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The Map of Bushfire Prone Areas identifies land in Western Australia that has the potential to be impacted by bushfires. This land is designated by the Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner.
Additional planning and building requirements may apply to new proposals within a bushfire prone area. A further assessment of bushfire risk may also be required to ensure future developments in bushfire prone areas are safer.
The requirements are described in State Planning Policy 3.7: Bushfire (SPP 3.7) and the Guidelines for Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas (Guidelines). You can find these documents at wa.gov.au.
Additional planning and building requirements may apply to development within designated Bushfire Prone Areas, in accordance with Schedule 2 Part 10A of the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015, SPP 3.7, the Guidelines, and the Building Code of Australia.
If you are the proponent, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that the proposal complies with the relevant planning policies and building regulations.
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The Map of Bushfire Prone Areas is reviewed regularly to better represent bushfire risk across Western Australia.
The latest version of the Map was designated under section 18P of the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1998 on 20 September 2024 and comes into effect on 24 September 2024.
A four month transition period will apply for newly designated areas on the Map.
Please contact your local government if you have information to contribute to the next review of the Map.
DFES has an important role to play in advising decision makers on bushfire risk issues in accordance with SPP 3.7 and the Guidelines. Decision makers can refer planning proposals in designated bushfire prone areas to our Land Use Planning team for advice using the referral to DFES checklist.
The Land Use Planning team also provide evidence for the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) proceedings on bushfire risk, together with its consequences for planning decisions; and act as a referral agency when there is Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) contamination.
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) refers to ammunition which has been fired but has not functioned as designed. Search and remediation conditions are placed by DFES on planning approvals, with search and remediation to be carried out by contractors approved by the Department of Defence.
UXO data for WA is owned by DFES and published by the Department of Defence.
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage / Western Australian Planning Commission has reviewed the State Planning Policy 3.7 Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas and supporting Guidelines for Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas.
The new State Planning Policy 3.7 Bushfire and associated Planning and Bushfire Guidelines were published on 24 September 2024 and are operational from 18 November 2024.
As a result, some of the below FAQ’s may no longer be relevant and we appreciate your patience whilst we review and update the information.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact the Land Use Planning team via email advice@dfes.wa.gov.au, providing us with your preferred contact information.
For map and dataset queries, contact us at the Office of Bushfire Risk Management. To enquire about a referral or UXO contamination, contact the Land Use Planning team.
