Regulations for the Guidance of Surveyors Practising under the Transfer of Land Act 1893

The regulations revolve around a small set of controlling concepts that dictate who makes surveys, what must be recorded, how marks are to be treated and how plans must be drafted.

• Licensed surveyor and surveyor: A "surveyor" is defined as a licensed surveyor entitled to practise under the Transfer of Land Act 1893 (reg 1A). The core requirement is that every survey, re‑survey or subdivision used for Authority dealings must be made by such a surveyor (reg 1B). The regime presumes professional licensing and ties practice rights to the Transfer of Land Act framework.

• Western Australian Land Information Authority: Defined in reg 1A as the Authority established by the Land Information Authority Act 2006, the Authority is the body that receives field records and plans and through which the Inspector of Plans and Surveys operates. The Authority is identified as one of the "relevant bodies" to be searched before a survey is made (reg 4).

• Inspector of Plans and Surveys: A defined statutory post, the Inspector is a licensed surveyor on the Authority’s staff appointed by the Governor (reg 1A). The Inspector has the administrative competence to request amendments, additional information or reports (reg 5) and to approve plans of authorised surveys (definition in reg 1A).

• Field record: Central documentary object. The regulations require a field record to be kept and, with limited exceptions, lodged with the Authority (reg 7, reg 8(1)). The field record must show "everything that the surveyor does or finds to exist on the ground" including angles, bearings, distances, old marks, offsets, fences, buildings, walls, roads, rights‑of‑way and subdivisions; improvements within one metre of the boundary must be located (reg 8(1)-(2)).

• Reference and verification of marks: Multiple provisions require that existing marks be verified against deposited plans and reference marks and that new marks be tied into reference marks and nearby permanent objects (regs 9, 21, 23, 30-33). There are prescribed methods for substitute marks (iron spikes where pegs cannot be placed, cut broad arrows) and for tacking and facing pegs (regs 33, 36, 37).

• Drafting standards and labelling: Plans must be reproducible (waterproof ink), of sufficient strength for photographic reproduction (reg 41); diagrams must show roads, reserves, permanent drains and allotment numbers/areas (reg 48); names and widths of streets are required on plans and field notes (regs 15, 49); area notation rules differ by size threshold (reg 59). Abbreviations for old marks are mandated (reg 51).

• Priority of Crown surveys: The regulations require adherence to the original alignment of every Crown survey except as allowed under the general regulations (reg 24). This concept privileges historical Crown survey lines as the default alignment to be followed.

• Relationship to general regulations: Many operative duties refer to the "general regulations" for method and detailing (reg 1A, various cross‑references such as regs 23 and 36 pointing to general regs). The "general regulations" are therefore an integrated part of the regulatory standard.

These concepts are operationalised through specific documentary and field requirements that are binding on practising surveyors in the Authority’s processes. The text embeds both process controls (searches, lodging, compliance with notices) and technical specifications (peg types, offsets, area formats, numbering rules).

The regulations impose duties and documentary standards that directly and indirectly affect four principal actor groups and several secondary stakeholders.

Directly affected parties

• Licensed surveyors: They are the primary regulated actors. Every survey used for Authority dealings must be made by a licensed surveyor entitled to practise under the Transfer of Land Act 1893 (reg 1B). The regulations govern how surveyors must conduct field work, what must be recorded in field notes (reg 8), how marks are to be verified and referenced (regs 9, 21, 23), how pegs must be marked (regs 36, 37) and how plans must be drafted and presented (regs 41, 43, 48-51, 55, 59). Surveyors must also disclose doubts and act as an adviser to the Government (reg 2). They must comply immediately with notices from the Inspector of Plans and Surveys (reg 5).

• Western Australian Land Information Authority staff, including the Inspector of Plans and Surveys: The regulations define the internal administrative roles and decision points for the Authority. The Inspector’s authority to request amendments, additional information or reports shapes compliance tasks for surveyors (reg 5). The Authority is the lodgement point for field records (reg 8) and the body whose standards determine plan acceptance (reg 43).

