The Whangarei District Council will ask the High Court to rule on whether the possibility of acid soil should be mentioned on LIM reports.
The council's been stung with major repair bills after acid soil corroded cement sewers and stormwater pipes under land it allowed to be subdivided near Marsden Point.
A council manager Paul Dell said the public relied on Land Information Memoranda for an accurate and honest account of a property, when buying or selling.
"We have a broad idea where these conditions could exist, but no definitive maps," he said.
"So we are seeking a declaration from the High Court on whether acid soils should be detailed in LIMs. "
Mr Dell said steps to manage acid soils were relatively inexpensive but people needed to know if such steps were necessary.
He said council maps showed acid soils were likely to have developed in coastal areas like Bream Bay that were once under the sea.
