BAL rating map: what exists and how to find your BAL
There's no official BAL rating map in Australia. What each state publishes is a bushfire prone area map, which shows where bushfire building rules apply, not what BAL a building will get. A BAL is worked out for one building in one spot, from the vegetation within 100 metres, how far away it is and the slope under it.
So the answer comes in two steps. First, check your state's map to see whether your land is bushfire prone. Then work out the BAL for where the building will actually go.
Bushfire prone area maps vs a BAL
A bushfire prone area map covers whole suburbs and regions. It's drawn at a landscape scale, usually from vegetation mapping plus a buffer, and it answers one question: do bushfire planning or building rules apply to this land? Being inside the mapped area doesn't tell you how exposed your house would be.
A BAL is site-specific. Two houses on neighbouring blocks, both inside the mapped area, can get different levels because one sits closer to the bush or above a slope. That's why no state can publish a map of BALs for every property: the level depends on where the building goes, which the map doesn't know.
BAL contour maps: the closest thing to a BAL map
A BAL contour map (also called a bushfire attack level contour map) shows indicative BALs across a whole site as bands that step down as you move away from the vegetation. Practitioners prepare them for subdivisions and structure plans so lots and building envelopes can be placed at a lower level. They're specific to one development, not public maps of an area.
WA uses them most formally: State Planning Policy 3.7 Bushfire lists a BAL Contour Map or BAL assessment among the information that goes with planning proposals in bushfire prone areas, and the state's guidelines recommend an accredited practitioner prepare it. If you're buying in a newer estate, ask the developer or council whether the subdivision has a BAL contour map or BAL plan.
How to check if your land is bushfire prone, state by state
New South Wales
NSW maps bush fire prone land, prepared by councils and certified by the NSW Rural Fire Service. Check your address with the RFS online tool: check if you're in bush fire prone land. Your section 10.7 planning certificate from council also says whether the land is bush fire prone. More on the NSW page.
Victoria
Victoria has two layers: designated bushfire prone areas (which trigger building rules) and the Bushfire Management Overlay (a planning control for higher-risk land). Both show in VicPlan's free Planning Property Report. See Planning Victoria's building in bushfire prone areas guide, the bushfire overlay guide, and the Victoria page.
Queensland
Queensland's bushfire prone area mapping is published by the state and used in council planning schemes, usually as a bushfire hazard overlay. Start with the Queensland Fire Department's bushfire prone area mapping page, then check your council's planning scheme overlay. More on the Queensland page.
Western Australia
WA's official map is the Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas, maintained by DFES. Search your address on the DFES bush fire prone areas page. Land shown in pink is designated bushfire prone. More on the WA page.
South Australia
SA maps bushfire risk through the Hazards (Bushfire) overlays in the Planning and Design Code, viewable in the South Australian Property and Planning Atlas (SAPPA). In the general and medium risk overlays, the state's MBS 008 sets the BAL for you. The CFS explains each overlay on its planning and building in bushfire areas page. More on the SA page.
Tasmania
Tasmania's bushfire-prone areas are shown as an overlay in the Tasmanian Planning Scheme, viewable on LISTmap. The Tasmania Fire Service explains the rules in Building for Bushfire. More on the Tasmania page.
ACT
The ACT Emergency Services Agency maps a Bushfire Prone Area, but in urban Canberra being inside it doesn't automatically mean a house must be built to a BAL. What matters is whether a BAL is set for your block in the planning rules or your development approval. Access Canberra's requirements for bushfire prone blocks explains how it works. More on the ACT page.
Northern Territory
The NT doesn't publish a bushfire prone area map for building purposes. Fire management zones and firebreak rules apply instead. More on the NT page.
What to do if your property is in a mapped area
- Check what the mapping triggers. In most states it means the building has to be built to a BAL. In some, it also triggers a planning permit.
- Work out your likely BAL. BAL Buddy gives an indicative result for the building position you draw, and shows how far it would need to move for a lower level.
- Talk to your council or building surveyor about what they'll need for your project.
- Get a formal BAL assessment when you're ready to apply. See BAL assessment for who does them and what they cost.
What if part of my lot is mapped?
In several states, the rules apply based on where the building sits, not the whole lot. In WA, for example, a building that's entirely outside the mapped area doesn't need to meet the bushfire building requirements even if part of the lot is mapped. Rules differ elsewhere, so check with your council.
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.
Questions people ask
Is there a BAL map for my area?
No. States publish bushfire prone area maps, not BAL maps. Your BAL depends on where the building sits relative to the vegetation and slope, so it has to be worked out for your site.
What's the difference between a bushfire prone area and a BAL?
A bushfire prone area map says whether bushfire rules apply to the land. A BAL says how exposed a particular building would be, and so how it has to be built.
What is a BAL contour map?
A map prepared by a practitioner for one development, usually a subdivision, showing indicative BAL bands across the site. It's used to place lots and building envelopes at lower levels.
My land isn't on the bushfire prone map. Do I need a BAL?
Usually not for building approval, but check with your council: some planning rules and development approvals ask for one anyway, and maps are updated.
Can I find my BAL rating online?
You can get an indicative one. BAL Buddy works it out from a map using AS 3959 Method 1 once you draw the building and vegetation. A formal BAL comes from an assessment.