At the end of a subdivision or multiple dwelling development, a Survey Plan must be lodged with Council for approval.

This process is known as Plan Sealing and is needed to create new land titles, easements and / or covenants and to transfer land to Council for drainage reserves, parks etc. 

This must be done before registration with the State Government's Titles Registry (Department of Resources).

Plan Sealing can only happen when:

• all earthworks have been completed
• essential services infrastructure, like water and sewer have been connected
• all construction costs, infrastructure charges and other levies and fees have been paid, and
• all development conditions have been met.

Plan sealing must be well managed to avoid extra costs and delays. For more information, please contact our team.

Plan sealing applications

Before we can seal (approve) a survey plan:

• the development must meet all the conditions of approval
• all rates (including newly levied rates), infrastructure charges and any legal fees owing to Council’s solicitors must be paid.

Step 1 – Preliminary plan sealing request

All requests for plan sealing must use our free preliminary plan sealing service. This helps to reduce delays by allowing an early start on things like:

• getting an infrastructure charges quote 
• getting a notice of account for plan sealing request fees
• preparing or reviewing legal documents and Council's execution of them
• providing the relevant officer contact details
• reviewing the request and providing clear directions for any amendments or actions needed before the formal plan sealing request. We will provide a preliminary response within 7 business days, with:
  • preliminary parent approval status report
  • preliminary operational works status report
  • preliminary parks / landscape status report (where applicable)
  • preliminary environment / flood / traffic / parks (where applicable) 
• providing a compliance report template
• bonding and pre-bonding inspection.

To lodge a preliminary plan sealing request, please:

1. download and fill in Preliminary plan sealing request form (PDF 143 KB) and the Schedule of easments form (PDF 121KB) (if required).
2. download and fill in the Completed trunk infrastructure form.
3. email the completed forms with the draft survey plan to DAPlanSealing@logan.qld.gov.au.

Step 2 – Formal plan sealing request

A formal plan sealing request can be lodged when all the actions in the preliminary response have been met. The preliminary response is given by Council in Step 1. Follow the steps below to lodge a formal plan sealing request.

To have a survey plan re-endorsed (within 12 months of previous Council endorsement), please download Re-endorsement of survey plan request form (PDF 282 KB).

ExpressSeal

Our ExpressSeal service allows plan sealing applications to be fast-tracked by using accredited consultants.

For more information, please see Streamlined Planning Services - ExpressSeal.

Council easements and surrender of Council easements

Easements in favour of Council may need to be registered as part of a development application. This applies if Council-owned infrastructure (sewerage or stormwater) is, or is proposed to be, located on your property.

Our standard easement terms allow for your solicitors to prepare easements in favour of Council and lodge them with the endorsed survey plan at the Titles Office.

The standard terms cover all easements in favour of Council, including:

• drainage
• sewerage
• water supply
• access and services
• right of way (for Council refuse vehicles).

We have two standard terms documents:

• one for easements over freehold land
• one for easements over trust land and reserves.

The standard terms documents are registered with the Titles Office and have the following dealing numbers:

• Easements over freehold land (PDF 649 KB) Dealing number 720963430
• Easements over trust land and reserves (PDF 1.03 MB) Dealing number 720963436.

Council will also accept Form 10 easement surrender documents prepared by your solicitors.

To help prepare easement documents, please download an Example of an acceptable Form 9 (PDF 22 KB). You can also see the Queensland Government’s Land Titles Practice Manual – Part 9 - Easement (Guide to Completion of Form 9).

If you prefer to ask our solicitors to prepare easement or easement surrender documents on your behalf, at your cost, please include the Request for preparation of legal documentation form (PDF 358 KB) with your preliminary plan sealing request when it is lodged. Please note, all easements between private parties are to be prepared by your solicitors.

Transfer of land to Council and covenants

Transfer of land to Council in fee simple and/or covenants must be prepared by Council's solicitor.  A Request for Preparation of Legal Documentation Form (PDF 135 KB) must be completed and submitted with your preliminary request. 

