What does BAL assessment actually involve?

f you’ve been told you “need to get a BAL report” it’s quite understandable you might be wondering what does this involve?

If your area has been designated as bushfire-prone (here on DFES mapping) a BAL assessment simply determines the bushfire attack level (i.e. BAL) that may potentially impact your building from nearby vegetation.

Your assessor needs to inspect your site and its surrounds, record the required data and subsequently prepare a report determining your BAL rating.

According to AS3959, vegetation out to a distance of 100m in all directions from the building must be assessed and either classified or excluded as a potential threat. Your BAL assessor, therefore, will need to assess the immediate surroundings of the building and also the wider surrounding area.

Once the above data is collected it needs to be collated into a report that you can submit to Council for building or planning applications.

Your BAL report will include a map of your property and surrounding area, assessment of the vegetation including photos, and the determination of the final (highest) BAL rating that applies from vegetation within 100m of your building.

Jeremy Durston (BPAD36525)

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