SLA Formed
Friday, 1st June 2001
The Singapore Land Authority or SLA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law was formed today when the Land Office, Singapore Land Registry, Survey Department and Land Systems Support Unit were merged.
The Singapore Land Authority Act (CHAPTER 301) outlines the functions and duties of SLA which is: to optimise land resources; to provide secure, reliable and effective registration systems for recording transactions relating to land in Singapore; to manage and maintain the survey system in Singapore as a foundation for land title, any spatial reference database or information system and for the purposes of any written law; to promote, develop or contribute to the development of an integrated spatial reference database or information system relating to land tenure, land transactions, land ownership, land boundaries and other related geographical information so as to facilitate the exchange and dissemination between the Government, public authorities, educational institutions or persons in the private sector of such information; to act as agent of the Government in the acquisition of land; the administration and management of all State lands and buildings; the allocation and disposal of State land or grant of any State title to any person or public authority in accordance with the Foreshores Act, the State Lands Act and any other written law; and the assessment, collection and recovery of any premium (including differential premium), rent, royalty, fee or charge for or in connection with the mining or working of land for minerals, or with the disposition of any State land or grant of any State title or the exercise of any rights under any State title; to administer the Residential Property Act (Cap. 274); to report to and advise the Government on matters relating to land survey, land tenure, land transactions, land ownership, land boundaries and the administration, management, allocation, acquisition and disposition of State land; to maintain and provide access by the public to documents and information relating to land survey, land tenure, land transactions, land ownership, land boundaries, State lands, State titles and other related matters kept or maintained by the Authority; to manage technical co-operation and exchange in the area of land survey and land resource administration and management with other persons and organisations, including foreign organisations and international inter-governmental organisations, on its own or on behalf of the Government; to represent the Government internationally in respect of matters relating to land survey and land resource administration and management; to provide training, advice and assistance in relation to land survey and land resource administration and management to any Government department or any public authority, or to authorities of other countries and territories which administer and manage public lands and resources; to provide administrative support services to the Land Surveyors Board in the performance of its functions under the Land Surveyors Act (Cap. 156); and to exercise any other functions and duties conferred on the Authority by or under this Act or any other written law.
In short: Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board with the Ministry of Law. SLA is responsible for the direct management of some 14,000 hectares of State land and about 5,000 buildings. SLA is also the national land registration authority for property transactions, and the issuance and guarantee of land titles in Singapore. It also manages and maintains the national land survey system, including the defining of boundaries or legal limits of properties.