Residents that need to burn off for fuel reduction reasons, excess vegetation or topography issues may apply for a Permit to Burn if the property is covered by the Bushfire Prone Area (BPA) or Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO).
To find out if your property is covered by the BPA or BMO check the Planning Report Tool of the Planning Victoria website:
A Permit to Burn application is assessed on a case by case basis. A Council officer undertakes a risk assessment of the applicant’s property taking into account issues such as the size of the land, the ability of the landowner to remove the vegetation via more appropriate methods, the proximity to other landowners and the risk of smoke nuisance. Also taken into account is the potential for the fire to spread and fire suppression equipment at the location.
Permits are subject to certain conditions, relating to fire size and location and are subject to the general conditions below. The permit holder should make sure they are aware of all permit conditions, as a breach in a condition of the permit may result in the permit being revoked and infringements issued.
An authorised officer can request for a fire to be extinguished if it is deemed to be a health or safety risk even if a permit has been issued.