Since the passage of the current Heritage Act, State Heritage Areas are created by Plan Amendment Reports under the Development Act. The Heritage Act 1993 gives the community the opportunity to conserve our built heritage relating, in the main, to non-Aboriginal history. Aboriginal heritage is protected under separate legislation by the Division of State Aboriginal Affairs of the Department of Transport, Urban Planning and the Arts. The Heritage Act protects places of aesthetic, historic, architectural, scientific or social significance. Places may be entered in the State Heritage Register if they meet one or more of the criteria listed in section 16 of the Heritage Act.
Many nominations come from heritage consultants in the course of surveys.
Systematic surveys of the State's built heritage have been underway since 1980. The Regional Heritage Survey Program divides South Australia into fourteen different regions based in part on local government boundaries, as well as on popular regional perception. Individuals can also nominate places for the State Heritage Register. A nomination of a place should be accompanied by as much evidence as possible about its significance. Heritage South Australia will send out a nomination form upon request.