• Employers and private clients of surveyors: The regulations explicitly address the surveyor’s duty vis‑à‑vis their employing client. Regulation 2 directs surveyors to act as agent and adviser of the Government rather than the private employer, and not to withhold information affecting the merits of an application even if the description provided is technically correct.

• Adjoining owners and property holders: The content obligations regarding showing whether sufficient land remains for adjoining owners under "the most liberal interpretation of their rights" (reg 3) affect adjoining owners’ interests. Field notes must show improvements within one metre of boundaries (reg 8(2)), which impacts privacy and property management for owners whose improvements are near surveyed boundaries.

Secondary or consequentially affected parties

• Municipal and local government authorities: Street names and extensions rules (regs 15, 18) and requirements to show public streets and roads on plans (regs 48, 49) mean local naming and street layout decisions will interact with survey outcomes. Naming conflicts in a municipality are proscribed (reg 18).

• State departments administering land and mining: The "relevant bodies" to be searched before a survey include the department principally assisting in administration of the Land Administration Act 1997 and the department principally assisting in administration of the Mining Act 1978 (reg 4). Those agencies must give assistance to enable surveyors to refer to certificates of title, field records, plans and other documents (reg 4(2)).

• Property conveyancers, title offices and registry users: Because plans and field records are prerequisites for dealings lodged with the Authority, legal practitioners, conveyancers and title registries will be impacted indirectly through delays, rejections, or additional information requirements arising from non‑compliant surveys.

Notably absent from the regulations are express procedural rights of review or appeal against decisions of the Inspector or Authority contained within the text. The regulations do not include penalty schedules or criminal sanctions, though they do provide administrative enforcement levers such as plan rejection (reg 43) and immediate compliance notices (reg 5). Any enforcement beyond the documentary and administrative measures in these regulations must be sought in the parent Acts or other legislation rather than in the regulation text itself.

The regulations allocate several mandatory duties to surveyors and establish administrative powers for the Authority and its Inspector. There are few explicit "rights" for regulated persons set out in the text; the regime is primarily duty‑focused.

Duties imposed on surveyors

• Use of licensed practitioner: Every survey, re‑survey or subdivision used for Authority dealings must be made by a licensed surveyor entitled to practise under the Transfer of Land Act 1893, and must comply strictly with these regulations (reg 1B). This is a precondition for the Authority to accept plans and field records.

• Duty to the Government: Surveyors must disclose all doubts, discrepancies and difficulties and provide all information obtainable relative to the property that may aid in securing accuracy and completeness in the certificate of title (reg 2). The provision expressly frames the surveyor as an "agent and adviser of the Government" in these matters, directing surveyors not to withhold relevant information even if a description is technically correct.

• Duty to adjoining owners: Where the land surveyed differs from the deeds, the survey must, when practicable, show whether sufficient land remains for adjoining owners under the most liberal interpretation of their rights (reg 3).

• Pre‑survey searches and cooperation: Surveyors must obtain all available information respecting the land from the "relevant bodies" (departments administering Land Administration Act 1997 and Mining Act 1978, and the Authority) before making a survey (reg 4(1)). Officers of the relevant bodies must give assistance to enable surveyors to refer to certificates of title, field records, plans and other documents (reg 4(2)).

• Field record content and lodgement: The field record must show everything found on the ground, including angles, bearings, distances, old marks tied on to or replaced, offsets, fences, buildings, walls, roads, rights‑of‑way and subdivisions (reg 8(1)). Improvements within one metre of boundaries must be located (reg 8(2)). Except for authorised surveys expressly exempted by the general regulations, the field record must be lodged with the Authority (reg 8(1)-(3)).

• Verification and referencing of marks: Before adopting any existing mark, the position must, if possible, be proved by reference to deposited plans and verified from reference trees, pegs, spikes, walls or other marks (reg 21). When redefining road corners, the corner must be connected to two or more nearby reference marks, renovated if decayed, and two additional reference marks placed if only two or fewer exist (reg 23).

