In short
Short answer: the Urban Floodway Zone (UFZ) is a Victorian planning zone set out in clause 37.03 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 identify waterways, major floodpaths, drainage depressions and high hazard areas within urban areas which have the greatest risk and frequency of being affected by flooding”. (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026)
A zone sets the main purpose of the land and what can be built on it; every Victorian lot has one.
What it typically means for a buyer (Delora editorial, not legal advice): Applied to floodways and major flood paths; development is typically very restricted.
Check whether the Urban Floodway Zone 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 37.03 of the Victoria Planning Provisions (Urban Floodway Zone) states its purposes as: to identify waterways, major floodpaths, drainage depressions and high hazard areas within urban areas which have the greatest risk and frequency of being affected by flooding; to ensure that any development maintains the free passage and temporary storage of floodwater, minimises flood damage and is compatible with flood hazard, local drainage conditions and the minimisation of soil erosion, sedimentation and silting; to reflect any declarations under Division 4 of Part 10 of the Water Act, 1989; and to protect water quality and waterways as natural resources by managing urban stormwater, protecting water supply catchment areas and managing saline discharges to minimise the risks to the environmental quality of water and groundwater. (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026)
Ask your conveyancer: What flood information does the council or water authority hold for the property?
Shown on planning scheme maps as UFZ.
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.
3,718 land parcels and 6,035 addresses in the sample so far.
Councils with the most coverage
- Greater Shepparton (589 lots)
- Campaspe (309 lots)
- Strathbogie (262 lots)
- Mitchell (202 lots)
- Warrnambool (194 lots)
- Casey (183 lots)