Find your next annual fire safety statement due date and the 3-month assessment booking window. Enter the date of your most recent AFSS lodgement, or the date on your fire safety schedule if this is your first AFSS.
Dates are calculated using the 12-month annual cycle and 3-month assessment window under the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW). This is a general guide only. Confirm exact dates with your accredited practitioner and your council.
Ready to book your annual assessment?
Connect with a practitionerThe annual fire safety statement obligation runs on a 12-month cycle. The due date is 12 months from the date of the most recent AFSS (or 12 months from the date on the fire safety schedule for a building lodging for the first time). Each year the cycle repeats on the same anniversary.
The assessment that supports the statement must be carried out within the 3 months before the statement is issued. That 3-month period is the assessment booking window. Booking outside that window means the assessment does not satisfy the Regulation requirement, even if the practitioner is accredited. Book as soon as the window opens, not at the last minute, because scheduling and rectification can take time.
Once you know your assessment window opening date, put it in your building management calendar with a reminder. Contact an accredited fire safety practitioner to schedule the inspection of every measure on your fire safety schedule. If any measure fails, rectification must be completed before the statement can be signed, so allow time for that too.
After the assessment, the owner (or their nominated agent, who must not be the same person who carried out the assessment) signs and lodges the statement with both the local council and Fire and Rescue NSW. Record the lodgement date immediately, because that date sets the next cycle.
Your building's obligation is set by its fire safety schedule, issued with the development consent, construction certificate or fire safety order for the building. The schedule lists a subset of the measures below, drawn from the statutory list in the Regulation, together with the standard each measure must meet. The annual statement has to address every measure on your current schedule, and only those measures.
The annual fire safety statement obligation applies to Class 1b-9 buildings under the Building Code of Australia, which in practice means any building other than a single dwelling (Class 1a) or its non-habitable outbuildings, such as a garage, carport or shed (Class 10). That covers most strata and apartment buildings, boarding houses, offices, retail premises, warehouses, industrial buildings and mixed-use developments. A standalone house does not need an AFSS. See does my building need an AFSS? for the full breakdown by building type.
This is the full statutory list, not a per-building checklist. It sets out every measure a fire safety schedule can draw from, sourced to section 79(4) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW). Confirm the exact measures that apply to your building on its current fire safety schedule.
Councils treat a late or missing statement as non-compliance and issue penalty notices, with amounts that escalate the longer the statement stays outstanding. City of Sydney, Penrith City Council and Bayside Council all publish the same escalating schedule for this offence: a $1,000 penalty notice from the first week overdue, with a further $2,000 notice at two weeks, $3,000 at three weeks and $4,000 a week from four weeks on. Bayside and Penrith also list a separate, larger penalty, $3,000 to $6,000, for failing to maintain a fire safety measure at all, as distinct from simply being late with the statement. Check your own council's fire safety statement page for its current figures.
Beyond penalty notices, a council can issue a fire safety order and take proceedings in the Land and Environment Court. The City of Sydney's published guidance states a maximum court penalty of $110,000 for this offence. The point holds regardless of your council's exact figures: a missed AFSS is an expensive and escalating problem, and running the annual cycle early avoids it.
Typical AFSS certification fee
$375–$2,500
+ GST, per statement
Based on published pricing from NSW fire safety compliance providers, from a small single-storey commercial premises through to a multi-storey or strata building. Covers the assessment and statement only, not the cost of servicing or rectifying individual fire safety measures, which is billed separately and is usually the larger part of the annual bill.
Assessment window opens
Three months before your AFSS due date, you can book the accredited practitioner's assessment. Use the calculator above to find your date.
Book an accredited practitioner
Engage an Accredited Practitioner (Fire Safety) to assess every scheduled measure on your building.
Practitioner inspects and assesses each measure
The practitioner checks each measure on the schedule against the standard of performance it lists, on site.
Rectify any measure that fails
If a measure does not meet its standard, it has to be fixed and re-checked before the statement can be signed. Build in time for this.
Statement is prepared and signed
Once every measure passes, the practitioner's assessment supports the statement. The owner, or their nominated agent (who cannot be the same person who did the assessment), signs it.
Lodge and display
The signed statement is lodged with the local council and Fire and Rescue NSW, and a copy is displayed prominently in the building.
The annual fire safety statement is due 12 months after the date of the most recent AFSS lodgement (or 12 months after the fire safety schedule date for a building lodging for the first time). The Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW) sets the 12-month cycle.
The accredited practitioner's assessment of each essential fire safety measure must be carried out within the 3 months before the date the annual fire safety statement is issued. Booking too early means the assessment falls outside that window. The calculator marks the opening of that window so you can book at the right time.
If council has issued a new or amended fire safety schedule (for example, after building work), the anniversary date resets to the date of that new schedule. Use the date of the new schedule as your reference date, not the prior AFSS.
Councils issue penalty notices for late lodgement. Penalties escalate the longer the statement is outstanding. Some councils, including the City of Sydney, publish their late-lodgement penalty schedule. Lodging even after the due date is better than not lodging at all, but prompt lodgement avoids the penalties entirely.
No. This tool provides a general guide based on the standard 12-month cycle and 3-month window under the Regulation. Your specific due date depends on the exact date recorded on your fire safety schedule or most recent AFSS. Confirm exact dates with your accredited practitioner and your council.
This is general information, not legal or compliance advice. Check requirements and exact dates with your council and an accredited practitioner.