• Marking and substitution: If a peg cannot be placed, an iron spike not less than 0.4 m in length and 0.010 m in diameter must be used; if neither can be placed a broad arrow must be cut into the obstruction (reg 33). A tack must be driven into the centre of each peg (reg 36), and faced pegs must not be moved if the outer faces are on true alignment (reg 37).

• Drafting and labelling standards: Plans must be drawn in waterproof ink and of sufficient strength for reproduction (reg 41). Plans and diagrams must distinctly show roads, reserves, permanent drains and allotments with numbers, areas and dimensions (reg 48). Names and widths of streets are required (regs 15, 49). Areas must be shown in square metres or hectares according to set rules (reg 59). Abbreviations for old marks on deposited plans are prescribed (reg 51).

• Numbering conventions: Allotments must be numbered consecutively from one upwards; sectional or alphabetical numbering is not permitted; the same number must not be repeated in a location or Crown allotment except with special permission from the Inspector (reg 12).

• Report removal of old marks: If the old posts, pegs, trenches or other marks are removed when making a superseding survey, the surveyor must report such removal to the Inspector of Plans and Surveys (reg 28).

Administrative powers and de facto rights conferred

• Notice and amendment power: The Inspector of Plans and Surveys may give notices to amend a survey or supply more information, and the notified surveyor must immediately comply with the notice (reg 5). The regulations therefore confer administrative direction with immediate effect.

• Approval and rejection discretion: Plans that fail to meet the Authority’s plotting or draftsmanship standards may be rejected (reg 43). The Authority’s standards thus act as a gatekeeping function for registration and dealings.

What the regulations do not do, within their text

• The regulations do not set out express penalty provisions or criminal sanctions for non‑compliance; nor do they specify appeal or review procedures against decisions of the Inspector or Authority. They do not create express rights to compensation or procedural protections within the text of the regulations themselves. Any remedy, sanction or appeal mechanism must therefore be located in the parent Acts (for example the Transfer of Land Act 1893 or other statutes) or in administrative practice rather than in these regulations, insofar as no such provisions appear in the text provided.

The regulations establish administrative enforcement mechanisms and documentary controls but do not include express civil or criminal penalty schedules within the text provided. Enforcement is implemented primarily through the Authority’s approval processes and the Inspector’s procedural powers.

Administrative enforcement mechanisms in the text

• Immediate compliance with Inspector’s notices: Regulation 5 requires that on receipt of notice from the Inspector of Plans and Surveys to amend a survey or to supply more information the surveyor "must immediately comply with the notice." This imposes an immediate administrative obligation and creates a compliance expectation backed by the Authority’s gatekeeping role over lodgement and acceptance of plans.

• Plan rejection for inadequate standards: Regulation 43 allows the Authority to reject plans or diagrams "below the Western Australian Land Information Authority’s standard in plotting or draftsmanship." Rejection is an enforcement tool that can prevent a surveyor’s plan from being used for dealings or title work until corrected.

• Reporting obligations: When a survey supersedes an old survey and original marks are removed, the surveyor must report such removal to the Inspector of Plans and Surveys (reg 28). Failure to report may have administrative consequences through the Authority’s processes.

• Lodgement requirements: The field record must be lodged with the Authority except in limited circumstances (reg 8(1)-(3)). Non‑lodgement may result in the plan being unacceptable for registration or dealings.

What the regulations do not specify

• No penalty clauses in the regulations: The text supplied contains no penalty provisions, fines, imprisonment terms or express offence clauses. It does not give the Inspector or the Authority power to levy monetary penalties or to pursue sanctions under the regulations themselves. Any criminal or civil sanctions for breaches of surveyor duties would therefore need to be found in the Transfer of Land Act 1893, the Licensed Surveyors Act 1909, or other applicable statutes; they are not in the regulations as provided.

• No procedural review mechanism stated: The regulations do not articulate an internal right of review or appeal against decisions of the Inspector or the Authority within the regulation text. Processes for appeal or review would need to be located in the parent Acts or administrative procedural frameworks.

