Bushfire Management Overlay and the 10/30 rule: clearing trees around a Bendigo home

Published 2 October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

Bushfire prone area or Bushfire Management Overlay?

They're two different maps, and both show up on the free planning property report from VicPlan.

Bushfire prone area (BPA)

A state map of land at risk from bushfire, used by the building regulations. It covers much more land than the overlay, and being in it is what switches on the clearing exemptions in Clause 52.12 of the planning scheme.

Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO)

A planning overlay over the highest-risk land. Clause 44.06 aims to "ensure that the development of land prioritises the protection of human life and strengthens community resilience to bushfire". It requires a permit to subdivide and for buildings and works such as a new house, and those applications must meet the bushfire planning rules in Clause 53.02. The CFA notes that "the Bushfire Management Overlay is included in bushfire prone areas".

The overlay doesn't, on its own, make cutting a tree a permit trigger. The usual native vegetation rules and any other overlays on your land still apply, and in the BMO the clearing exemption reaches further.

The 10/30 rule, and 10/50 in the overlay

Clause 52.12 lets you clear around an existing house without a planning permit:

• Within 10 metres: "any vegetation", including trees
• Within 30 metres: "any vegetation, except trees", in a bushfire prone area
• Within 50 metres, in the BMO: "any vegetation, except trees"

It applies, in the CFA's words, "to buildings, including houses, which are used for accommodation and were built or approved before 10 September 2009". For a house built after that date, the CFA says "you will likely require a permit to clear vegetation" and to contact council. There are a few other cases in the BMO for homes lawfully built or approved between 10 November 2009 and 10 November 2011.

You may also have seen "10/50" described as a New South Wales rule. NSW has its own, different 10/50 scheme; in Victoria the CFA uses the name for the BMO version of the exemption above.

Clearing along a fence line

Clause 52.12 also covers boundary fences in bushfire prone areas. If the fence was built before 10 September 2009, owners and residents can clear vegetation along it, up to a combined 4 metres across both sides. The CFA lists these:

• Neighbour has cleared 1 m from the fence: you can clear up to 3 m on your side
• Neighbour has cleared 2 m: you can clear up to 2 m
• Neighbour has cleared 4 m or more: you can still clear up to 1 m

For a fence built after 10 September 2009, the CFA says you likely need a planning permit. And the CFA is clear that "you must get written permission from your neighbour before clearing any vegetation on their property".

What "defendable space" looks like

New homes in the BMO have to keep defendable space to standards set in Clause 53.02. Even if your home predates the overlay, its Table 4 is a good checklist for the ground around any bush-edge house. Among its requirements:

• "Trees must not overhang or touch any elements of the building"
• "The canopy of trees must be separated by at least 5 metres"
• "There must be a clearance of at least 2 metres between the lowest tree branches and ground level"
• "Shrubs must not be located under the canopy of trees"
• "Grass must be short cropped and maintained during the declared fire danger period"

Much of that is pruning rather than removal: lifting the canopy, taking limbs off the roof and thinning so crowns don't touch. See lopping and pruning for that side of the work.

Getting ready before the Fire Danger Period

The City of Greater Bendigo says "you must clear your property of fire hazards before the start of the Fire Danger Period and maintain it throughout". Its fire prevention officers inspect properties and may send a Fire Prevention Notice, usually giving about three weeks to cut grass and remove flammable rubbish; if the hazard is still there on re-inspection, council can send in a contractor. On 12 October 2026 the CFA listed no Fire Danger Period dates for Greater Bendigo yet, so check its fire restriction dates page as summer approaches.

Book tree work well before summer, so the cut material is chipped and gone before the Fire Danger Period starts. The cut timber needs a plan too: the CFA lists your green bin, a local tip that takes green waste, mulching well away from the house, or a contractor. Chipping on site is how we deal with it; we don't burn green waste.

Before anyone cuts

• Download your VicPlan report: is the land in a bushfire prone area, the BMO, or a vegetation overlay?
• Check when the house was built or approved, against 10 September 2009
• Measure out 10 m (trees) and 30 m or 50 m (other vegetation) from the house
• For a native tree outside those distances, read the permit guide and confirm with council on 1300 002 642
• Get written permission before clearing anything on a neighbour's side

Fire-season enquiries come in from the bush suburbs every spring, including Maiden Gully and Strathfieldsaye. For what a removal costs once you know it's allowed, see the published tree removal prices.

Questions about bushfire overlay and 10/30 rule