If you're buying a property in rural or semi-rural NSW, planning to build, thinking about clearing vegetation, or lodging a development application — the NSW Bushfire Prone Land Map is the first document you need to check. Everything else flows from it.
What is the NSW Bushfire Prone Land Map?
The NSW Bushfire Prone Land Map is a statutory map prepared and maintained by the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. It identifies land across NSW that is subject to bushfire risk. Every local council must have a certified Bushfire Prone Land Map, which is reviewed and updated periodically.
Legal Significance
Once your land is mapped as bushfire-prone, specific planning and building requirements apply automatically under NSW legislation. These requirements are not optional regardless of whether you believe the mapped risk accurately reflects the actual hazard.
How to Check Your Property — Step by Step
- 1.Go to rfs.nsw.gov.au and navigate to Planning and Building → Bushfire Prone Land.
- 2.Click the link to the Bushfire Prone Land Map tool.
- 3.Enter your property address and allow the map to zoom to your location.
- 4.Check the colour coding on your lot against the map legend.
- 5.Zoom in to confirm whether any part of your lot boundary falls within the mapped area.
- 6.Screenshot or save the map view — you will need this for any DA or building application.
What the Map Shows
- Vegetation Buffer: Land within a defined distance of mapped vegetation. Most residential land on the urban-rural fringe falls into this category.
- Vegetation Category 1: Highest risk — typically forest and woodland with high fuel loads.
- Vegetation Category 2: Shrubland and scrub — lower risk than Category 1 but still subject to planning requirements.
- Vegetation Category 3: Grassland and low-risk vegetation — reduced requirements in some circumstances.
My Property is Mapped — What Now?
For Development Applications
Any DA for residential development must address Planning for Bush Fire Protection (PBP 2019) — including a BAL assessment, AS 3959:2018 construction compliance, Asset Protection Zone establishment and emergency access and water supply provisions.
For Vegetation Clearing
Mapping as bushfire-prone is the first eligibility criterion for the NSW 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Rule. You must also check the separate 10/50 Entitlement Area Tool — being mapped as bushfire-prone does NOT automatically make you 10/50 eligible.
Check Both Tools
The Bushfire Prone Land Map and the 10/50 Entitlement Area Tool are separate. Some land mapped as bushfire-prone is NOT eligible for 10/50 clearing. Always check both.
My Property is NOT Mapped
If your property is not mapped, the statutory bushfire planning requirements and 10/50 Rule do not apply. However, this does not mean zero bushfire risk. Good ember management and a household bushfire survival plan remain sensible precautions for any property near bushland, regardless of mapped status.
When the Map Doesn't Match What You See
If you believe the mapping is incorrect — for example, vegetation has been permanently removed — you can contact the NSW RFS to request a map review. This is a formal process and may take time. In the interim, the current certified mapping applies to any DA assessment regardless of on-ground conditions.
When purchasing a property, always check the Bushfire Prone Land Map as part of due diligence. A Section 10.7 Planning Certificate (from your local council) will formally confirm whether the property is mapped — this is standard in NSW conveyancing.
Put This Into Practice
Our digital tools are built to complement exactly what you've just read — registers, checklists and documentation packs ready to download today.