Implementation and sanctioning in practice

• Gatekeeping by rejection and non‑acceptance: In practice, the Authority can enforce compliance through its control over acceptance of plans and records. A rejected plan or an unlodged field record stops the relevant dealings from proceeding, which is a significant practical sanction for non‑compliance.

• Reliance on other legislation for enforcement: Because the regulations require surveys be done by licensed surveyors (reg 1B) and refer to the Licensed Surveyors Act 1909 and the Transfer of Land Act 1893, disciplinary or licensing sanctions for breaches in professional behaviour, or formal offences, may be pursued under those Acts rather than under these regulations. The regulations themselves, however, do not set out that machinery.

Practical note for practitioners: If a client raises enforcement questions , for example potential disciplinary action against a surveyor, contractual remedies for defective survey work, or statutory offence proceedings , the relevant provisions will likely be found in the licensing and land title Acts referenced by these regulations. The regulations supply the technical standards that the Authority will require for administrative acceptance and therefore operate as the practical enforcement trigger in the Authority’s processes (reg 1B, reg 5, reg 43).

The regulations are explicitly framed as subordinate to, and operating in conjunction with, particular Acts and a set of "general regulations." The text cross‑references multiple statutes and implements standards that are effective within the statutory architecture governing land title and surveying in Western Australia.

Statutory cross‑references in the regulations

• Transfer of Land Act 1893: The regulations are directed at surveyors entitled to practise under the Transfer of Land Act 1893; reg 1B requires surveys for dealings in the Western Australian Land Information Authority to be made by such licensed surveyors. The Transfer of Land Act provides the primary title and registration framework under which surveys become operative for dealings.

• Licensed Surveyors Act 1909: The instrument is titled and linked to the Licensed Surveyors Act 1909; that Act governs licensing and professional regulation. The regulations rely on the licensing framework to define who may lawfully prepare surveys under reg 1B and to situate the professional obligations described (reg 2, duty to government).

• Land Information Authority Act 2006: The Western Australian Land Information Authority is defined as the entity established by that Act (reg 1A). The Authority is the central administrative holding point for field records and plans under these regulations.

• Land Administration Act 1997 and Mining Act 1978: These Acts are referenced indirectly via reg 4, which requires surveyors to obtain available information from the departments principally assisting in the administration of those Acts as "relevant bodies." In practice this means that mineral tenures or land administration interests recorded by those departments must be checked before survey.

• Licensed Surveyors (Guidance of Surveyors) Regulations 1961 (general regulations): The "general regulations" are defined in reg 1A and are repeatedly referenced (for example, reg 8(3) referencing general regulation 55B, reg 23 referencing general reg 23, regs 30 and 31 referencing general regulations for referencing methods). The present regulations therefore function as specific technical rules that work together with the general regulations for methods, procedures and further technical detail.

Operational interactions and consequences

• Administrative gatekeeping under parent Acts: Because the Authority administers land title dealings under the Transfer of Land Act regime, compliance with these regulations is a prerequisite for plans to be accepted into the Authority’s processes. The Authority’s discretion to reject plans that fail standards (reg 43) interacts directly with the operation of the parent land title statute.

• Licensing and disciplinary intersection: The duty that surveyors act as advisers to the Government (reg 2) and the strict technical standards established by the regulations will be relevant to professional conduct assessments under the Licensed Surveyors Act 1909. The regulations supply concrete benchmarks against which professional behaviour may be assessed, even though the specific licensing sanctions are in the licensing Act.

• Evidence and title accuracy: The insistence on lodging field records (reg 8) and verifying marks against deposited plans (reg 21) indicates that the regulations are designed to protect the integrity of land title records held under the Transfer of Land Act 1893. Interactions with other statutes that affect land interests, such as the Mining Act 1978, arise through the pre‑survey search obligation (reg 4).

• Gaps left to other instruments: The regulations do not set out appeal rights, offences, or penalties; those provisions must be sought in the parent Acts. Where the regulations call out "as provided for in general regulation 23" (reg 24) or other general regulations, compliance will rely on consulting those secondary instruments to determine permissible deviations or methods.

