Your property may be required to comply with bushfire safety standards. Use this introductory guide to help you work out what you need to do to make sure you meet planning requirements and improve you and your community’s bushfire safety.
When a development application is referred to the CFS under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Regulations, the CFS Development Assessment Service assesses the development and provides statutory advice. Considerations include siting, construction, structural standards, access for emergency service vehicles, vegetation clearance, firefighting equipment and water supply.
You may request advice before you submit a development application. For information, contact the CFS Development Assessment Service on 8115 3372 or das@cfs.sa.gov.au.
Bushfire safety FAQs
Residential developments and some businesses/commercial properties in bushfire prone areas
- To check your Bushfire Hazard Rating, go to What is the property address? (Planning and Design Code)
- If you are identified to be in a high bushfire hazard overlay you need to get a BAL assessment undertaken for your property
- You may need to complete a
- BAL Application (bushfire risk) or
- Application for preliminary agency advice (assess proposed plans excluding a deck, pergola, like for like windows)
- To check your Bushfire Hazard Rating, go to What is the property address? (Planning and Design Code)
- If you are in a High-risk Bushfire area please refer to:
- If in a high-risk area, seek advice from building planner or other private practitioner that has experience in high-risk bushfire areas. The BAL rating and other items such as driveways and tanks may significantly change the construction costs.
- If in a medium, general, regional or outback, refer to your local Council, who can help to identify any mandatory requirements associated with the property.
- To check your Bushfire Hazard Rating, go to What is the property address? (Planning and Design Code)
- If not associated with a development, you should contact your Council's Fire Prevention Officer or seek out a community fire safe program in your neighbourhood.
- You will need to check with your local council or building certifier if any approvals are needed. If you only need to have a BAL you will need to refer to a private provider.
- When building in a high-risk bushfire area, a referral to CFS is needed and a report will be provided. That process can be direct through council/planner, or you can come to CFS direct using an Application for preliminary agency advice. You will need to have drawings of your proposal e.g. site plan, elevations, floor plan, materials of construction.
- A BAL Application is needed for Building Rules consent to determine the construction level of the house and it will be provided with an Application for preliminary agency advice through the council.
- Yes. Moving the house, changing the size etc, may change your BAL rating or other elements such as the driveway. Your approval is only valid for the plans that were assessed.
- Fees such as statutory referrals may be set by the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 or other services such as on site inspections including Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) Assessments by the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005.
- Fees are updated annually by Government Gazette.
- Under Schedule 9(3)(2) of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017. The Body (CFS) has a period of 30 business days from date of application within which to provide a response (residential development).
- For other services, please refer to the CFS Customer Service Charter.
- CFS Bushfire Safety Officer will contact the applicant if operational responsibilities may affect the delivery of reporting on your application.
- You may need to refer to your local council for individual requirements.
- Application for preliminary agency advice
- BAL Application
- If the shed is less than 500m2 and within 6m of a dwelling you will need a BAL assessment because the shed must be built to the same bushfire rating as the dwelling.
- If the shed is over 500m2 please refer to Commercial FAQs.
- Contact the Development Assessment Service on 08 8115 3372
- Unfortunately, we are unable to give you a specific date or time as officers will have several inspections on a day in different locations, not having a specific time and date arranged might mean your assessment is done quicker.
- If you have identified a specific hazard that needs your attendance then, the CFS Bushfire Safety Officer will contact you.
- Can you arrange for the dog to be secured and/or the gates to be unlocked? If not, we will make a note on the file and a CFS Bushfire Safety Officer will contact you to make suitable arrangements to inspect the property.
- Some of the things we look at include but are not limited to: access to the site, vegetation within 100 metres of the edge of the development, firefighting water supply and equipment as per the Planning and Design Code and Additional requirements in designated bushfire prone areas (Ministerial Building Standard MBS008).
- All sites are different and need individual assessment which may need us to assess other aspects of the property.
- Refer to Native vegetation management for clarification.
- Please read our position statement of mature/large trees on residential properties, however, if you still think that your individual tree is a bushfire risk you can apply for an Assessment Application.
- However, if your enquiry is in regards to your development application, you can mark down trees proposed for removal, CFS will assess what exists on the land at the time of the assessment and what is proposed for removal and provide advice on how that impacts your application. Please don’t remove vegetation prior to development approval or Native vegetation approval. Refer to the Native Vegetation Council for clarification regarding native vegetation removal for development.
- You will need to speak to the CFS bushfire safety officer that undertook the BAL assessment of the property.
- You might be able to reduce the vegetation or move the development further away from it. However, reducing the vegetation is only an option if the vegetation is within your own property boundaries. If the vegetation is on neighbouring property and you cant move the house from the boundary a reduced BAL might not be achievable.
- Note: BAL assesses vegetation within 100m of the subject land.
- If your report was submitted:
- through your local council, you will need to contact your local council for details
- directly with CFS, you will need to contact the Development Assessment Service on 08 8115 3372.
- You can obtain a copy of the report from the Applicant (such as the builder or designer), Council or PlanSA portal.
- This is a matter for local council, you will need to contact your local council's Fire Prevention Officer.
Tanks
- Pursuant to Additional requirements in designated bushfire prone areas (Ministerial Building Standard MBS008) tanks for bushfire safety must be non-combustible i.e. steel/metal, concrete.
- It is possible, as long as it is completely underground or enclosed in non combustible structure, i.e. enclosed sub-floor. To pursue the poly tank option, it is best if you contact your building certifier for more details.
- As per Additional requirements in designated bushfire prone areas (Ministerial Building Standard MBS008)
- If the tank is for commercial buildings or large sheds for fire safety refer to further questions
- Depending on the block size, and your BAL rating. Refer to Additional requirements in designated bushfire prone areas (Ministerial Building Standard MBS008) and only in a High Bushfire Overlay. This will be covered in the report you will receive from the CFS.
- You will need a 5 horsepower/3.7Kw fuel driven pump which needs to be independent of the mains power supply.
- If the tank is for commercial buildings or large sheds for fire safety refer to further questions
- Tank size is determined by the Bushfire Overlay (High/Medium etc) followed by land size and BAL rating. Once your Bushfire overlay and BAL are known you can refer to Additional requirements in designated bushfire prone areas (Ministerial Building Standard MBS008).
- If a firefighting fitting is needed, we will need to get a fire truck to a suitable hardstand that is within 6m of the outlet. Please refer to CFS Guide – Building and renovating in a bushfire prone area and Additional requirements in designated bushfire prone areas (Ministerial Building Standard MBS008).
- If that is unachievable, please contact the Development Assessment Service on 08 8115 3372.
- A turn around site will be needed if the furthermost part of the house is greater than 60m from the public road. Refer to Building a home in a bushfire risk area.
- Yes, for properties in Medium/General Bushfire Hazard Rating areas.
- If your Bushfire Hazard Rating is High - it is likely that a swimming pool can be used, provided it is accessible to the fire truck within 3m and not obstructed, there is sufficient water available all year round and the volume is compliant with the Additional requirements in designated bushfire prone areas (Ministerial Building Standard MBS008). Individual cases will need to be assessed by a Bushfire Safety Officer.