Victoria’s bushfire prone areas are subject to or are likely to be subject to bushfires. They make up most of the State of Victoria.
Building construction and planning controls apply to developments in designated bushfire prone areas. They aim to improve bushfire protection for residential buildings and other sensitive land uses.
More information about building construction controls in the building system
Find out if a property is in a bushfire prone area
You can find out if your land is in a designated bushfire prone area. To do this, you can create a free planning property report in VicPlan, the State's online planning maps system.
The report includes:
- property details
- Bushfire Prone Area status
- a map showing the extent of the designated bushfire prone area relative to the property.
More information on using VicPlan
Note: When buying or selling property, section 32C of the Sale of Land Act 1962 requires a vendor statement to state if the land is in a designated Bushfire Prone Area. For more information, consult the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.
Bushfire Prone Area map
Designated bushfire prone areas are shown on the Bushfire Prone Area Map. The BPA Map was introduced in response to the recommendations made by the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. The Minister for Planning makes a formal determination to designate Bushfire Prone Areas under section 192A of the Building Act 1993. This determination is based on a detailed review process.
An area is designated as a bushfire prone area based on its Bushfire Hazard Level. This is an indicator of how extreme a bushfire can be, based on landscape conditions. Bushfire Hazard Levels can be different across areas.
More about the mapping process:
- Fact Sheet- Bushfire Mapping Methodology and Criteria (PDF, 332.5 KB) or (DOCX, 322.5 KB)
- Determination that Specified Areas are Designated Bushfire Prone Areas (DOCX, 30.5 KB) (Version incorporating amendments as at 1 February 2021).
Bushfire Prone Area map reviews
The department has committed to work with local councils, emergency services and other key stakeholders to ensure the map is accurate and as up to date as possible. The map is reviewed twice a year.
It was last reviewed and updated on 1 February 2021.
The 13 councils updated in the 1 February review were:
Ballarat, Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Cardinia, Casey, Greater Geelong, Hume, Latrobe, Macedon Ranges, Melton, Moorabool, Whittlesea and Wyndham.
More about recent and future updates:
- Historical listing of municipalities, gazette dates and current plan
numbers for bushfire prone areas - Sites being assessed in the current review (BPA18) for possible changes to the BPA mapping.
- Timetable for the current review (BPA18) - opened 1 February 2021
More information
Frequently Asked Questions for lot owners in a Bushfire Prone Area (PDF, 316.4 KB) or (DOCX, 653.8 KB)
Answers questions such as how to find out the BAL or apply for a modification.
Further information about building in a Bushfire Prone Area can be found at the
Victorian Building Authority.
The Bushfire Prone Area spatial data can be downloaded from the
Victorian Government Data Directory.
Copies of the Building Act and Building Regulations are available from Victorian Legislation.
You can purchase a copy of Australian Standard AS 3959-2009 from SAI Global.
Contact us
Email enquiries to: bpa@delwp.vic.gov.au
Page last updated: 26/02/21