If you see purple strips or shapes inside property boundaries on the map, they’re easements. This article explains what an easement is and what to check when you find one.
What an easement is
An easement is a section of land registered on a property’s title that gives someone else the right to use it for a specific purpose, even though they don’t own it. Common examples:
- Right of way, such as a shared driveway that lets a neighbour reach their lot.
- Services, such as sewer, stormwater, water, power or drainage lines that a council or utility can access.
Easements matter for development. You usually can’t build over one, and it can limit where a driveway, extension or second dwelling can go.
Check an easement on a property
- Zoom in on the property. Zoom in until you can see the property boundaries clearly.
- Turn off overlays that cover it. Open the Layers panel from the right-hand side of the map and switch off Zoning if the colours make the purple hard to see. A Satellite or Street basemap with no overlays gives the clearest view.
- Measure it if you need to. Use Draw Lines to measure its width or length. See Measure distance.
- Confirm the details on title. The map shows where an easement is, not who benefits from it or what it allows. Order a title search and the registered plan to see the terms.
When Zoning is on, some zones also use purple shades, such as Capital City and Port And Marine. Open the Zoning Legend from the toolbar at the top right of the map to tell them apart. Zones cover whole lots or areas, while easements are usually narrow strips inside a lot. See View zoning on the map.
Easement data comes from government sources and may not show every easement on title. Before you buy, build or advise a client, check the title and registered plan, and confirm with the council or a surveyor.
Common questions
Why can’t I see any purple on a property?
Not every property has an easement, and not all easements are in the data. Zoom in closer and turn off other overlays.
Where do other map layers come from?
See Where Stash sources its data and Map layers and overlays.