Draw and measure accurately on Landchecker by turning on snapping, which pulls each point you place onto the nearest property boundary corner instead of leaving it wherever your cursor lands. You turn snapping on with the magnet icon beside the draw mode chip at the top centre of the map, draw as you normally would, then turn it off when you want to place points freely again.

Snapping is a drawing aid that locks the points you place onto the corners of the property boundaries shown on the map. With snapping on, as you move your cursor near a boundary corner the next point jumps to sit exactly on that corner, so your shape follows the parcel rather than approximating it.

The boundaries snapping uses are the cadastral property boundaries Landchecker displays on the map, so a snapped shape traces the same corner points as the parcel itself.

Snapping matters because a measurement is only as accurate as the points behind it. Clicking by eye at a typical zoom level leaves each corner slightly inside or outside the true boundary, and those small errors compound around a site into an area or perimeter figure you cannot rely on. Snapping removes that guesswork, so the area, perimeter or distance Landchecker returns reflects the parcel as mapped.

Snapping is a drawing aid only. It changes where your points land as you draw, it does not change the property boundary data itself, and it does not alter any shape you have already finished.

Snapping applies to the drawing tools that place individual points on the map. It is worth checking which tool you have selected before you rely on it.

If you need a circular measurement that starts from a boundary corner, place the circle by eye and check the result against a snapped Distance measurement taken from the same corner.

Snapping is off each time you open the map, so turn it on before you start drawing.

The magnet icon changes to its active state, and snapping stays on for the rest of your drawing until you turn it off. Click the magnet icon again at any time to turn snapping off and go back to placing points exactly where you click.

Snapping is not saved between sessions. It resets to off the next time you open the map, so turn it on again whenever you start a new session of drawing work.

With snapping on and a drawing tool selected:

Your measurement appears on the shape as soon as it is complete, and the action bar opens at the bottom centre of the map so you can rename the shape, change its fill or stroke or display the area, line length and angles.

Snapping has some deliberate limits, so it helps to know where it will not do the work for you:

Drawing to the boundary rather than near it changes how much you can trust what you measure from your desk. Here is how snapping supports common ways different professionals use Landchecker.

Trace a site to its true corners so the land area you quote in an appraisal or a listing matches the parcel, rather than a shape drawn by eye that can sit metres out on a wide frontage.

Snap a polygon to the parcel before you work out site coverage, yield or setbacks. Starting from an accurate site area means the ratios you build on top of it hold up when you take them to a consultant.

Measure land area and frontage from the boundary corners themselves, so the figures you record are defensible and repeatable if the file is reviewed later.

Draw to the mapped boundary when you are getting early visual context on a parcel, then check what you see against the title and plan of subdivision. Use snapping to describe a site quickly, not as a substitute for a survey.

Snap the site outline to the parcel corners before you sketch built form, setbacks or a site analysis over it, so everything you draw afterwards is measured from the right base.

Where is the snapping control on the map? Snapping is controlled by the magnet icon beside the draw mode chip at the top centre of the map, not in the drawing toolbar on the right side or the action bar at the bottom. The magnet icon appears once you have a drawing tool selected.

Which plans include snapping? Snapping is available with the drawing tools on all paid plans: Standard, Advanced and Enterprise. Free (Starter) plan members do not have access to the drawing tools and so do not have access to snapping.

Is snapping on automatically? No. Snapping is off each time you open the map. Click the magnet icon to turn it on, and click it again to turn it off.

Does snapping stay on next time I log in? No. The setting resets to off at the start of each session, so turn it on again when you next draw.

Why is my point not snapping to the boundary? Check three things: that snapping is turned on, that the tool you are using supports it (Distance, Any Shape, Rectangle and Line do, the Circle tool does not) and that property boundaries are displayed where you are drawing. Snapping also targets boundary corners rather than points partway along a line, so a point mid-boundary will not snap.

Can I snap to a point partway along a boundary? No. Snapping targets boundary corners. Turn snapping off to place a point anywhere else along a boundary line.

Does snapping change the property boundary? No. Snapping only decides where your own points land while you draw. The boundary data on the map is unchanged.

Can I fix a shape I drew without snapping? Yes. Hover over the outline of an Any Shape polygon or rectangle to bring up its points and midpoint markers, then drag them onto the boundary corners. Your area and perimeter measurements update as you drag. For a shape that is well out, redrawing it with snapping on is usually faster.

If you have questions or need help, use the live chat in the platform and our team will be happy to assist.