Caveat for practitioners: The regulations operate inside a multi‑instrument legal framework. To assess compliance, enforcement risk or remedy options you must map the obligations here against the relevant provisions of the Transfer of Land Act 1893, Licensed Surveyors Act 1909, the general regulations, and any local government naming practices or other statutory instruments referenced indirectly in the text (regs 15, 18). The compilation table in the regulations shows amendment dates and should be consulted to track specific changes over time.

The text includes a compilation table and inline amendment annotations showing a long history of insertions, deletions and reprints. The regulations have been amended repeatedly since their initial 1961 publication; the compilation table and marginal notes record the sequence and provide Gazette references.

Key chronological milestones and amendments as recorded in the compilation table and marginal notes

• Original making and commencement: The regulations were first published 28 November 1961 and commenced 1 January 1962 (compilation table entry "Untitled 1", 28 Nov 1961 p. 3289-95).

• 1969-1971 reprints and changes: Amendments and a reprint are recorded in 1969 (Gazette 27 Aug 1969 p. 2475) and a reprint as at 22 February 1971 was published in March 1971 (compilation table).

• 1972 amendments: Gazette entry 1 Sep 1972 p. 3410 indicates amendments and several regulations were deleted or amended at that time (see marginal notes, e.g., deletions at regs 13, 14, 16, 17, 29 and others).

• 1983 amendment: Regulation 1 was inserted or amended (Gazette 5 Aug 1983 p. 2843), and other changes were made in that year (reg 1B amended note).

• 1986 amendment and reprint: Regulation 1A definitions were inserted 26 Sep 1986 p. 3706; a reprint as at 3 February 1986 is recorded (compilation table).

• 1992 amendment: Amendments were made 11 Sep 1992 p. 4607 (noting deletions of some regs in later reprints).

• 1997 amendment: Licensed Surveyors Amendment Regulations 1997 Pt. 4 were published 4 Apr 1997 and commenced 5 Apr 1997 (Gazette refs in compilation table). Marginal notes indicate changes to regs such as 1B and 8.

• 2000 amendment: Licensed Surveyors (Transfer of Land Act 1893) Amendment Regulations 2000 (Gazette 5 Sep 2000 p. 5061-3) inserted and deleted multiple provisions (for example insertion of reg 23 and reg 51). Several deleted provisions (for example regs 13,14, 16, 17, 29, 34, 35, 38-40, 42, 44-47, 50, 52-54, 56-58, 60, 61-62) are annotated as removed in the marginal notes, showing the regulation has been streamlined.

• 2006 amendment and reprint: Amendment Regulations 2006 were published 29 Dec 2006 p. 5900-3 and commenced 1 Jan 2007, with corresponding marginal notes indicating further changes and reprints (reprint as at 15 Feb 2002 then updated).

• 2021 amendment: Licensed Surveyors (Transfer of Land Act 1893) Amendment Regulations 2021 (SL 2021/153) were made; reg 1A was amended with further definitions, several regs deleted or amended (e.g., reg 6 deleted, reg 10 amended, and other insertion/deletion notes). Commencement for parts occurred 31 Aug 2021 and 1 Sep 2021 depending on the provision (compilation table).

Specific inserted or deleted provisions shown in marginal notes

• Insertions: Reg 1A (definitions) inserted 26 Sep 1986; reg 1B (survey to be made by licensed surveyor) amended several times; reg 23 (re‑defining road corners) inserted 5 Sep 2000; reg 51 (abbreviations) inserted 5 Sep 2000; regs 59 (areas) inserted 1 Sep 1972; reg 7 and 8 amended across years.

• Deletions: Multiple regulations were deleted across reprints and amendments, notably a cluster of deletions dated 5 Sep 2000 and 11 Sep 1992. The marginal notes identify which numbered regulations were removed.

Structural observations

• The regulations have been progressively edited to remove obsolete or redundant provisions and to fold responsibilities into either the general regulations or into fewer, more specific requirements. The marginal notes indicate many earlier provisions were deleted, especially around 1992 and 2000.

