Bushfire overlays and bushfire prone areas in Queensland
In Queensland three different things get called the bushfire map: the state bushfire prone area mapping, your council's planning scheme bushfire overlay, and the bushfire attack level assessed for a building. They answer different questions. Here is what each one is, what it triggers, and how to check an address free in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast, Logan and Rockhampton.
The state map and the council overlay
The bushfire prone area is state mapping, developed by CSIRO with the Queensland Fire Department. It covers land with medium, high or very high potential bushfire intensity, plus a potential impact buffer around it: land at risk from embers, flame or radiant heat. It sits in the State Planning Policy, and councils carry it into their planning schemes, either as is or verified locally.
The council version is the bushfire overlay. Brisbane City Plan 2014 has a Bushfire overlay map showing high and medium hazard areas and their buffers, and the council states that the mapping triggers assessment under its Bushfire overlay code. If the property is in the overlay and you propose assessable development, a bushfire hazard assessment is required with the application. Other councils use their own names and categories, but the logic is the same.
Building work: designated bushfire prone areas and BAL
Under section 7 of the Building Regulation 2021, a council may designate all or part of its area as a designated bushfire prone area in a local planning instrument, and must show it on its planning scheme maps where practicable. Once designated, the bushfire provisions of the building codes apply to building work there. Queensland has adopted AS 3959, the standard for construction of buildings in bushfire prone areas.
That is where the BAL comes in. The map is broad: in or out. The BAL is specific: a rating for one building on one site, from BAL LOW up to BAL FZ, driven by vegetation, slope and distance. Mapped land does not mean flame zone, and the construction cost only becomes clear once a BAL is assessed. If you plan to build or extend, a bushfire consultant can estimate it before you buy.
How to check it yourself, free
For a Brisbane address, open City Plan 2014 online, search the address and turn on the Bushfire overlay. Elsewhere, use your council's planning scheme mapping. Then open the State Planning Policy interactive mapping system for the state layer. If you are unsure whether the land is a designated bushfire prone area for building purposes, ask the council; that is the Queensland Government's own advice. Finally, get an insurance quote on the exact address.
The 60 second version
A PropertyFlags report queries the council planning scheme bushfire overlay live for addresses in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast, Logan and Rockhampton, and prints the hazard category when the lot is mapped, with the planning scheme named. If the council layer does not respond, the report says the check did not run rather than calling the address clear. It reads the overlay as a planning trigger, not a BAL, and alongside it covers flood, zoning, landslide, koala habitat, aircraft noise and more.
Run a free flag count on a Queensland address → · See a Queensland sample report · The same question in NSW · Guide: flood checks in Queensland
Common questions
How do I check if my property is in a bushfire zone in Queensland?
Open your council's planning scheme mapping and look for the bushfire overlay; for Brisbane that is City Plan 2014 online. Then open the State Planning Policy interactive mapping system for the state bushfire prone area layer. For building purposes the Queensland Government's advice is to check with your local council whether the property is in a designated bushfire prone area. All three are free.
What is the difference between a bushfire prone area and a bushfire overlay?
The bushfire prone area is state mapping, developed by CSIRO with the Queensland Fire Department, of land with medium, high or very high potential bushfire intensity plus a surrounding potential impact buffer. A bushfire overlay is the council's version inside its planning scheme, and it is the one that triggers the council's bushfire code when development needs assessment.
What is a BAL rating in Queensland?
BAL means bushfire attack level. It is a rating under Australian Standard AS 3959 for a specific building site, graded from BAL LOW up to the flame zone, BAL FZ. Queensland has adopted AS 3959 for building in bushfire prone areas, and the assessed level decides the construction requirements. A map tells you the question applies; the BAL answers it for one design on one spot.
Does the overlay force changes to an existing house?
Not by itself. The planning code applies when you propose assessable development, and the construction standard applies to building work in a designated bushfire prone area: new homes, rebuilding, and certain additions, repairs and outbuildings. An untouched existing house carries no new obligation from the map alone.
Does a bushfire overlay affect insurance?
Insurers price bushfire from their own models, which do not always match council or state mapping. Get a real quote on the exact address before you commit, because the premium is part of what the home costs to own.