How Much Does Subdivision Cost?

Prices checked October 2026. Government, council and water authority figures are the published 2026-27 rates, shown as published. Conveyancing ranges are typical quotes including GST and vary by firm and property. Professional and works costs are quoted by each firm and are not included.

How much does it cost to subdivide land?

There is no single price, because a subdivision's cost depends more on the site than on the paperwork. The bill is made up of these groups of costs, only some of which are fixed:

1. Planning application fees, set by regulation or by the council.
2. Plan certification and sign-off fees, also set by regulation or the council.
3. Contributions for open space and local infrastructure, which depend on the area and whether an exemption applies.
4. Water, sewer and other service charges for each new lot, published by the water authority.
5. Land registry fees to register the plan and issue the new titles.
6. Professional fees for the town planner, licensed surveyor and civil engineer, quoted by each firm.
7. Works, conveyancing and selling costs, from driveways and connections to the contract for each new lot.

The fixed government and water charges for a small subdivision usually come to several thousand dollars. Surveying, planning, engineering and works are not regulated and vary widely with the site, so we do not quote a typical figure for them; ask at least two firms for a written fixed quote. For the steps these costs belong to, see the subdivision process guide.

What are the council and planning fees for a subdivision?

Planning application fees are set by each state. In Victoria the same statutory fees apply in every council, calculated in fee units, which are worth $17.27 in 2026-27.

Councils add their own charges for some services. The City of Casey, for example, lists $354 for its inspection before a statement of compliance and $265 for its development engineering plan checking fee in 2026-27. If you apply for the permit for a new dwelling and the subdivision together, Victoria charges the higher of the two fees in full plus half of the other. NSW fees come from the state's 2026-27 planning fee schedule, and the subdivision certificate itself is charged by the council or certifier that issues it.

What contributions and water charges apply to a subdivision?

Contributions and service charges are often bigger than the council fees, and they depend on where the land is.

• Public open space: in Victoria, where the planning scheme does not set its own rate, the Subdivision Act 1988 lets council ask for up to 5% of the land or of its site value. A two-lot subdivision is exempt if council considers it unlikely that each lot will be further subdivided, and the City of Casey says most two-lot subdivisions are exempt on that basis.
• Development contributions: land inside a development contributions plan area can carry a levy. Casey's Cranbourne North Stage 2 plan, for example, lists a community infrastructure levy of $1,590 per dwelling as at 1 October 2026 on its development contribution rates page. Ask council whether a levy applies to your lot.
• Growth areas contribution: in parts of Melbourne's growth areas, the State Revenue Office's one-off Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution can apply when land is subdivided or developed.
• Water and sewer: water corporations charge a new customer contribution for each new lot. South East Water's 2026-27 charges in the Casey area are $1,112.49 for water and $1,306.81 for sewer per lot, plus $2,951.64 per lot for recycled water where it is supplied. Its application fee is $268.22 where no works are needed, or $1,301.81 under a developer works agreement.
• Power, gas and telecommunications: each provider quotes its own connection or extension costs.

In Victoria, open space and development contributions are generally paid before council issues the statement of compliance, and council needs the water corporation's consent before it can issue that statement, so these costs fall due before the new titles exist.

How much does it cost to register a plan and get new titles?

Land registry fees are set each year and are the same whichever surveyor or conveyancer you use. For 2026-27:

For a two-lot NSW subdivision, for example, the plan lodgement fees come to $769.56 before any 88B instrument. In SA the registry fees for a two-allotment division come to about $1,850 to $2,150, mainly because of the plan examination fee.

How much does subdivision cost in Cranbourne North?

Here is a worked example for a common outer-Melbourne project: an owner in Cranbourne North, in the City of Casey, keeps the existing house, builds a second dwelling at the rear and subdivides into two lots. Casey says it will generally not support a subdivision that creates a vacant lot, so the permit for the second dwelling usually comes first. The figures are the 2026-27 rates published by the City of Casey, the Victorian Government and South East Water.

On top of these published charges, budget for:

• Land Services Victoria's fees to lodge and register the plan
• recycled water contributions of $2,951.64 per lot, if the property is in a recycled water area
• the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution, if your land is in a contribution area
• quoted fees from the licensed surveyor, the town planner and, where needed, a civil engineer
• works such as separate water, sewer, stormwater and power connections and any driveway changes
• conveyancing for the subdivision and for selling the new lot (next section)

Only the charges in your own permit conditions and authority letters apply to your project, so check them against this list before you commit.

What does conveyancing cost for a subdivision and the lot sales?

There are separate pieces of legal work, and it helps to get each quoted as a fixed fee at the start.

• The subdivision itself: checking the title, getting the lender's consent to the plan, and preparing any agreement, easement or owners corporation documents the approval requires. This is quoted per project. Councils may also charge to administer agreements: Casey lists $383 including GST for a section 173 agreement.
• Selling each new lot: a standard Victorian sale typically costs $700 to $1,600 in professional fees including GST, plus $350 to $800 in disbursements, mostly the Section 32 searches. If a mortgage is discharged at settlement, the electronic discharge registration fee is $129.20.
• Selling before registration: an off-the-plan contract needs extra conditions tied to the plan and a sunset date, so make sure the quote covers them.

For other states' selling costs, see conveyancing costs in NSW, conveyancing costs in Queensland and conveyancing costs in South Australia, or the national conveyancing costs guide. ConveyDirect arranges fixed-fee quotes for subdivision conveyancing, with no sale, no fee when selling.

What makes a subdivision cost more?

• Services that do not reach the new lot: extending a water or sewer main, or upgrading power, moves you from a simple application fee to a works agreement and contractor costs.
• Overlays and reports: flood, bushfire, heritage or vegetation controls mean extra reports and conditions. See heritage overlays.
• Objections: notice to neighbours and objections add planning time and fees, and a tribunal review adds more.
• Common property: a shared driveway means an owners corporation, with its own documents and ongoing costs.
• Existing easements and covenants: varying or removing them takes extra applications and legal work.
• More lots: per-lot charges, contributions and works rise with every lot created.
• Tax: depending on your circumstances, GST, income tax or capital gains tax can apply when you sell new lots, so get tax advice before you start.
• Holding costs: rates, land tax and loan interest continue while approvals run. See how long subdivision takes.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules, fees and timeframes change and differ between states, so confirm your own situation with a licensed conveyancer, settlement agent or solicitor.