BAL calculator and BAL levels by state and territory
BAL Buddy applies the same national method, AS 3959 Method 1, everywhere in the states and mainland territories. What changes from place to place is the fire danger index it uses and the notes it adds to the result. Here's how it handles each one.
Jump to: NT, ACT, VIC, NSW, QLD, WA, SA, TAS.
BAL calculator NT (Northern Territory)
BAL Buddy applies Method 1 of AS 3959 across the Northern Territory, with the one fire danger index AS 3959 sets for the whole territory, so a site in Darwin and one near Alice Springs are worked out on the same basis. BAL Buddy has no mapped bushfire prone area layer for the NT. Slope comes from public elevation data, and the summary says how detailed it is at your site. BAL levels explained says what each level means, and the BAL calculator for the NT gives an indicative level for your site.
Read the full NT guide: whether you need a BAL, firebreaks and maps.
BAL calculator ACT
In the ACT, BAL Buddy applies Method 1 with the single fire danger index AS 3959 gives the territory. The ACT is surrounded by NSW, whose index depends on the fire weather district, so BAL Buddy works out the jurisdiction from the building outline you draw, and asks you to check it when the site is within about 1 km of the border. BAL levels explained describes the six levels, and the BAL calculator for the ACT works one out for your block.
Official bushfire information: Access Canberra: requirements for bushfire prone blocks (June 2026)
Read the full ACT guide: when a BAL applies to your block.
BAL calculator Victoria
Victoria has two fire danger indexes in AS 3959: one for alpine areas and one for the rest of the state. BAL Buddy uses the general one unless the site is high enough to be alpine; from about 1000 m above sea level it asks whether the site is in an alpine area, with a default until you answer. With a Victorian result it also notes that the Bushfire Management Overlay sets its own planning requirements. See BAL levels explained for what the levels mean, or try the BAL calculator for Victoria.
Official bushfire information: Planning Victoria: building in bushfire prone areas
Read the full Victoria guide: VicPlan, the BMO and BAL requirements.
BAL calculator NSW
In NSW, BAL Buddy picks the fire danger index by fire weather district, using the Bureau of Meteorology's district boundaries, and asks about alpine areas for high sites. It applies AS 3959 Method 1. The NSW RFS says a BAL in NSW is determined by Appendix 1 of Planning for Bush Fire Protection 2019, and BAL Buddy doesn't apply that document's method, so a NSW result carries a note to treat it as indicative only. BAL levels explained explains the levels, and the BAL calculator for NSW gives a first indication for your site.
Official bushfire information: NSW RFS: check if you're in bush fire prone land
Read the full NSW guide: bush fire prone land, PBP and BAL requirements.
BAL calculator Queensland
BAL Buddy applies Method 1 in Queensland with the one fire danger index AS 3959 sets for the state, from the far north to the Gold Coast hinterland. It adds no Queensland-specific note to the result, so the summary shows the vegetation, distance and slope behind the level and nothing more. BAL levels explained goes through the six levels, and the BAL calculator for Queensland gives an indicative level for your site.
Official bushfire information: Queensland Fire Department: bushfire prone area mapping
Read the full Queensland guide: bushfire prone mapping and BAL requirements.
BAL calculator WA
For Western Australia, BAL Buddy uses the single fire danger index AS 3959 gives the state and applies Method 1. With a WA result it notes that State Planning Policy 3.7 Bushfire and the Planning for Bushfire Guidelines sit over AS 3959, and to treat the result as indicative only. BAL levels explained covers what each level means, and the BAL calculator for WA works out an indicative level from a map.
Official bushfire information: DFES: Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas
Read the full WA guide: the bushfire prone map, SPP 3.7 and assessment costs.
BAL calculator SA
In South Australia, BAL Buddy applies Method 1 with the fire danger index AS 3959 sets for the state, the same whether the site is in the Adelaide Hills or on the Eyre Peninsula. It shows no South Australian planning note with the result. BAL levels explained explains the six levels, and the BAL calculator for SA gives an indicative level for your site. In the general and medium risk bushfire overlays, South Australia's MBS 008 sets the BAL, so a result matters most in the high risk overlay.
Official bushfire information: CFS: planning and building in bushfire areas
Read the full SA guide: bushfire overlays and deemed BALs.
BAL calculator Tasmania
BAL Buddy works out a Tasmanian site with Method 1 and the one fire danger index AS 3959 gives Tasmania, without the alpine question it asks in NSW and Victoria. The slope under each patch comes from elevation data, so check the summary for how detailed that data is where you're building. BAL levels explained describes what each level means, and the BAL calculator for Tasmania gives an indicative level for your site.
Official bushfire information: Tasmania Fire Service: Building for Bushfire (2020)
Read the full Tasmania guide: bushfire-prone areas and hazard management plans.
Wherever you are
Each state and territory sets its own rules for when a BAL is needed and who can provide one. Your council or building surveyor can say what applies to your site. How a BAL is worked out explains the method itself. BAL assessment explains who does formal assessments in each state.
BAL Buddy gives an indicative Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) only. It isn't a determination under any Act, and no council or building surveyor has to accept it. For a BAL you can rely on, use an accredited bushfire practitioner.