APZs and defendable space: manage the vegetation your plan requires

Asset protection zone is a common term; Victorian planning guidance generally refers to defendable space. It is the area around a building where vegetation fuel is modified and maintained to reduce bushfire attack. It is not automatically bare earth and is not the same specification as a boundary firebreak.

Use the endorsed plan, not a distance from another site

Where your permit includes a Bushfire Management Plan, give the contractor the endorsed version. The required area, vegetation management, access and other conditions are specific to the property. A Bushfire Attack Level assessment and a vegetation-maintenance booking are not interchangeable services.

Check the plan's requirements for grass, shrubs, litter, retained trees and canopy separation. State which tasks are vegetation work and which require arborist, construction or other specialist work. Do not invent a generic APZ distance or assume an example CFA plan applies to your building.

10/30 and 10/50 are conditional exemptions

The names refer to specific planning exemptions, not recommended clearing distances for every house. For eligible buildings and mapped locations, the ten-metre component can cover trees and other vegetation; the thirty- or fifty-metre components cover vegetation other than trees. Do not read them as permission to remove trees across the full thirty or fifty metres.

Eligibility depends on the current planning clause, the building's accommodation use and construction or approval history, and whether it is in the relevant Bushfire Prone Area or Bushfire Management Overlay. Different eligibility pathways exist, so a simple only-pre-2009-houses rule is not sufficient. Ask council to confirm the current clause and evidence for your building before relying on an exemption.

An exemption does not authorise entry onto neighbouring land, unlimited property clearing or ignoring other applicable approvals. An endorsed plan can also require particular vegetation to remain.

Reduce fuel without assuming it has disappeared

Slashing reduces grass height but leaves cut material unless otherwise agreed. Mulching converts scrub into a layer of processed vegetation that remains combustible when dry. Check the plan's litter and material requirements before treating a mulched finish as completed defendable space.

Keep the space maintained

Follow the ongoing maintenance conditions in the permit or plan. Inspect grass, shrubs, new litter and regrowth through the season and after changes in growth. Keep dated records and arrange follow-up work where needed, not just an annual booking with no inspection.

Defendable space is one part of bushfire risk reduction alongside building construction, water, access and household decisions. Clearing does not guarantee survival or make it safe to stay and defend. Use CFA advice and qualified bushfire planning advice for the broader plan.

• Victorian planning — bushfire vegetation removal
• Victorian planning — building in the BMO
• Government fact sheet — check current eligibility with council