By Phil Brown · Published 10 June 2026
Quick answer: If your property is mapped as bushfire-prone land, any new dwelling, major addition or granny flat needs a bushfire assessment that assigns a BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) rating: BAL-LOW, 12.5, 19, 29, 40 or FZ. The rating sets construction requirements like window glazing, materials and ember protection. It very rarely stops a project; it changes how parts of it must be built. Large parts of the Northern Beaches are mapped bushfire-prone, so check before you design, not after.
The BAL measures the bushfire attack your building could face, from radiant heat to direct flame contact. BAL-LOW means minimal requirements. BAL-12.5 through BAL-29 step up ember and radiant heat protection: sealed gaps, metal flyscreens, tougher glazing and restricted materials. BAL-40 and BAL-FZ (Flame Zone) are the serious end, with bunker-grade construction details. The rating depends on the vegetation type near your home, the distance to it, and the slope between.
A large share of the peninsula is mapped bushfire-prone: the bushland edges of Bilgola and Elanora Heights, the acreage of Ingleside and Terrey Hills, and pockets of Avalon and Belrose. Being mapped doesn't mean a high rating; plenty of mapped lots assess at BAL-LOW or 12.5 once distance and slope are measured.
The BAL flows into the drawings: window and door specs, decking and cladding materials, ember screens, and sometimes water supply or access requirements. Designed in from the start, most ratings add modest cost. Retrofitted after a design is finished, they cause redesign pain, which is why we establish the BAL before concept design, not after council asks.
We check the bushfire map as part of every free site assessment, coordinate the accredited bushfire consultant when a report is needed, and design to the rating from day one so the application lands complete. It's one of the referral loops that slows Northern Beaches DAs when handled late; our DA timeline guide explains why complete applications move faster.
FAQs
The NSW planning portal's bushfire-prone land map shows it, or we check it for you as part of the free site assessment. Most owners on the bush side of the peninsula already suspect the answer.
Very rarely. Even BAL-40 sites get built on; the rating changes construction specs and cost rather than the right to build. BAL-FZ is the only level that demands serious design strategy, and we've worked with it.
An accredited bushfire consultant. We coordinate the report alongside the drawings so the application is lodged complete, which keeps council's clock moving.
Phil Brown is a Northern Beaches born and bred draftsman and building designer. Since 2016, Northern Beaches Drafting has prepared DA and CDC plans from Manly to Palm Beach and across the Central Coast. Get a free fixed-price quote or call 0414 978 499.
Free, no-obligation fixed-price quotes for drafting, DA and CDC plans across the Northern Beaches.