Registered Plan vs Deposited Plan Explained

Every registered title in Australia refers to a survey plan, and the description on your certificate of title, something like "Lot 12 in Deposited Plan 234567," is doing more work than it looks. That plan reference is the document that legally defines your property's boundaries, and the terminology used for it differs depending on which state registered the land. Understanding the difference between a deposited plan and a registered plan, and what either one actually shows, helps you read a title correctly and know what to check before you sign a contract.

What a Deposited Plan Is

A deposited plan, usually shown as "DP" followed by a number, is the term used in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory for the survey plan lodged and registered when a parcel of land is created or subdivided. It shows the exact boundaries, dimensions and area of each new lot, along with any easements or restrictions created at the time of subdivision. Since the early 1960s it has been the standard form of plan lodged for registration in these jurisdictions, regardless of whether the land is a single house block, a rural subdivision, or part of a larger residential estate.

What a Registered Plan Is

Registered plan, often shown as "RP," is the older plan terminology historically used in Queensland for subdivisions registered before the state moved to its current survey plan system, where new plans are generally lodged as survey plans. Many established Queensland titles still reference an RP number from decades ago, so the term has not disappeared even though it is not how new plans are created today. Other states use their own conventions again, such as a plan of subdivision in Victoria or a filed or deposited plan in South Australia, but the underlying purpose is the same in every case: a registered diagram that defines the legal boundaries of a lot.

Why the Terminology Differs by State

Each state and territory runs its own land titles office and has developed its own plan registration system over more than a century, which is why the naming has never been standardised nationally. This matters practically because a conveyancer working across state lines needs to know which plan type they are looking at and where to search for it, whether that is through New South Wales Land Registry Services, the Queensland titles registry, or the equivalent office in Western Australia. The differences are largely historical rather than legal, but they do affect how a title description is read and how old a particular numbering convention is likely to be.

Reading the Plan Reference on Your Title

The plan reference on a certificate of title, whether it reads "Lot 5 on RP654321" or "Lot 3 in DP123456," tells you the specific lot and the specific plan that created it. This reference is what your conveyancer uses to order a copy of the plan itself during a purchase, since the plan shows details the title description alone does not, including the exact shape of the lot, its boundary dimensions, and any easements or covenants marked directly on the diagram rather than just referenced by a general note.

What the Plan Itself Actually Shows

Beyond the numbers, the plan is a scaled survey diagram prepared by a registered surveyor showing boundary lines, dimensions, adjoining lots, and the position of any registered easements, such as drainage or access easements, running across the land. For a subdivided or strata property, the plan also shows how the original parcel was divided and where common property sits in relation to individual lots, which is directly relevant to subdivision projects and off-the-plan purchases where the final registered plan may differ slightly from the marketing plan shown before registration.

When the Boundary on the Ground Doesn't Match the Plan

It is a common and often unwelcome discovery that a fence, driveway or shed built decades ago does not actually sit on the boundary shown on the registered plan. Fences move over time, early surveys were sometimes less precise than current standards, and improvements are occasionally built by a previous owner without reference to the plan at all. Where this kind of discrepancy is suspected, a licensed surveyor can carry out an identification survey, which involves physically locating the true boundary pegs or corner marks against the registered plan and marking exactly where the legal boundary sits relative to existing fences and structures. This is a separate service from a standard conveyancing search, arranged directly with a surveyor, and it becomes relevant when a buyer notices a fence line that looks inconsistent with the block's dimensions, when a renovation or new structure is planned close to a boundary, or when a neighbour raises a query about where the true line sits. Resolving the position before you build, rather than after, avoids the more difficult problem of an encroachment onto a neighbour's land once construction is complete.

Why This Matters When You Buy or Sell

Confirming that a property's actual boundaries match what is shown on the registered plan avoids disputes over fence lines, building encroachments, or access arrangements with neighbours. For an off-the-plan purchase, the final registered plan is what fixes the boundaries and lot size once the development is complete, which is why contracts for these purchases often include conditions dealing with what happens if the registered plan differs from earlier drawings. For a straightforward residential purchase, checking the plan alongside the title search confirms there are no easements or notations that were not obvious from the contract alone.

Where to Access the Actual Plan

The plan itself is a separate document from the certificate of title and is generally ordered through the relevant state's land titles registry or an authorised information broker, rather than being automatically included with a standard title search. Landgate in Western Australia, for example, explains that a certificate of title records the survey plan number and type as part of the property's official record, which is a useful illustration of how the two documents work together rather than duplicating each other, as set out in Landgate's guidance on certificates of title. A conveyancer will order the plan whenever the details it shows, rather than just the title description, are relevant to assessing the property.