Building after bush fire

This guide has been created to assist people who have been affected by recent bush fires. Over the following pages you will find the steps to rebuilding and how to get started.

Please remember there are a range of services to help you with the various decisions, thoughts and questions you may be facing right now.

Getting Started

When rebuilding or repairing your home, there are three main parts to keep in mind:

Your level of bush fire risk affects your development requirements – the higher the risk, the more protection you need. We use the term ‘bush fire attack level’, or BAL, to quantify this risk.

There are two pathways for approvals:

Development application – this is the usual process through council OR
Complying development – a fast-track process available for homes with lower level bush fire risk.

Any home built in a bush fire prone area needs protection from bush fire through:

access
water and utilities
a cleared space around the home, known as an asset protection zone (APZ)
design and construction
landscaping.