SG diagram search: how to find and download a Surveyor General diagram

Fences move. Walls get built a metre off line. Hedges swallow beacons. The one document that says where a property legally begins and ends is its SG diagram — the survey diagram approved by the Surveyor-General.

If you are buying, building, subdividing or arguing with a neighbour, an SG diagram search is one of the first things to do.

What an SG diagram is

A Surveyor General diagram is the official survey record of a piece of land. It is prepared by a professional land surveyor and approved by the office of the Chief Surveyor-General, which keeps the country's cadastral records.

The diagram is the legal definition of the property. The title deed refers to it, and where a fence and the diagram disagree, the diagram is right.

For erven in a township there is often no individual diagram for each erf. Instead the whole township is shown on a general plan, with every erf numbered and dimensioned. In everyday use both are called the SG diagram or erf diagram.

What the diagram shows

The figure — the shape of the erf, with each corner lettered (A, B, C, D).
Side lengths, in metres.
Angles or directions of each boundary.
Co-ordinates of the corner beacons.
The area of the erf.
The beacon descriptions — what physically marks each corner, such as an iron peg.
Servitudes, shown as lines or strips with a note describing them.
Neighbouring properties and the street.
The diagram number and the date of approval.
The surveyor's name and the description of the land.

The designation on the diagram should match the description in the title deed. If they differ, find out why before going further.

How to do an SG diagram search

To find a diagram you need to identify the land: the erf number and township, or the diagram number quoted in the title deed. If you only have an address, start with an erf number lookup.

On checkproperty.co.za:

Search the address or erf.
The property opens with its boundary on the map.
The Development potential report includes the survey diagram reference for the erf, with the title deed reference and registered servitudes, and a link to open the diagram where one is available.

Diagrams and general plans are public records held by the Surveyor-General's office and can also be requested from that office directly.

Download SG diagram files: what you get

When you download Surveyor General diagram files, each one is a scanned image of the approved document, often a multi-page PDF or image.

Expect a few quirks:

Older diagrams are hand-drawn, sometimes with measurements in Cape feet or Cape roods rather than metres. The areas may be in morgen or square feet.
Endorsements are written or stamped on the diagram where land was later subdivided, consolidated or affected by a servitude. Read all of them; they record changes since the original survey.
General plans cover an entire township, so you need to find your erf number among many.
Several documents may relate to one erf — the original diagram, a later subdivision diagram, a servitude diagram.

The practical reading guide is in survey diagrams and servitudes, explained.

Why you need the diagram

Before buying

Check that the land you were shown is the land you are buying. Compare the dimensions and area on the diagram with what is fenced. A discrepancy in your favour is an encroachment onto someone else's land; one against you means you are getting less than you thought.

Before building

Building lines are measured from the boundary. If the boundary is not where you think, your extension may sit over the building line or over the neighbour's land. See building lines.

Before subdividing

The existing diagram is the base for the subdivision plan. See can I subdivide my property.

When there is a servitude

The diagram shows where a servitude runs and how wide it is — which decides what part of the erf you cannot build on.

In a boundary dispute

The diagram is the evidence. A land surveyor can relocate the beacons from it.

What a diagram cannot do

It does not show buildings. A diagram defines land, not what stands on it.
It does not locate the boundary on the ground for you. Only a land surveyor can place or replace beacons.
It may not show every servitude. Some servitudes are created by notarial deed and described in words only. Read the title deed as well. See title conditions.
It does not show zoning. That is a separate enquiry: zoning check.

Diagram versus map boundary

The boundary drawn on an online map is derived from cadastral data and is good for orientation: which erf is which, roughly where the lines run, how the shape relates to what you see on aerial imagery. It is not survey-accurate. For anything where centimetres matter — a wall on the boundary, a building-line calculation, a dispute — use the diagram's dimensions and, where needed, a land surveyor. More on this in check a property boundary.

When to call a land surveyor

the beacons cannot be found;
you are about to build on or near a boundary;
the fenced area does not match the diagram;
a neighbour disputes the line;
you are subdividing or consolidating.

A surveyor's beacon relocation is modest in cost compared with moving a wall after it is built.

Frequently asked questions

Is an SG diagram the same as a title deed? No. The title deed records ownership and conditions. The diagram defines the land the deed refers to.

Does a sectional title unit have an SG diagram? A sectional scheme has sectional plans showing the buildings and units, registered for the scheme on its erf.

Is the erf diagram the same as building plans? No. Building plans show structures and are approved by the municipality. The diagram shows land and is approved by the Surveyor-General.

The bottom line

The SG diagram is the legal definition of what you own. Find it, compare it with what is on the ground, and read every endorsement and servitude note before you buy or build.

Search a property to find its diagram reference.

This is general information, not legal or surveying advice. For boundary positions on the ground, consult a professional land surveyor.