• The 2021 amendments (SL 2021/153) updated definitions and deleted at least one provision (reg 6) and amended others, consistent with modernising the statutory cross‑references, notably adding the Land Information Authority Act 2006 cross‑reference in the definition of the Western Australian Land Information Authority (reg 1A).

Practical implication for compliance and research

• Practitioners must use the current consolidated version and consult the compilation table to track when provisions took effect. The marginal notes in the text show which regulations are current and which were deleted; reliance on older practice notes or pre‑amendment guides may introduce risk because several procedural and drafting details have been removed or relocated to the general regulations.

• Where a provision references a deleted regulation or "as provided in general regulation X", the user must consult the general regulations and parent Acts for the residual rules. The amendments indicate a regime with interplay between these Regulations and the general guidance regulations.

The regulation text and accompanying compilation notes supplied do not record or cite any cases, judicial decisions or litigation history. There are no judicial authorities, appeals, or reported decisions referenced within the regulations themselves or in the marginal notes. The text names no cases.

What this means for practitioners

• Absent case law cited in the regulation, practitioners should not assume that judicial interpretation is available within this instrument; any legal interpretation or litigation arising from compliance, professional duty or disputes about survey accuracy will need to be researched in court databases and in the parent Acts’ jurisprudence separately.

• Where disputes arise (for example over whether a survey complied with these regulations, over the adequacy of field records, or over a surveyor’s duty to disclose under reg 2), the regulations supply technical standards and documentary benchmarks. Courts, if engaged, will use these regulations as primary evidence of statutory standards of conduct for licensed surveyors. Because the regulations do not themselves record litigation, legal research must extend to Transfer of Land Act 1893 and Licensed Surveyors Act 1909 case law, and to administrative law authorities interpreting the Authority’s decisions.

• Administrative review routes, appeal mechanisms and disciplinary procedures are not set out here. Any judicial review of an administrative decision (for example, rejection of a plan under reg 43 or a notice to amend under reg 5) would be governed by administrative law principles and the statutory framework of the Authority and licensing Act, none of which are contained within these regulations. Practitioners should therefore examine the parent statutes and administrative law authorities for procedural rights and remedies.

In short, the regulations themselves present a technical standard but contain no litigation record; practitioners must undertake separate case law searches when legal precedent or judicial interpretation is required.

The regulations contain precise technical and administrative requirements that create several practical traps for surveyors, clients and those relying on survey outputs. Below are concrete items in the text that commonly trip practitioners if not observed.

1. Agent‑of‑the‑Government duty (reg 2): Surveyors are required to treat themselves as agents and advisers of the Government for the purpose of securing accuracy in title, and must disclose doubts or discrepancies even if a description is technically correct. This duty can conflict with commercial expectations of clients who expect confidentiality or narrower focus. Practitioners must anticipate obligations to disclose matters adverse to a client’s interests and to prioritise accuracy for title integrity.

2. Field record lodging and exhaustive content (reg 8): Field records must show "everything that the surveyor does or finds to exist on the ground" including improvements within one metre of boundaries. Failure to lodge a field record (except where an authorised survey exemption applies under the general regulations, reg 8(3)) means the survey may not be accepted for dealings. Omitting minor items, or inaccurate statements such as "party wall" vs "two walls" can generate enquiries.

3. Numbering rules (reg 12): Allotments must be numbered consecutively from one upwards; sectional or alphabetical numbering is not permitted and numbers must not be repeated in a location or Crown allotment except with special permission from the Inspector. Using duplicate or non‑consecutive numbering without permission is a cause for rejection.

4. Area notation peculiarities (reg 59): Areas under 10,000 square metres must be in square metres to the nearest square metre; larger areas in hectares to four decimal places; trailing zeros to the right of the decimal marker should not be shown (e.g., 6.4500 ha must be expressed as 6.45 ha). Errors in formatting may appear minor but contravene an explicit regulation and can trigger requests for amendment.

