Bushfire Building Regulation 2011

The Building Amendment (Bushfire Construction) Regulations 2011 came into effect on 8 September 2011. These ongoing Regulations replace the interim Regulations made in March 2010 and implement permanent bushfire construction requirements across Victoria.

The regulations provide for the following:

• The Minister for Planning has the authority to designate bushfire prone areas.Designated bushfire prone area maps have been prepared and are available free of charge to the public online through www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/bushfireproneareas
• The relevant Building Surveyor must accept a bushfire attack level (BAL) specified by a planning scheme or a planning permit for the construction requirements for a building.
• In designated bushfire prone areas a minimum construction standard of BAL 12.5 for ember protection applies. Costing information is available here

The Building Commission conducted free seminars throughout October and November on the new Regulations. You can download the presentation and the Regulations below:

•  Building Amendment (Bushfire Construction) Regulations 2011 (72KB)
•  Bushfire Amendments Presentation Oct Nov 2011 (1.02MB)

For more information on planning please visit www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/planning/bushfire