Bush fire prone land an area of land that could support a bush or grass fire or is likely to be to be subject to bush fire attack. If your land is mapped as bush fire prone land, then certain protection measure must be considered when designing a new development.
Gunnedah Shire Bush Fire Prone Land map
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Deputy Commissioner certified Gunnedah Shire Council’s Bush Fire Prone Land (BFPL) map on 9 January 2026. The updated map identifies areas where a more detailed site assessment is required when planning to build in a bush fire prone location.
NOTE: Interactive online mapping on the NSW RFS may not be available for another 2-4 weeks and the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer for 4-6 weeks.
Gunnedah Shire Bush Fire Prone map (PDF)
All councils are required to map bush fire prone land within their local government area in accordance with the NSW RFS “Guide for Bush Fire Prone Land Mapping”.
Building on bush fire prone land
The changes do not affect landowners unless they lodge a Development Application (DA) and/or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) Application for their property. Where land is mapped as bush fire prone, a site-specific bush fire risk assessment need to will be carried out as part of the DA and/or CDC process.
The RFS have requirements for building and development on bush fire prone land, which is set out in their Planning for Bush Fire Protection (2019) (PFBP) guide. You are required to meet these standards for any new development or renovation of a property that is identified as being on bush fire prone land.
Bush Fire Risk Assessments?
Bush fire risk assessments are undertaken by Council staff or a BPAD (Bushfire Planning and Design) Accredited Practitioner. Once completed, a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) is assigned to the development, which determines what Bush fire Protection Measures (BPM) are required. These may include asset protection zones, access, construction, siting and design, landscaping, services, emergency and evacuation planning.
How can I plan and prepare for Bushfires?
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) is the leading agency for combatting bushfires across NSW. They provide extensive resources for planning and preparing for bushfires. For additional information visit the RFS website directly at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
