Bushfire overlay check in Victoria: BMO, bushfire prone area and BAL
Victoria maps bushfire through two different systems, and they are often confused. The bushfire prone area is a building control. The Bushfire Management Overlay is a planning control. Here is what each one triggers, how to check any address free on VicPlan, and where a BAL rating fits.
Bushfire prone area: the building control
A designated bushfire prone area, or BPA, is land where the bushfire hazard has been identified and mapped under the building system. It triggers building permit requirements: new homes, schools, child care centres, hospitals, aged care facilities and other sensitive buildings must meet a minimum construction standard. The Building and Plumbing Commission sets that minimum for new homes at BAL 12.5.
The line on the map matters at the building footprint. If no part of the footprint falls within the BPA, the requirements do not apply; if part of it does, the whole building must meet them. An existing house is not forced to upgrade, but new work walks into the same rules.
Bushfire Management Overlay: the planning control
The BMO, Clause 44.06 of the planning scheme, applies to bushfire prone areas with very high and extreme bushfire hazard. Land in a BMO is also a BPA by default, so both sets of rules apply. A planning permit is required to subdivide and to build for listed uses including accommodation, unless an exemption or the local schedule says otherwise.
Unless the schedule says otherwise, a BMO permit application must include a bushfire hazard site assessment covering 150 metres around the development, a landscape assessment, a bushfire management statement and a bushfire management plan. The overlay brings mandatory protection measures such as defendable space, water supply, access and ongoing vegetation management, and the application may be referred to the fire authority.
Maps versus BAL, and how to check free
Neither map gives a BAL. A bushfire attack level is assessed for a specific building on a specific site under AS 3959, from BAL LOW through BAL 12.5, 19, 29 and 40 to Flame Zone, taking in slope, vegetation type and distance. A suitably qualified person prepares it; Fire Protection Association Australia accredits assessors.
To check an address, open VicPlan and create a planning property report. The BMO appears in the planning overlays section and the BPA in the designated bushfire prone areas section. Where a control covers only part of the land, VicPlan can produce a definition plan showing where the line falls.
Common questions
Is my property in a bushfire zone in Victoria?
Victoria has two separate bushfire controls, and an address can be in one, both or neither. The designated bushfire prone area is mapped under the building system. The Bushfire Management Overlay is a planning scheme overlay for areas of very high and extreme bushfire hazard. A free planning property report from VicPlan lists both.
What is the difference between a BMO and a bushfire prone area?
The bushfire prone area triggers building permit requirements: new homes and other listed buildings must be built to a bushfire construction standard. The BMO is a planning control that also triggers planning permit requirements, including defendable space, water supply, access and ongoing vegetation management. Land in a BMO is also a bushfire prone area by default.
What BAL rating applies in a bushfire prone area?
The Building and Plumbing Commission states that all new homes built in a bushfire prone area must be built to a minimum of BAL 12.5, which is aimed at ember attack. A site assessment under AS 3959 can require a higher level: BAL 19, 29, 40 or Flame Zone. The map does not tell you the level; the assessment does.
Do I need a planning permit in a Bushfire Management Overlay?
Often. Clause 44.06 requires a permit to subdivide and to build for listed uses including accommodation, with exemptions such as an extension that adds no more than 50 percent to the floor area of an existing dwelling. The schedule for the area can change this, so read it for the specific address.
Will the Section 32 statement mention bushfire?
Yes for the bushfire prone area: the vendor statement must declare whether the land is in a designated bushfire prone area. It arrives once a property is on the market, so checking VicPlan yourself first costs nothing and happens on your schedule.
Does a bushfire overlay affect insurance?
Insurers use their own bushfire models, which do not have to match the planning maps. Get a quote on the exact address before you commit, because the premium is part of the real cost of owning the home.