BAL rating Victoria: how to find your property's BAL
Your BAL rating in Victoria is worked out for your specific building site. It isn't something you look up on a map. An assessment under AS 3959 looks at the vegetation near where you plan to build, how far away it is and the slope under it. If your land is in a bushfire prone area or the Bushfire Management Overlay, that BAL decides how the home has to be built.
BAL Buddy gives you an indicative BAL for any Victorian site using AS 3959 Method 1. It isn't a BAL report and can't be used for a permit, but it shows where you're likely to land before you pay for an assessment, buy the block or brief a designer.
How to find your BAL rating in Victoria, step by step
- Check if your property is bushfire prone. Search your address in VicPlan and create a free Planning Property Report. It shows whether the land is in a designated bushfire prone area and whether the Bushfire Management Overlay applies.
- Get an indicative BAL with BAL Buddy. Trace the building and each patch of vegetation nearby, and classify it. Slope comes from public elevation data. You'll see your likely BAL, how it was worked out, and how far the building would need to move to reach a lower level.
- Talk to your building surveyor, and your council if the BMO applies. Your relevant building surveyor decides what BAL evidence they'll accept for the building permit. In the BMO, you'll usually need a planning permit first, and the BAL is set through that.
- Get a formal assessment. That's the result that counts for your permits.
Is there a BAL rating map for Victoria?
No. Victoria maps two bushfire layers in VicPlan, but neither is a map of BAL ratings:
- Designated bushfire prone areas (BPA). Land where bushfire building rules apply.
- Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO). A planning control for land with very high and extreme bushfire hazard. All BMO land is also a BPA.
How to check your property in VicPlan
- Open VicPlan and search your address or lot.
- Create a Planning Property Report. It's free.
- Look for the bushfire prone area section and the planning overlays section (BMO).
- Check the map as well, and whether the layers cover the part of the block you want to build on.
If any part of the building footprint is inside the BPA, the whole building has to meet the BPA requirements. If no part is, they don't apply.
Buying? The vendor's statement has to say whether the land is in a designated bushfire prone area. It won't tell you the BAL, and maps are reviewed, so check the current version yourself. More on maps in every state: BAL rating map.
Bushfire prone area vs the Bushfire Management Overlay
Building in a bushfire prone area
Bushfire prone areas are designated under the Building Regulations 2018. If you're building a new home in a BPA, you need a BAL assessment, and the home has to be built to that BAL before a building permit can be issued. This goes through your building surveyor.
Building in the BMO
The BMO is Clause 44.06 of every Victorian planning scheme, working with Clause 53.02 (Bushfire Planning). It can require a planning permit for a new home, other buildings and works, and subdivision. Once a permit is approved, its bushfire management plan sets the construction BAL, defendable space, water supply and access, and you have to stick to it. The provisions were last updated by Amendment VC248 on 5 May 2026. Read the full bushfire overlay guide.
What this means for a BAL Buddy result
BAL Buddy follows AS 3959 Method 1, which looks at vegetation within 100 metres of the building. A BMO site assessment can look out to 150 metres, and the BAL is set through Clause 53.02 rather than straight from AS 3959. In the BMO, treat a BAL Buddy result as an early guide and expect the formal process to look wider.
Bushfire rules and agencies in Victoria
| Who or what | What it does |
|---|---|
| AS 3959:2018 | Sets how a BAL is assessed and the construction requirements for each level. A paid standard; a revised edition is in its final stages. See AS 3959 explained. |
| National Construction Code 2025 | Adopted in Victoria on 1 May 2026. Calls up AS 3959, or the NASH Standard for steel-framed homes, in bushfire prone areas. |
| Building Act 1993 and Building Regulations 2018 | Designate bushfire prone areas and set how building surveyors deal with the BAL. |
| Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) | Victoria's building regulator since 1 July 2025, replacing the Victorian Building Authority. |
| Department of Transport and Planning | Runs VicPlan and the state bushfire planning provisions, including the BMO. |
| Your council | Decides planning permits, including BMO applications. |
| Relevant building surveyor | Issues the building permit and has to be satisfied with the BAL. If the BAL was set through a planning permit, they must accept it. |
When you need a formal BAL assessment in Victoria
You need one when you apply for a building permit for a new home, or another covered building, on land in a bushfire prone area. Some alterations and additions trigger it too, so ask your building surveyor. In the BMO you'll usually need the bushfire documents for your planning permit first; once bushfire has been dealt with in the planning permit, it isn't assessed again at the building permit stage.
