Contaminated land checks in Queensland: the EMR and CLR
Queensland keeps two registers of contaminated and potentially contaminated land, and neither is a free map. Here is what the Environmental Management Register and the Contaminated Land Register are, how the paid search works, and what a listing means when you buy.
Two registers, two meanings
The Environmental Management Register, the EMR, is the wide one. Land goes on it when a notifiable activity has been or is being carried out there, or when the land is contaminated. Before listing, the department issues a show cause notice and the owner has 20 business days to respond.
The Contaminated Land Register, the CLR, is the serious one. Land moves to it when action is needed to remediate it to prevent serious environmental harm and protect human health. An EMR listing on its own does not mean the land must be cleaned up or is unsuitable for its current use. Where a site management plan exists, it is attached to the entry, and it tells you what the land is managed for.
What counts as a notifiable activity
The list is in Schedule 3 of the Environmental Protection Act 1994. Examples include petroleum product or oil storage in underground tanks over 200 litres, some dry cleaning businesses, livestock dip or spray race operations, landfill, metal treatment or coating, chemical storage above set quantities, pest control premises, and gun, pistol or rifle ranges. Former service stations, farm dips and small industrial sites are why listed land turns up in ordinary suburbs.
How to search, and what it costs
You need the lot on plan reference for the parcel. Search online through the Queensland Government contaminated land search or CITEC Confirm. One search covers both registers. When we checked the department's fee list in October 2026, an internet search was $61.05 per lot. Results arrive by email within one day, usually immediately, and show whether the land is listed, the notified contaminants and activities, and whether a site management plan exists.
The sale itself carries disclosure. Since 1 August 2025 the Queensland seller disclosure statement must say if the land is on either register, and the Environmental Protection Act separately requires the owner to give written notice of a listing before the sale. If you plan to change the use of listed land or build on it, ask the council and an environmental consultant what the listing and any site management plan mean for that work before you commit.
The 60 second version
A PropertyFlags report for a Queensland address does not check the EMR or CLR, because there is no free spatial layer to check, and it says so on the page rather than printing a clear result. What it does check live: current environmental authorities for regulated industrial activities within about 500 m, named with holder and status, and resource tenures over the address. Those are signals of industrial activity nearby, not contamination findings, and the report points you to the paid register search for the lot itself.
What is the difference between the EMR and the CLR?
The Environmental Management Register lists land where a notifiable activity has been or is being carried out, or land that is contaminated. The Contaminated Land Register is the narrower list: land moves to it when action is needed to remediate the land to prevent serious environmental harm and protect human health.
How do I search the contaminated land register in Queensland?
Online, by lot on plan, through the Queensland Government contaminated land search or CITEC Confirm. One search covers both registers. The department lists the fee for an internet search as $61.05 per lot, and results are emailed within one day, usually immediately. Land without a lot on plan, such as a road reserve, needs the application form emailed to the EMR CLR registry.
Is there a free map of contaminated land in Queensland?
No. Queensland does not publish the EMR or CLR as a free map you can query by address. The paid search by lot on plan is the official way to check a specific property.
Does the seller have to tell me if the land is listed?
Yes. Since 1 August 2025 the seller disclosure statement under the Property Law Act 2023 must say if the land is listed on the contaminated land or environmental management registers, and it must be given before you sign. The Environmental Protection Act also requires written notice of a listing before the sale. You can still run the search yourself if you want to see the entry.
The search shows nothing. Is the land clean?
Not proven. The search shows what was notified to the department. It does not show unnotified contamination or unnotified notifiable activities. For land with an industrial, fuel storage or farming past, a site history and an environmental consultant are the next step.