Alpine Region building fire safety

We promote fire safety for all buildings in the Alpine Region. The following resources help in certifying and maintaining essential fire safety measures.

A fire safety certificate is issued by or on behalf of a building owner when new building work is complete. The certificate confirms that a properly qualified person has installed and checked the measures listed in the fire safety schedule.

Once a fire safety certificate is issued, an annual fire safety statement (AFSS) must be submitted each year.

For more information and to download a fire safety certificate template, visit Fire safety certification.

Each year, owners or leaseholders of certain buildings in Alpine Resort areas must submit an annual fire safety statement. These buildings generally include Building Code of Australia class 1b and classes 2 to 9.

The annual fire safety statement confirms that an accredited fire safety practitioner has checked all essential fire safety measures, and they have passed.

Send your annual fire safety statement to [email protected] and [email protected]

For more information and to download an annual fire safety statement template visit Fire safety certification.

Fire exits that include a fire-isolated stairway, passageway or ramp must display a Fire Safety Notice (PDF, 75 KB).

The Alpine Region hosts a variety of accommodation types, from eco-lodges and holiday houses to ski club lodges and resorts, most of which were built from the 1960s onwards.

The Alpine Fire Safety Policy, which came into effect on 1 October 2025, ensures consistent fire safety measures are applied for tourist and visitor accommodation in the Alpine Region to ensure the safety of occupants.

The policy applies to tourist and visitor accommodation subject to development assessment for certain development types and includes:

• amendments to the Precincts-Regional SEPP
• the Alpine Tourist and Visitor Accommodation Fire Safety Standard
• a planning circular to support the policy
• the Alpine Building Fire Safety Register.

Under the policy, the Precincts Regional SEPP, s4.25A requires the consent authority to be satisfied that tourist and visitor accommodation development in the Alpine Region contains adequate fire safety measures before consent can be granted. The consent authority must consider the measures in the Alpine Tourist and Visitor Accommodation Fire Safety Standard (FS Standard).

View the amendment to the Precincts-Regional SEPP.

The Fire Safety Standard sets out the fire safety measures for the consent authority to consider when determining whether proposed tourist and visitor accommodation development in the Alpine Region will include adequate fire safety measures.

View the Alpine Tourist and Visitor Accommodation Fire Safety Standard (PDF, 244 KB).

A planning circular has been developed to explain the policy to planning system users.

For more information, read the Building fire safety measures for tourist and visitor accommodation in the Alpine Region (PDF, 199 KB) planning circular.

Under the Fire Safety Standard, fire safety measures in tourist and visitor accommodation buildings in the Alpine Region must be maintained and annually certified.

If this is not done through an annual fire safety statement, your tourism and visitor accommodation building must be registered and have fire safety measures certified annually on the Alpine building fire safety register (ABFSR).

The ABFSR is similar to the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Register that applies elsewhere in NSW. As with the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Register, a key function of the register is to ensure that building fire safety measures in tourist accommodation remain operational and effective over time.

Buildings that need to be on the Alpine building fire safety register must be registered before they can be used by tourists and visitors. The owner or property manager must renew the building's registration each year by updating their registration details and certifying that the building provides all required fire safety measures and that they are maintained and operating correctly.

Submit a fire safety application

Essential fire safety measures in all Class 1b and Class 2–9 buildings are required to be inspected and tested in accordance with AS 1851–2012, the Australian Standard for routine servicing of fire protection systems and equipment, or to a standard nominated in a relevant performance solution for the building. These requirements apply across the state, including the NSW Alpine region.

The mandatory requirements include:

• Routine inspection and testing of essential fire safety measures in line with AS1851–2012 unless there is a performance solution.
• Mandatory compliance for all new and existing Class 1b and Class 2–9 buildings (including lodge accommodation and other buildings) from February 2026.
• Clearer expectations for building owners and lessees regarding maintenance responsibilities.
• Improved record‑keeping obligations to support compliance and audit processes.

All lessees, operators and property managers should familiarise themselves with the new requirements. You can read the full details on the AS1851 resource hub recently launched by Building Commission NSW.