Bushfire Assessments
Who Requires a BAL Assessment?
If you’re building a home in a designated bushfire-prone area in Western Australia, you will generally be required to obtain a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment. This process evaluates how exposed your property is to potential bushfire hazards and assigns a BAL rating based on the level of risk.
This rating is essential for guiding the design and construction of your home, ensuring appropriate materials and methods are used to help reduce the impact of bushfire conditions.
To get an initial idea of whether your property is affected, you can check the Map of Bushfire Prone Areas available through the DFES website. If your land falls within one of these mapped areas, a BAL assessment will typically be required.
Recent BAL Requirements – What You Need to Know
Under current regulations introduced in May 2016, all proposed residential developments (Class 1, 2, or 3 buildings, as well as associated Class 10 structures) located wholly or partially within a bushfire-prone area must undergo a BAL assessment.
This assessment ensures the building design complies with the relevant construction standards outlined in AS 3959 – Construction of Buildings in Bushfire-Prone Areas.
Who Can Carry Out a BAL Assessment?
A BAL assessment must be completed by a suitably qualified professional, such as an accredited Level 1 BAL Assessor or a recognised Bushfire Planning Practitioner. These specialists are also authorised to prepare BAL contour maps where required.
At SBM Certifiers, we are qualified to undertake Level 1 (Simplified Method) BAL assessments, providing you with a straightforward and reliable path to obtaining your BAL rating.
Get in touch with our team today to arrange your BAL assessment and keep your project moving forward.
