Bushfire prone land is an area of land that can support a bushfire or is likely to be subject to bushfire attack.
View the following sections to find out if your property is bush fire prone and what the construction requirements are.
A property is bush fire prone if it is wholly or partly located in the red, orange or yellow area on the Bushfire Prone Land Map.
Please note: The map contains multiple layers for different information. To view the Bushfire Prone Lands map layer, select 'Hazard' from the layers list.
View the Map
What do the colours on the map mean?
Colour |
Meaning |
Red |
Category 1, Highest risk |
Light Orange |
Category 2, Lower risk than category 1 and 3 |
Orange |
Category 3, Medium risk |
Yellow |
Vegetation buffer |
Please note: The yellow area extends for a distance of 100 metres from Category 1, and 30 metres from Category 2 and 3.
How accurate is the map?
The bush fire prone land map has been produced from aerial photos and vegetation maps. Field surveys have occurred in some areas, but in some areas it is very difficult to map the edge of the vegetation.
If an applicant disagrees that a particular property is bush fire prone, they can provide more detailed information in the form of a survey showing the distance from the nearest bush fire hazard to the proposed development.
If your property is located within a red, light orange, orange or yellow area on the bushfire prone land map, bushfire protection measures are likely to be needed when designing a development.
Council must also take into account the bushfire risk in the assessment of a development application or bushfire certificate application for that land.
Special building setbacks, landscaping and construction requirements may apply. This will depend on the type of development, the degree of bush fire hazard and the distance from the hazard.
Further information is available from the NSW Rural Fire Service.
Planning for Bushfire Protection is the NSW Rural Fire Service bushfire protection measures to be included when planning or modifying development in a bushfire prone area.
It links the bushfire hazard for a site with appropriate bushfire protection measures including:
- Asset Protection Zones (fuel reduced areas)
- Building construction standards and design (using Australian Standard AS3959)
- Access arrangements for residents, fire fighters, emergency service workers and those involved in evacuation
- Water supply and utilities
- Emergency management arrangements
- Suitable landscaping to limit fire spreading to a building
If you are constructing a dwelling, or doing alterations and additions, and the dwelling or work (including an access road, landscaping or bush fire asset protection) is located wholly outside that part of the property designated as bush fire prone land, no special bush fire requirements will be applied to the development application.
If the application is for a residential subdivision or other type of development (such as a school or nursing home) identified under Section 100B of the Rural Fires Act, the application is considered to be an 'integrated development' and must be referred to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
The edge of the bush fire prone land on the map is an artificial boundary.
The impact of a bush fire may not be limited to designated bush fire prone areas. However, it is considered that the level of bush fire risk outside of these areas is such that no special bush fire construction measures are needed.
The bush fire risk can be adequately managed by normal building practices and ongoing maintenance of buildings and yards by the owners or occupiers.