In both cases, you will need a solicitors’ undertaking to lodge, provided to our solicitors, before you can lodge the survey plan and legal documents at the Titles Office for registration. For more information about a solicitors’ undertaking to lodge, please contact our team.

Execution of legal documentation

In some cases, execution of legal documents by Council may be needed where there is no survey plan to be endorsed. A Request for execution of legal documentation form (PDF 263 KB) is used for:

• easements in favour of Council (Form 9)
• surrender of Council easements (Form 10)
• general consents (Form 18).

This form is also used for all legal documentation required to be signed by Council for developments in the Priority Development Area (PDA) approved and plan sealed by Economic Development Queensland (EDQ).

Infrastructure charges quote

You can get an estimate of infrastructure charges for your development using the infrastructure charges estimator tool in the Logan PD Hub.

You can also get an infrastructure charges quote as part of the preliminary plan sealing service and ExpressSeal process. 

A quote allows you to pay your infrastructure contributions when you lodge your formal plan sealing application.

Only one infrastructure charges quote, valid until the date stated in the issued quotation, will be given for each preliminary plan sealing request. If the infrastructure charges quote lapses before you lodge your formal plan sealing request, we will send you a charges invoice between 3 and 5 business days after you lodge your request.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) for plan sealing

Who can help me prepare my survey plan?

We suggest that you contact a qualified surveyor to help you prepare a survey plan.

What charges are payable before a plan can be sealed?

All Council rates or charges and expenses that are a charge over the land under any Act must be paid before plan sealing. This includes rates and charges levied by us that are not yet due.

When are rates levied?

For more information on rates, including rating periods, issue dates and rate payments, please see Rates.

What happens to any credit if I have overpaid my rates?

Rates and charges are assessed at the date of registration of the plan. Any credit from rates paid will be refunded.

How long will it take for my plan sealing application to be finished?

We are bound by the Queensland Government Planning Act 2016. If we review the works and documents and deem that it is in line with the relevant approvals, we will endorse the survey plan within 20 business days.

What do I do after Council endorses my survey plan?

If more is needed to satisfy your conditions of approval (i.e. there may be bonding agreements in place), we suggest you contact the Titles Office.

What do I do if the conditions in my permit need a plumbing and drainage approval?

If your permit conditions state that you need a plumbing and drainage application or compliance permit, please see Plumbing and drainage.

When can I start building a house on my newly created block?

The survey plan must be endorsed by Council and the titles registered by the Titles Office before the newly created lot can be built on.

Important Warning – Updated Flood Hazard Information

Flood hazard is being remodelled across the city

Logan City Council is remodelling flood hazard across the city in accordance with the endorsed Flood Hazard Review Program.

Logan Planning Scheme Flood hazard overlay does not reflect the updated flood hazard

The Logan Planning Scheme 2015 Flood hazard overlay map OM-05.00 does not reflect the updated flood hazard and should not be relied upon as accurately reflecting the current extent of properties affected by flood hazard.

Existing approvals do not reflect the updated flood hazard

Any existing approvals may not be based on the updated extent of flood hazard likely to affect a property.

There are substantial changes to the extent of properties affected by flood hazard and increases in flood level heights

Based on updated flood data it is expected there will be substantial changes to the extent and flood levels of properties affected by a flood hazard.

You must obtain the latest flood information from Council

Please contact us to find out the status of the flood hazard remodelling affecting a property and how it may impact on any development.

As flood studies are completed the updated extent of a flood hazard and the updated flood level will be included in the online flood report available on Council’s PD Hub.

Completed flood studies [and the progress status of others] are available.

The Planning Scheme will be amended once all the flood studies are completed to reflect the State Planning Policy and in line with best practice in flood risk management for the City of Logan. 

You must take responsibility for ensuring your development avoids serious harm to persons and property from the updated flood hazard

Any person undertaking development is responsible for ensuring they obtain the latest information on flood hazard affecting the property and that the development is located and designed based on the updated flood hazard. This is important to ensure that the risks associated with flood hazard are avoided or mitigated to protect people and property.