Planning for bushfire protection
Information and advice about bushfire planning provisions including:
Planning provisions for bushfire protection
A State Planning Policy for Bushfire is included in all planning schemes. It seeks to strengthen community resilience to bushfire through the planning system. This includes considering bushfires in planning our cities and towns and ensuring that important bushfire protection measures are considered as part of new development.
View the planning provisions at Victoria Planning Provisions Online and Planning Schemes Online.
For an overview of the bushfire planning provisions read the advisory note:
Local planning is an important part of bushfire protection. Practice Note 64: Local planning for bushfire protection provides an overview of the considerations that can support local planning for bushfire protection, assists councils to tailor the Local Planning Policy Framework in response to bushfire matters and provides guidance on how to prepare schedules to the Bushfire Management Overlay.
Regional Bushfire Planning Assessments
The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission emphasised the importance of considering bushfire matters at all stages of the planning process including through regional settlement planning. In response, a series of six Regional Bushfire Planning Assessments has been produced to help inform councils' planning decisions to support community resilience to bushfire.
View Regional Bushfire Planning Assessments
The Bushfire Management Overlay
The Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) has been introduced to replace the Wildfire Management Overlay.
The provisions of the BMO ensure that development in areas that may be affected by bushfire can only take place after bushfire issues have been considered. This includes the location of a building on the site, emergency access and fire-fighting water supply. The BMO requires that new development implements appropriate bushfire protection measures. If risk to life and property from bushfire cannot be reduced to an acceptable level the development can not proceed.
The BMO includes a statutory provision in planning schemes and a map showing where the provisions apply. The requirements for development in a BMO are specified in planning schemes.
A planning permit issued under the BMO must include a condition that requires the landowner to maintain bushfire protection measures in perpetuity.
To find out more about the BMO read the practice note:
Where does the BMO apply?
The BMO applies to all land shown as BMO or WMO in a planning scheme.
To see if the BMO applies to your property you can obtain a free online Planning Property Report. Be sure to select the Planning Property Report, not the Bushfire Prone Areas Report which is for building requirements.
Alternatively, you can view the BMO planning scheme maps at your local council office or online at Planning Maps Online.
Resources for permit applications under the BMO
Advice about what information to include in a planning permit application and resources for preparing a planning application under the BMO is available at Resources for applications under the BMO.
Vegetation management
The bushfire planning provisions enable residents to manage vegetation for bushfire protection around their property and adjacent to fences on property boundaries without the need for a planning permit. Permit exemptions for vegetation removal only apply to existing buildings and fences built or approved before certain dates.
What are the ‘10/30’ and ‘10/50’ rules and where do they apply?
The 10/30 rule and the 10/50 rule allow residents and landowners to manage vegetation around their house and around other forms of accommodation.
View an explanation of the 10/30 and 10/50 rules and where they apply
We have detected that the browser used to view this content is missing the supported 'Flash Player plugin'. You need to install the Adobe Flash Player to see this video.
Once you have installed the 'Flash Player plugin' found on the
These rules and related information are explained in:
Defendable space
Amendment VC83 introduced a definition for defendable space and revised the defendable space requirements in planning schemes. Advisory note 44 explains the technical inputs used to develop the new defendable space requirements.
- Advisory note 44: Defendable space in the Bushfire Management Overlay, February 2012 including technical report (PDF - 972KB)
- Accessible Word version of the advisory note (DOC - 75KB)
To view the attached report, please email planning.systems@dpcd.vic.gov.au
Managing landslip and erosion risk
You should consider landslip and erosion risk before removing vegetation for bushfire protection, even if no council approval is required for its removal.
More information
Information about removing vegetation in preparation for bushfire is available from:
- the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Native vegetation - Permit applicants web page
- the Country Fire Authority’s Planning & Permits web page
- Department of Planning and Community Development’s practice and advisory notes on native vegetation and bushfire
Roadside vegetation management
A new bushfire exemption for roadside vegetation management (clause 52.17-6) simplifies the process for a road manager to manage native vegetation on roadsides.
Guidance for road managers about this exemption can be found on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Native vegetation – Local Government web page.
Information is also available on the Country Fire Authority website.
Private bushfire shelters and community fire refuges
Planning permit exemptions apply to community fire refuges and private bushfire shelters.
Information about community fire refuges and private bushfire shelters is contained in the advisory note:
- Advisory note 33: Amendment VC83 – Bushfire protection: Community fire refuge and private bushfire shelter exemptions, November 2011 (PDF – 664 KB)
- Accessible Word version of Advisory note 33 (DOC - 27 KB)
Information about the building requirements is available from the Building Commission
Compliance with planning permit conditions
The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission highlighted the importance of ongoing compliance with planning permit conditions for managing bushfire risk and to ensure important bushfire protection measures required in planning permits are implemented.
More information about compliance with bushfire planning conditions
Bushfire planning training
A training program to inform planners and other practitioners about the bushfire provisions, how the planning system interacts with the building system and the key ways to support bushfire planning at the strategic and statutory stages of the process was undertaken in 2011.
View information about the 2012 training program
More information
Information about understanding your bushfire risk, preparing your property and developing a Bushfire Survival Plan is available from the CFA website or by contacting the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.
View the planning scheme provisions in your local planning scheme at Planning Schemes Online.
Contact us
For further information on changes to the bushfire planning provisions please contact the Bushfire Planning Provisions Team on (03) 9452 5235 or email planning.systems@dpcd.vic.gov.au.