Property and land guides

How to find your property boundary in the ACT

On this page
  1. Blocks, sections and divisions
  2. Leasehold: what a Crown lease means
  3. ACTmapi and what costs money
  4. What MapMyLot shows for an ACT address
  5. Who confirms a legal boundary in the ACT
  6. Check an address in three steps

Find a mapped ACT block boundary by searching the street address on MapMyLot. The block outline from ACT Government data appears with its area and perimeter, plus proximity readings where data covers the address. Five lookups a day are free, with no account and no block or section number needed. Treat the map as a first check, then confirm with the deposited plan or a registered surveyor when the exact line matters.

Find your ACT block boundary now - free, no account needed

Check an address free

Five free address lookups a day, no account needed. Additional readouts depend on local data coverage.

Blocks, sections and divisions

MapMyLot satellite map of Dickson Library, 50 Dickson Place, Dickson, ACT, with the block highlighted in orange and an area of 1,981 square metres shown below the map

The ACT describes land by block, section and division rather than by lot and plan. The division carries the suburb name. The ACT Government's ACT Blocks dataset defines urban blocks as those "that appear within a division and have division and section identifiers", while rural blocks "do not usually appear within a division". One record in that dataset, for example, is Block 6, Section 61, in the division of Turner.

The same dataset notes that "block boundaries may not always align exactly" and that "The legal definition of a block is defined in the Deposited plan." You do not need the block and section numbers to search: MapMyLot matches the street address to the block. For how lot references work in the states, see how to find a lot number in Australia.

Leasehold: what a Crown lease means

Residential land in the ACT is leasehold. ACT Planning's page on Crown leases says that if you hold a Crown lease on a property "you effectively own it", and that "A residential lease is usually for a term of 99 years in the ACT." A lessee can apply to the Territory Planning Authority for a further Crown lease during the term.

The lease does not change the boundary. The block outline is the same either way, and the lease, the title and the deposited plan are the documents that define what you hold.

ACTmapi and what costs money

The ACT Government's own map is ACTmapi, described by ACT Planning as "an online mapping tool that provides access to the latest land information in the ACT", where users "can view and query data such as land zoning, bushfire prone areas, aerial photography, and survey marks" (spatial information). Its terms and conditions say the material is available "for information purposes only" and give no warranty "as to the currency, reliability, accuracy or completeness" of it.

Title records are searched online through Access Canberra's ACT Land Information System (ACTLIS), by street name, full address, volume and folio, or parcel details. Fees under the Land Titles (Fees) Determination 2026 (No 2), which commenced on 1 July 2026, include:

  • application to inspect the register: $36.00
  • plan searches: $26.00
  • all other searches: $24.00

What MapMyLot shows for an ACT address

MapMyLot draws the block from ACT Government blocks (ACTmapi), about 152,600 blocks across the Territory. Each search shows:

  • the block outline on a street or satellite base map
  • land area in square metres, acres and hectares, and perimeter in metres
  • proximity readings, such as distance to the nearest power line, where data covers the address

Two overlay layers are free: protected areas and agricultural land class. MapMyLot Pro, at A$29.99 a month, removes the daily limit and adds Territory Plan zoning, bushfire prone areas and the bushfire abatement zone, heritage listings, easements and mapped power lines. A one-off PDF report costs A$19.99 without a subscription. For how block size is measured and compared, see lot size in Australia.

ACT Planning puts it plainly on its surveying a boundary page: "You can't survey a boundary yourself." Only surveyors "registered under the Surveyors Act 2007" can survey one, and the page points to the Access Canberra list of registered land surveyors to check a surveyor's status. Use MapMyLot to confirm you have the right block and its approximate size, then engage a registered surveyor if a fence, an extension or a dispute depends on the exact line. The guide to finding property boundaries covers the other records worth checking.

Check an address in three steps

  1. Open the map, type the street address and select the matching result.
  2. Check the highlighted block is the one you meant, then read its area and perimeter.
  3. Compare the outline with your deposited plan or lease. If they differ, search the land titles register or talk to a registered surveyor before relying on the map.

Find your ACT block boundary now - free, no account needed

Check an address free

Five free address lookups a day, no account needed. Additional readouts depend on local data coverage.

Property boundary maps by region

Frequently asked questions

What data does MapMyLot use for ACT property boundaries?

ACT Government blocks from ACTmapi, covering about 152,600 blocks. The outline MapMyLot draws is the block extent recorded in that dataset. The legal definition of a block is in its deposited plan.

Do I need my block and section number to search?

No. ACT land is identified by block, section and division (suburb), but MapMyLot accepts a plain street address and finds the matching block. For a land title search through Access Canberra, a street name or full address is enough to start.

Do I own my ACT block or lease it?

You hold a Crown lease. ACT Planning says a Crown lease holder effectively owns the property, and that a residential lease is usually for a term of 99 years. You can apply to the Territory Planning Authority for a further Crown lease during the term.

Is my area included?

All of the ACT is covered, about 152,600 blocks. MapMyLot also covers:

  • Rest of Australia: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania
  • New Zealand
  • Canada: British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Yukon
  • UK: England, Wales, and Scotland

Can I use the map to settle a fence line in the ACT?

No. ACTmapi material is for information purposes only and carries no warranty of accuracy, and MapMyLot shows the same block data. Only a surveyor registered under the Surveyors Act 2007 can survey a boundary in the ACT.