Mine Subsidence Districts
Learn what a Mine Subsidence District is, how to check if a property is in one, and what to do if you’re buying, building or developing in these areas.
What is a Mine Subsidence District?
Mine Subsidence Districts are areas in NSW where there is a potential subsidence risk to developments above ground from planned, active or non-active underground coal mining.
Districts are declared by Subsidence Advisory to help protect homes and other structures from potential mine subsidence damage through regulation of development.
All homes and buildings in NSW, whether inside or outside a declared district, are eligible for compensation if they are damaged by mine subsidence, provided the correct development approvals were obtained.
How to check if a property is in a district
Before buying or building, it’s important to check if a property is in a Mine Subsidence District.
You can:
- Search the address on the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer
- View the general Mine Subsidence District maps (PDF) (PDF 2.53MB)
The district maps provide a general overview. For property specific results, use the Spatial Viewer.
NSW Mine Subsidence Districts map – All Districts
Districts
Use the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer
The Spatial Viewer helps you:
- check if a property is in a Mine Subsidence District
- see which development guideline applies
- find out if underground coal mining has occurred nearby.
How to search
- Go to the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer.
- Enter the street address or Lot/Section/DP.
- Review the 'Search Results’ on the right-hand side.
If the property is in a Mine Subsidence District or underground coal mining area, these results will appear:
- Click the + next to each result to view details, such as the assigned guideline.
- You can also turn on the layers manually under 'Layers and Legends' > ‘Subsidence Advisory’
Underground Coal Mining Area map layer
The 'Underground Coal Mining Area' layer helps you check if mining has occurred under or near a property. This gives you more information about potential subsidence risks.
The layer was created by Subsidence Advisory NSW using confidential geospatial data held by the NSW Resources Regulator, the official holder of Mine Survey Plans in NSW.
Under clause 127(3) of the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2014, copies of survey plans can only be issued under limited circumstances.
To find out more or make an application for copies of survey plans, visit the NSW Resources Regulator website. Generally, these records are not available to the public.
In no event shall Subsidence Advisory become liable to users of the layer. No warranty is expressed or can be implied to any other person as to the accuracy, currency and completeness of the said data or that it is free from any error or omission. Accordingly the State of New South Wales, Subsidence Advisory and their servants and agents expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for the consequences arising from any act done or omission made in reliance by others on the information contained within the NSW Planning Portal.
The information shown herein is a general representation of features and must not be used for the basis of any risk assessment purpose. The location of the underground coal mine workings must be independently verified by the portal user.
As underground coal mining has occurred in NSW for over 100 years, it is possible for the position of old mine workings to differ slightly from that shown on the Mine Survey Plans. To account for possible discrepancies in the position of old mine workings, the Underground Coal Mining Areas include a buffer zone around historical mine workings.
To ensure that appropriate documentation and data limitations are provided, this database cannot be redistributed to any other parties.
The Underground Coal Mining layer does not include areas where coal mining is planned in the future. The layer only shows areas where coal extraction has occurred.
Subsidence Advisory updates the information approximately every 3 months based on official mine record tracings provided by the NSW Resources Regulator.
Buying property in a district
If the property you’re buying is in a Mine Subsidence District, you can ask your solicitor or conveyancer to confirm with the seller:
- That structures were built with the correct approvals.
- That no unauthorised work has taken place.
- Whether a pending or previous mine subsidence claim was made.
You can also check development records through the local council.
Learn more about properties in mine subsidence districts.
If you want to check whether structures on a property were previously confirmed to be eligible for mine subsidence damage compensation, you can search our register of previously issued certificates.
Note: Eligibility is only confirmed for structures on the property at the date the certificate was issued. Checks should be undertaken for any new or extended structures built after the issue date.
Getting approval to build or subdivide
You must get approval from Subsidence Advisory NSW before starting work on a property in a Mine Subsidence District. This includes:
- building or extending a home or structure
- subdividing land
These approvals make sure structures are designed to reduce the risk of subsidence damage and remain eligible for compensation.
Claiming compensation
You are eligible to claim for compensation if your home or structure is damaged by mine subsidence – provided it was built with the correct approvals.