5. Offsets and the 4‑metre threshold (reg 55): Where an offset is used, if the offset distance is 4 metres or greater any distance along that boundary must be shown as "calculated (cal.)". If offsets are less than 4 metres, the true boundary is treated as the run line and angles as true angles. Misapplication of this threshold can produce incorrect labelling and questions on computation.

6. Verification of existing marks (reg 21): Before adopting a post, peg or spike it must, if possible, be proved to be in the position assigned on a deposited plan and must be verified from reference features. Adopting marks without adequate verification can undermine the survey’s acceptance and create boundary disputes.

7. Obliteration and reporting of old marks (reg 28): If a new survey supersedes an old one and old posts and pegs are removed, the surveyor must remove or obliterate old marks and report the removal to the Inspector. Removing old marks without reporting is a specific reporting obligation and risk.

8. Crown survey alignment required (reg 24): Original alignments of Crown surveys must be adhered to except as permitted by the general regulations. Failure to adopt Crown alignments can result in questions about the validity of the survey.

9. Substitute mark specifications (reg 33) and peg details (regs 36, 37): The regulations prescribe minimum dimensions for spikes and require tacks in pegged marks. Using non‑compliant replacement marks or altering faced pegs on true alignments can be noncompliant.

10. Immediate compliance with Inspector’s notices (reg 5): A surveyor must "immediately comply" with notices from the Inspector to amend a survey or supply information. This immediate obligation can impose rapid remedial work and create timing pressures for completion of dealings.

11. Dependencies on general regulations: Several important exceptions and methods are located in the general regulations rather than in these regulations (e.g., general regulation 23, general regulation 55B). Relying only on this instrument without consulting the general regulations will miss crucial procedural detail.

12. Deleted provisions and historical practice: Multiple numbered regulations have been deleted over time. Older practice notes referring to pre‑deletion rules may be obsolete. Practitioners must ensure they consult the current consolidated version.

13. No penalty schedule in the text: There is no express penalty or appeal procedure in these regulations themselves. Parties seeking enforcement or remedies must consult parent Acts and administrative law processes.

Each of these "gotchas" is rooted in a specific regulation citation. For avoidance of doubt, confirming compliance with reg 1B, reg 2, reg 8, reg 12, reg 21, reg 24, reg 28, reg 33, reg 36, reg 37, reg 41, reg 43, reg 48, reg 55 and reg 59 is the practical starting point before lodgement. Attention to these particulars can prevent repeated rejections or administrative delays.

Below is a practical, compliance‑oriented checklist for surveyors and firms preparing surveys, together with administrative steps to reduce the risk of rejection or follow‑up from the Western Australian Land Information Authority. Each step indicates the regulation source.

1. Confirm licensing and entitlement (reg 1B; reg 1A)

   • Ensure the practitioner undertaking the survey is a licensed surveyor entitled to practise under the Transfer of Land Act 1893.
   • Record the licence details in internal file records as part of the compliance audit trail.

2. Pre‑survey searches and information gathering (reg 4)

   • Obtain all available information from the "relevant bodies": the department administering the Land Administration Act 1997, the department administering the Mining Act 1978, and the Western Australian Land Information Authority.
   • Request certificates of title, deposited plans, field records, diagrams and any mining or land‑management encumbrance records.
   • Keep documentation of search requests and responses for the file.

3. Fieldwork and verification of marks (regs 7, 9, 21, 23, 30-33)

   • Prepare a boundary sketch in the field record when possible (reg 7).
   • Show by sketch the position of each post and peg centre or outer edge with reference to the alignment of the boundary (reg 9).
   • Before adopting any existing mark, verify it against the position on a deposited plan and from nearby reference marks, trees, walls or other permanent features; record the verification in field notes (reg 21).
   • When re‑defining road corners, connect the corner to at least two reference marks and, if fewer than two exist, place two additional safe reference marks and record azimuth and distance (reg 23).
   • Use iron spikes of at least 0.4 m length and 0.010 m diameter when pegs cannot be used; where neither can be used, cut a broad arrow into the obstruction; prefer marking a wall to marking a footpath (reg 33).
   • Where pegs are used, drive a tack into the centre of the top of each peg and ensure pegs on true alignment are not altered (regs 36-37).

