In short
Short answer: the Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) is a Victorian planning overlay set out in clause 44.06 of the Victoria Planning Provisions and applied to land through each council's planning scheme. In the clause's own words, its first purpose is: “To ensure that the development of land prioritises the protection of human life and strengthens community resilience to bushfire”. (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026)
An overlay sits on top of the land's zone and adds controls for one issue, whatever the zone is; a lot can carry several.
What it typically means for a buyer (Delora editorial, not legal advice): Land with a bushfire hazard. New dwellings and many extensions typically need bushfire protection measures, which can add cost.
Check whether the Bushfire Management Overlay applies to an address with Address Check. For a decision on a specific property, the official record is a Planning Property Report from VicPlan, and the council's schedule sets the local detail.
What the clause says
Clause 44.06 of the Victoria Planning Provisions (Bushfire Management Overlay) states its purposes as: to ensure that the development of land prioritises the protection of human life and strengthens community resilience to bushfire; to identify areas where the bushfire hazard warrants bushfire protection measures to be implemented; and to ensure development is only permitted where the risk to life and property from bushfire can be reduced to an acceptable level. (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026)
Ask your conveyancer: Is a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment available for the property?
Shown on planning scheme maps as BMO.
How much of Victoria this covers
From the 2899 sample suburbs Address Check's export has processed so far — a lower bound, not a statewide total, until the export runs statewide.
238,378 land parcels and 272,111 addresses in the sample so far.
Councils with the most coverage
- Yarra Ranges (32826 lots)
- Greater Bendigo (17114 lots)
- Mornington Peninsula (15567 lots)
- Wellington (13478 lots)
- Nillumbik (9306 lots)
- Surf Coast (9197 lots)
Suburbs with the highest share
- Clematis — 100% of addresses checked (141)
How it has changed since 2017
Vicmap Planning's published scheme history tracks where the Bushfire Management Overlay has applied since 2017-10-03, recording when it was added to or removed from a parcel and the gazettal date where one is recorded. Address Check shows this timeline for any specific address — check below.