I am buying a block in a new Mount Barker estate. Will it need a BAL?

Depends on the overlay and what the block adjoins. Many estate lots are Medium and deemed BAL-12.5; lots backing onto reserves or rural land may be High or within 100 metres of High. Send us the lot address and we will check.

My insurer has asked for a BAL on an older house in Nairne. Is that a CFS job?

No. Insurance requests are a private assessment with no council or CFS involvement. Same report, sent to your insurer.

Do you cover Callington and Kanmantoo?

Yes. Travel is included in the fixed price.

BAL Assessment Mount Barker | Nairne, Littlehampton, Hahndorf

Suburbs and localities we cover

Mount BarkerMount Barker SpringsMount Barker JunctionLittlehamptonNairneHahndorfEchungaMacclesfieldMeadowsBugle RangesBrukungaKanmantooCallingtonWistowHay ValleyBlakistonDawesleyHarrogatePaechtownFlaxleyProspect Hill

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

Bushfire overlays in the Mount Barker District Council area

The whole district sits within the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges bushfire management area, but the planning overlays vary block by block. Established township areas are often Medium; the ranges, rural living zones and land adjoining bushland are typically High. Newer estates can be either, depending on what they back onto. 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.
Smaller additions and alterations, sheds, carports and decks: often no referral, so a private assessment is what council or your certifier needs. Anything within 6 metres of the house must match the house's BAL.
Medium overlay within 100 metres of a High area: MBS 008 requires a site assessment. Common on the edges of Mount Barker, Littlehampton and Nairne where Medium township land meets High rural land.
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 Mount Barker different

Mixed vegetation. Around here the threat is as likely to be grassland or scattered woodland as it is dense forest. Grassland measures very differently to forest under AS 3959, and the classification has to be done properly rather than assumed from a satellite image. On rural living blocks, where the house sits relative to a paddock boundary or a creek line can move the rating a step in either direction. On new estates, the question is usually what is on the other side of the back fence and whether it is managed.

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 Mount Barker and district