the contract of sale. The title search attached to it gives the lot and plan.
- Use coordinates. If you have GPS coordinates from a listing or your phone, most viewers accept them or let you drop a pin.
Lot and plan vs title reference
They are related but not the same thing. The lot and plan describe the land: which piece of which survey plan. The title is the register record that says who owns it. In most cases one lot equals one title, and states such as New South Wales use the lot/plan as the title reference (a "folio identifier" like 12/123456). In others, such as Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, the title has its own volume and folio. Write down whatever the viewer gives you; the registry can convert between them.
Strata and community title
Apartments, townhouses and some estates are on strata or community plans. The base cadastre usually draws only the outer parcel. The unit you are buying is a lot on the strata or community plan, with its own lot number. For these, the title search and the strata plan are the documents to rely on, not the map.
Using the lot and plan with the council
Councils use the lot and plan on almost everything. A few times it comes in handy:
- Planning certificates. In New South Wales, a planning certificate (under section 10.7 of the planning act) for the land is ordered from the council using the property's details. Other states have their own equivalents.
- Development applications. Plans you lodge need the lot and plan on the title block.
- Dial before you dig and service searches. Utilities may ask for the lot and plan for rural properties without a clear address.
Common questions
Is the lot and plan on the house contract? Yes. The contract of sale, or the vendor's statement in Victoria, identifies the land by its title or lot and plan.
Can a lot number change? When land is subdivided or consolidated, the old lots are cancelled and new lots on a new plan are created. Old documents will show the old numbers.
Is the viewer's lot and plan legally reliable? It is the government's own data and is reliable for identifying land, but the registered title and plan are the authority.
Related guides
- Free property boundary maps in Australia, state by state
- LISTmap Tasmania: find a PID and title reference
- Landgate Map Viewer Plus guide
- All Australian parcel map pages
Sources
- Viewer links opened and checked October 24, 2026.
- Landgate: How to use Map Viewer Plus.
- Service Tasmania: search the land titles register.