How to check if your fence is on the boundary

If you are wondering whether your fence sits on the legal property boundary - or whether your neighbour's fence has crept onto your land - you can get a quick first-pass answer by overlaying the cadastral boundary on satellite imagery in MapMyLot. This works for residential and rural properties across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

This guide explains how to use the satellite overlay for a fence check, what accuracy limits you need to account for, and when you need a registered surveyor instead.

Step-by-step: using satellite overlay to check a fence

1. Go to mapmylot.com/app on your phone or computer.
2. Search your street address. The boundary polygon will appear highlighted in teal on the map.
3. Tap the layer toggle button and switch to satellite view. The boundary line stays visible as an overlay on the satellite imagery.
4. Visually compare where the legal boundary line sits relative to the physical fence in the satellite image.
5. Note the 1 to 2 metre accuracy margin - small offsets between the line and the fence are often within the error range of the cadastral data and are not necessarily meaningful.
6. If the offset appears significantly larger than 1 to 2 metres, or if you are in an active dispute, the next step is to engage a registered surveyor.

What the accuracy margin means in practice

Cadastral boundary data is compiled from title records and survey plans that may be decades old. When these records are converted into digital form, a small positional error of approximately 1 to 2 metres is typical. This means that if the boundary line in MapMyLot appears to sit 1 metre inside your fence, you cannot conclude from that alone that the fence is encroaching. The true boundary may be exactly at the fence line.

If the discrepancy looks more substantial - say 3 to 5 metres or more - or if a neighbour is disputing ownership of a strip of land, the cadastral overlay is useful for framing the conversation but cannot resolve the dispute on its own. A registered surveyor can set out the boundary from the title documents and field measurements and produce a legally defensible survey plan.

What to do if you suspect the fence is off the boundary

• Check the satellite imagery first. In MapMyLot, switch to satellite view and zoom in on the fence line. Compare the boundary polygon edge with the physical fence line visible in the image.
• Download the boundary report. The $4.99 PDF export gives you a printed record of the boundary polygon and measurements to bring to a conversation with your neighbour or a surveyor.
• Engage a surveyor if the discrepancy is significant. A registered cadastral surveyor can locate boundary pegs, review the title plan, and produce a survey marking the boundary on the ground. This is the only way to get a legally binding boundary determination.
• Check the Fences Act in your state or territory. In Australia and New Zealand, fencing disputes are governed by state legislation. The surveyor's report is often required before formal dispute processes can begin.

Coverage: where this works

The satellite overlay fence check works for properties in:

• Australia: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and ACT
• New Zealand: all regions covered by the LINZ cadastral dataset
• Canada: British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Yukon
• UK: England, Wales, and Scotland

Frequently asked questions