Since 1 May 2026, BAL-LOW means LOW
Until recently, a site in a Victorian bushfire prone area assessed as BAL-LOW still had to be built to BAL-12.5. Regulation 157 of the Building Regulations 2018, which set that default, was revoked from 1 May 2026. A site assessed as BAL-LOW can now be built as BAL-LOW. Some council and government pages still show the old rule, so confirm with your building surveyor. In the BMO, the minimum is set through the planning permit.
Who can do a BAL assessment in Victoria?
- Bushfire prone area only. Planning Victoria says a suitably qualified person can provide a BAL assessment. Some councils note an owner, architect, building designer, builder or building surveyor can do the site assessment, as long as the relevant building surveyor is satisfied. In practice many surveyors want a report from an experienced bushfire practitioner.
- Bushfire Management Overlay. The bushfire management statement can be prepared by the applicant, but the Victorian Government suggests a suitably qualified consultant, especially for complex applications. Many use BPAD-accredited practitioners.
Need a bushfire practitioner?
FPA Australia keeps a public register of BPAD-accredited practitioners, searchable by state and accreditation level: BPAD practitioner register. If you're not sure who to call, email me and I'll point you in the right direction. I don't take referral fees.
How much does a BAL assessment cost in Victoria?
Most BAL assessments cost between about $800 and $2,000. Travel is usually the biggest factor, then site complexity. A full BMO package, with a bushfire management statement and plan, costs more than a BAL for a building permit alone. Some councils offer their own assessments at lower fees. Get two or three quotes and ask whether each includes a site visit. More on costs: BAL assessment.
BAL requirements in Victoria by level
Plain-English overview only; each level guide has more.
BAL-LOW. No bushfire construction requirements under AS 3959. Since 1 May 2026, a BPA site assessed as BAL-LOW can be built as BAL-LOW. BAL-LOW guide
BAL-12.5 requirements in Victoria. Keeping embers out: sealed gaps, screened openable windows and vents, ember-resistant materials near decks and the ground. BAL-12.5 guide
BAL-19. Stricter glazing and materials near the ground. BAL-19 guide
BAL-29 requirements in Victoria. Toughened glass and fire-resistant frames, cladding, decks and subfloors. This is where costs climb, and many products for lower levels aren't rated for BAL-29, so check before you choose windows and cladding. BAL-29 guide
BAL-40. Tested systems or shutters and a big jump in cost. BAL-40 guide
BAL-FZ. Systems tested for flame contact; specialist and expensive. In the BMO, a new dwelling at BAL-FZ may be hard to get approved. BAL-FZ guide
Can you lower your BAL in Victoria?
Often. Distance is the main lever, which is why BAL Buddy shows how far you'd need to move. Changing vegetation can help too, but removing native vegetation in Victoria often needs a planning permit unless an exemption applies, so check with your council before you clear anything. See how to lower your BAL.
How BAL Buddy handles Victoria
AS 3959 has two fire danger indexes for Victoria: 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 Victorian result it also notes that the Bushfire Management Overlay sets its own planning requirements.
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
How do I find out my BAL rating in Victoria?
Check VicPlan to see whether your land is in a bushfire prone area or the BMO, then get a BAL assessment for your building site. For an early indication, BAL Buddy uses AS 3959 Method 1 and shows your likely BAL in minutes. For a permit you'll need a formal assessment your building surveyor, or council in the BMO, will accept.
Is there a BAL rating map for Victoria?
No. VicPlan maps bushfire prone areas and the BMO, not BAL ratings. A BAL has to be assessed for the building site.
What are the BAL 29 requirements in Victoria?
The home has to meet the BAL-29 requirements of AS 3959, or the NASH Standard for steel framing: stricter than BAL-19 for windows and glass doors, cladding, decks and subfloors, roofing, gutters and vents. In the BMO, the permit can add conditions such as defendable space, water and access.
What are the BAL 12.5 requirements in Victoria?
Mainly keeping embers out: sealing gaps and screening openings. Outside the BMO, a site assessed as BAL-LOW no longer has to be built to BAL-12.5 since 1 May 2026.
Who can do a BAL assessment in Victoria, and what does it cost?
Outside the BMO, a suitably qualified person, accepted by your building surveyor. In the BMO, most people use a bushfire consultant. Expect about $800 to $2,000, more for a complex BMO application.
Do I still have to build to BAL-12.5 if my site is BAL-LOW?
Not in a bushfire prone area outside the BMO. Regulation 157 was revoked from 1 May 2026. Confirm with your building surveyor, as some official pages haven't caught up.