I am extending a 1970s house in Blackwood. Does the whole house have to meet the BAL?

No. The BAL requirements apply to the new work. The existing house is not required to be retrofitted.

My street in Belair is Medium but the park behind is High. Which applies?

If your site is within 100 metres of the High area, MBS 008 requires a site assessment rather than the deemed BAL-12.5. Most streets along the park boundary are.

Do you assess properties on the plains side, like Torrens Park?

If there is no bushfire overlay on the block, there is nothing to assess, and we will tell you that for free rather than quote.

BAL Assessment Mitcham Hills | Belair, Blackwood, Eden Hills

Suburbs and localities we cover

BelairBlackwoodEden HillsHawthorndeneGlenaltaBellevue HeightsCraigburn FarmUpper SturtCoromandel Valley (Mitcham side)Brown Hill CreekTorrens ParkLyntonPanoramaPasadenaClaphamSpringfieldMitcham

And everywhere in between. If your suburb is not listed, ask; travel is included in the fixed price.

Bushfire overlays in the City of Mitcham

The hills face of the council is where the High and Medium overlays sit, with urban interface areas along the park and gorge boundaries. Streets in Belair, Blackwood and Eden Hills routinely fall within 100 metres of High land in the national park or Sturt Gorge, which is exactly the situation MBS 008 addresses. Suburbs on the plains side of the council generally have no bushfire overlay. The current overlay for any address is on SAPPA. Not sure which overlay applies to your block? Send us the address and we will check SAPPA for you at no cost.

Do you need a private BAL, or will the CFS do it?

New dwelling in the High overlay: your development application is automatically referred to the CFS. The CFS assesses the site and sets the BAL as part of that referral, and you pay the CFS fee. We can do a BAL for you as well, but you would be paying for the same thing twice, and building is expensive enough. Our advice is to follow the CFS process and put the money into the build.
Additions, alterations, sheds, carports and decks: the bulk of the work in Mitcham. These often do not trigger a referral, so a private AS 3959 assessment is what council or your certifier needs. Within 6 metres of the house means matching the house's BAL.
Medium overlay within 100 metres of a High area: MBS 008 requires a site assessment. Very common along the Belair National Park and Sturt Gorge boundaries.
Building rules consent, insurance requests, pre-purchase checks: private assessment.

We check which of these applies before we quote. If the CFS is going to assess your site anyway, we will tell you rather than sell you a second report.

What makes Mitcham different

Older housing on steep, treed blocks. Many homes in Belair and Blackwood are on slopes, surrounded by established native trees, and are now being extended or re-roofed rather than rebuilt. An assessment here tells you what standard the addition has to meet; it does not mean the existing house is non-compliant or has to be retrofitted. It also matters for insurance, because rebuilding after a fire has to meet the current standard for the rating, and a lot of Mitcham Hills homes are insured for less than that would cost.

What you get

A site visit, with vegetation photographed and classified for each aspect
Measured setbacks and effective slope, not estimates off a satellite image
A council-ready AS 3959-2018 report within five business days
Fixed price quoted upfront, travel included, no hidden costs

Get a fixed quote

Tell us the address and what you are building. Fixed quote within one business day, no obligation.

Free overlay check

Not sure if your block is in a bushfire overlay, or whether the CFS will do your BAL anyway? Send the address and we will check SAPPA and tell you. No cost.

BAL assessments in the Mitcham Hills