4. Field record content and lodgement (reg 8)

   • Record everything observed: angles, bearings, distances, old marks tied or replaced, offsets, fences, buildings, walls, roads, rights‑of‑way, subdivisions and any permanent drains.
   • Record the area of the land and, if subdividing, the area of each allotment (reg 11).
   • Show all improvements within one metre of the boundary (reg 8(2)).
   • Define the land by original number and district, or as registered in Authority records; number allotments consecutively starting at one (reg 12).
   • Lodge the field record with the Western Australian Land Information Authority unless the survey is an authorised survey exempted under the general regulations (reg 8(1)-(3)). Keep proof of lodgement.

5. Numbering and street naming (regs 12, 15, 18, 49)

   • Number allotments consecutively from one upwards. Avoid sectional or alphabetical numbering unless special permission is obtained (reg 12).
   • Display the name of every public street and road adjoining the land and the name and width of any private street or road forming part of the survey in the field notes and on plans (regs 15, 49).
   • When creating a new street that is not an extension, ensure its name has not been previously surveyed in the same municipality, suburban lot or location (reg 18).

6. Calculations and offsets (regs 22, 25, 55)

   • For irregular blocks, be prepared to compute areas by double longitudes and supply particulars on request (reg 22).
   • When boundaries are defined by offsets from traverse lines, include traverse lines in area computations and compute areas of portions between traverses and boundaries from offsets (reg 25).
   • Apply the 4‑metre offset rule: if offsets are ≥ 4 m, label distances as "calculated (cal.)"; if offsets are < 4 m, treat run line as true boundary and show true angles (reg 55).

7. Drafting standards and labelling (regs 41, 43, 48, 51, 59)

   • Use waterproof ink and produce lines strong enough for photographic reproduction (reg 41).
   • Ensure draftsmanship meets the Authority’s plotting standards to avoid rejection (reg 43).
   • Show roads, reserves, permanent drains and designate allotments with distinctive numbers, areas and dimensions clearly (reg 48).
   • Use prescribed abbreviations for old marks as required (reg 51). Confirm meanings and consistency.
   • Display areas in square metres for <10,000 m2 and in hectares (four decimal places) for ≥10,000 m2; avoid unnecessary trailing zeros (reg 59).

8. Adopting Crown surveys and reporting removals (regs 24, 28)

   • Adhere to original alignment of Crown surveys unless an exception in the general regulations applies (reg 24). Check the general regulations for permitted exceptions.
   • If superseding a previous survey and removing any original marks, remove or obliterate old marks and report the removal to the Inspector of Plans and Surveys (reg 28).

9. Responding to Inspector notices and Authority requests (reg 5)

   • Treat any notice from the Inspector to amend a survey, supply more information or report on the field notes as requiring immediate compliance. Maintain an internal process to triage and respond to such notices promptly.
   • Keep records of all communications with the Inspector and the Authority, and lodge revised plans/field records with proof of delivery.

10. Quality assurance and record-keeping

    • Maintain an internal QA checklist that maps each regulation requirement to a file check (for example, verification of marks, offset labelling, area format, numbering, street names, field note lodgement).
    • Retain copies of all field records and deposited plans, and evidence of searches of relevant bodies (reg 4).
    • Document any decisions to use substitute marks and the exact method used (reg 33), including photographs where appropriate.

11. Consult the general regulations and parent Acts

    • Because several rules and exceptions are in the "general regulations" and parent Acts, consult the Licensed Surveyors (Guidance of Surveyors) Regulations 1961 and the Transfer of Land Act 1893 and Licensed Surveyors Act 1909 for procedural exceptions, licensing consequences and any appeal or sanction mechanics.

Following this compliance checklist and documenting each step against the regulating provision will reduce the risk of plan rejection under reg 43 and ensure the Authority is supplied with field records and plans that meet the explicit technical standards set out in these regulations.