We work to promote fire safety and help to keep people and property safe.
Fire safety rules apply to all types of buildings, including residential, commercial, retail and industrial property. This covers:
- New buildings: new development needs to be designed and built to meet fire safety standards.
- Existing buildings: fire safety measures must be regularly checked and kept in good order.
The building owner is responsible for maintaining fire safety measures. In strata properties, the owners’ corporation or body corporate carries this responsibility.
More fire safety information
Smoke alarms are a simple and effective way to detect smoke and provide a warning when there is a fire. Smoke alarms can potentially save lives and help reduce property damage in the event of a fire.
By law, working smoke alarms are compulsory in every residential dwelling or unit. This includes private homes, as well as other places people sleep like hotels and boarding houses.
For more information about smoke alarms, see:
We have a proactive inspection program to make sure buildings in our city meet fire safety requirements. Building owners may be charged a fee for inspections.
Our inspection program gives priority to buildings that pose the greatest risk to safety, like boarding houses, nightclubs and buildings that are not currently on Council’s fire safety register. We also inspect buildings if we get a complaint about them, or if they’re being looked at for development approval or change of use.
If an inspection uncovers problems, Council will work with the building owner to address the problems and may ask for an independent expert’s report to identify what changes are needed to meet acceptable fire safety standards.
A Fire Safety Certificate is a document that certifies that the fire safety measures in a building meet the required standards before the building is occupied.
A Fire Safety Certificate must be submitted by the building owner for:
- a new building, before it is used
- changed use of a building, before the building is used, or
- fire safety upgrade works required by Council.
Use the form below to submit a Fire Safety Certificate and return it to Council and NSW Fire and Rescue with a copy of the Fire Safety Schedule.
Fire Safety Certificate template
After the Fire Safety Certificate has been issued, you will need to submit an Annual Fire Safety Statement every 12 months.
New laws for buildings with combustible cladding were introduced after the tragic fires at Melbourne's Lacrosse building in 2014, and London's Grenfell Tower in 2017.
For more information visit the NSW Department of Planning website.
We try to work with building owners and help them meet their legal obligations for fire safety. However, building owners can face penalties and enforcement action for:
- not maintaining the required fire safety measures
- not submitting Annual Fire Safety Statement on time
- not following Fire Safety Orders issued by Council or Fire and Rescue NSW.
You can also read our Fire Safety Policy PDF, 131.95 KB for information about how we act to promote fire safety and help people meet their obligations in this area.