BAL Assessments – Bushfire Attack Level Reports

If your property is in a designated Bushfire Prone Area in Victoria, you need a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment before you can obtain a building permit for new construction or certain alterations.

What Is a BAL Assessment?

A BAL assessment evaluates the potential exposure of a building site to bushfire attack. The assessment considers factors including:

Vegetation type and coverage around the site
Distance from classified vegetation to the proposed building
The slope of the land between vegetation and the building site
Fire Danger Index for the area

The result is a BAL rating that indicates the level of bushfire risk your property faces. This rating directly affects construction requirements and costs.

BAL Ratings Explained

BAL ratings range from BAL-LOW (lowest risk) to BAL-FZ (Flame Zone, highest risk).

BAL-LOW

Minimal risk. Standard construction methods apply. This rating indicates there is insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements for bushfire.

BAL-12.5

Ember attack risk. Specific construction requirements begin to apply for windows, doors, and external materials to protect against ember attack.

BAL-19, BAL-29, BAL-40

Increasing risk levels with progressively stricter construction requirements. Higher ratings require more expensive building materials and methods.

BAL-FZ (Flame Zone)

Direct exposure to flames. The most stringent construction requirements apply, and some sites may be unsuitable for building at this rating level.

Our BAL Assessment Service

We conduct on-site BAL assessments across Victoria and provide formal BAL reports that are accepted by local councils, private building surveyors, and municipal building surveyors.

The Assessment Process

We visit your property and assess the vegetation, topography, and site conditions
We calculate the BAL rating according to Australian Standard AS 3959
We prepare a formal BAL report documenting our findings
You use the report to support your building permit application

Book a BAL Assessment

Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO)

Some properties are also within a Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO), which imposes additional planning requirements beyond the BAL assessment.

If your property is in a BMO, you'll likely need planning approval before you can apply for a building permit. The BMO requirements are more stringent and may include:

Mandatory defendable space around buildings
Water supply requirements for firefighting
Access requirements for emergency vehicles
Bushfire Management Statement

We can advise on BMO requirements and help you understand what's needed for your property.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can check whether your property is in a designated Bushfire Prone Area using the Victorian Government's mapping tools. However, even if your property appears to be on the boundary or outside the designated area, changes to vegetation or mapping updates can affect the assessment. Contact us and we'll check your property's status for you.

BAL assessments are valid as long as site conditions remain unchanged. If significant vegetation changes occur—either growth or removal—a new assessment may be required. Building surveyors may request a new assessment if substantial time has passed since the original.

In some cases, vegetation management can reduce your BAL rating, potentially lowering construction costs. However, removing vegetation may require permits, and you'll need to maintain the reduced vegetation levels ongoing. We can discuss whether vegetation management might benefit your project and what approvals would be needed.

No. BAL assessments must be conducted by a suitably qualified person and documented in a formal report that building surveyors and councils will accept. Self-assessments are not accepted for building permit applications.