AFSS lodgement: how to lodge a fire safety statement in NSW

Get the order wrong and your assessment goes stale before you sign. The five-step sequence for lodging an AFSS with council and Fire and Rescue NSW.

Lodging an AFSS is a sequence, and the order matters because the assessment has to be current when the statement is signed. Here is the process most owners and strata managers follow.

1. Find your due date and schedule

Check the anniversary date on your previous statement; that is your annual due date. Get a current copy of your building's fire safety schedule so you know exactly which measures have to be assessed.

2. Engage an accredited practitioner

Book an accredited practitioner (fire safety) to assess the measures. Do this early, ideally around three months before the due date, because the assessment must be carried out within the three months before the statement is issued, and you may need time to rectify faults.

3. Assess, rectify, re-inspect

The practitioner inspects each measure against its scheduled standard. Anything that fails has to be repaired and re-checked. The statement can only certify measures that actually perform, so rectification happens ahead of the owner's declaration, not after.

4. Owner declares and signs

The owner, or a nominated agent such as a strata managing agent, completes the owner's declaration and signs the statement. The person who signs the declaration must not have been involved in the assessment.

5. Lodge with council and Fire and Rescue NSW

Give the signed statement to your local council and to Fire and Rescue NSW. Many councils accept lodgement through the NSW Planning Portal or their own online process; Fire and Rescue NSW has a lodgement path as well. Display a copy of the current statement and schedule prominently in the building. Lodge promptly, within about a week of signing, so the assessment stays current on the record.

Sources

• Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW).
• NSW Planning Portal, fire safety certification.
• Fire and Rescue NSW, annual fire safety statements.

This is general information, not legal or compliance advice. Check requirements and figures with your council and the FPAA register.

Keep reading

• AFSS explained: what an annual fire safety statement is in NSWStraight answer: what AFSS stands for, which NSW buildings need one, and what the accredited practitioner actually certifies.
• Who can sign an annual fire safety statement in NSW?The accredited practitioner who assesses your measures cannot sign your statement too. Here is exactly who can, and the rule that catches people out.
• AFSS deadlines and penalties for late lodgement in NSWThe AFSS runs on a strict annual cycle with a three-month assessment window. Miss the due date and councils issue escalating penalty notices.