Registrar-General (NSW)
The Registrar-General is the NSW statutory officer responsible for the land titles register under the Real Property Act 1900. Title dealings registered via NSW LRS.
Ask Chalkline about this →The Registrar-General is the statutory officer responsible for the NSW land titles register, established under the Real Property Act 1900 (NSW). The office:
- Maintains the Torrens-system register of land titles for NSW.
- Registers, modifies, and cancels easements, restrictive covenants, mortgages, caveats, leases, and other dealings that affect title.
- Issues Certificates of Title (now substantially electronic since the 2019 abolition of paper certificates).
- Operates the NSW Land Registry Services (NSW LRS) as the public-facing service layer.
The Registrar-General’s office sits within the NSW Department of Customer Service (operationally) and the Real Property Act provides its statutory powers. Verified 2026-05-16.
Where the Registrar-General appears in a residential project:
- Title searches return information from the Registrar-General’s register.
- New easements (sewer, drainage, right-of-way) created on subdivision are registered via the Registrar-General under a Section 88B instrument.
- Restrictive covenants on title (e.g. minimum dwelling size, building-setback covenants) are registered via the Registrar-General and cannot be discharged without their formal cancellation.
- Mortgages over the land are registered against the Registrar-General’s register.
- Caveats lodged by parties claiming an interest (e.g. an unpaid builder lodging a caveat for a Builder’s Lien under the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act in NSW) become a public record once accepted.
Cross-state equivalents:
| State | Equivalent office |
|---|---|
| NSW | Registrar-General (this) |
| Vic | Registrar of Titles |
| Qld | Registrar of Titles |
| WA | Registrar of Titles |
| SA | Registrar-General |
| Tas | Recorder of Titles |
| NT | Registrar-General |
| ACT | Registrar-General (Access Canberra) |
What the Registrar-General does NOT do:
- Planning approval. That’s councils and the Department of Planning (under the EP&A Act).
- Building approval. That’s certifiers under the EP&A Regulation.
- Title dispute resolution. Disputes go to court (Supreme Court of NSW, Land and Environment Court for planning-related, or local courts for smaller matters); the Registrar-General is a registry, not a tribunal.
- Validity of underlying title documents. The Registrar-General registers what is presented if it satisfies the form; the substantive validity of an instrument can be challenged in court.
Also known as: R-G; NSW Registrar; Land Titles Registrar.
Category: Approvals.
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See also
Last updated: 2026-05-16. Verified: 2026-05-16. Quarterly review for currency.