INSIGHT · LICENSING & COMPLIANCE

The yearly fire safety statement
is a different document in each state.

10 November 2026

As read on 10 November 2026, four states require a periodic fire safety statement or report. NSW Government guidance describes an annual fire safety statement, issued by or for the owner and given to the council and Fire and Rescue NSW. Victoria requires an annual essential safety measures report, signed by the owner and kept for inspection rather than lodged. Queensland requires an occupier statement given to the fire commissioner. South Australia requires a yearly verification to the council. In WA, the ACT and the NT we found maintenance duties but no annual statement given to an authority; the ACT fire service's guideline expects yearly condition reports to be kept for inspection. Tasmania's Regulations were read only as a summary, so its position is not verified.

A ceiling-mounted fire alarm sounder and strobe marked FIRE

Analysed 10 November 2026 · NSW Department of Planning and Environment fire safety statements FAQ (October 2022) and City of Sydney guidance (NSW Regulation not verified) · Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), Authorised Version 032 · Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (Qld) and Business Queensland guidance · PDI (General) Regulations 2017 (SA), version 29.10.2026 · Building Regulations 2012 (WA), as at 1 November 2026 · Building Regulations 2016 (Tas), read as a summary only · Emergencies Act 2004 (ACT), Republication 38, and ACT Fire & Rescue guideline FSG-05 · Fire and Emergency Regulations 1996 (NT), as in force at 16 July 2024 · all read 10 November 2026.

Key takeaways

Four states have a periodic statement, under four names: NSW: annual fire safety statement (with supplementary statements for critical measures). Victoria: annual essential safety measures report (reg 223). Queensland: occupier statement (s 55A). South Australia: verification of maintenance and testing (reg 94(10), (11)).
Who receives it differs: NSW guidance: the council and the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW. Queensland: the commissioner, within 10 business days (s 55A(3)). South Australia: the council, within 60 business days after each calendar year (reg 94(10)). Victoria: we found no lodgement duty; the report and records must be available at the building within 24 hours of a request (reg 225).
The statement rests on maintenance records: Queensland lists what each record of maintenance must state, including the licence number of the person who did the work and a signed statement (s 55). In Victoria the annual reports from the 10 years before a request, and all inspection, testing and maintenance records, must be available at the building within 24 hours of a request (reg 225). South Australia requires written proof for a period of up to 2 preceding calendar years within 48 hours of an authorised officer's request (reg 94(15)).
The builder starts the record: The schedule of measures and their standards is set when the building is approved and completed: SA's schedule on building consent and installers' certificates of compliance (reg 94(4) to (7)); Victoria's occupancy permit or maintenance determination (regs 215, 223(4)); NSW's fire safety schedule and fire safety certificate (City of Sydney guidance).
We would keep each measure as a line with its own history: A system-design recommendation: the measure, its standard, each maintenance entry with who did it and the result, and the statement it fed, so a statement can be traced back to the work behind it.

The yearly statement,
state by state

NSW and Queensland send the statement to the fire service; South Australia sends it to the council; Victoria keeps it at the building. The other four set maintenance and record duties; in what we read, none requires a yearly statement to be given to an authority.

State	Statement	Frequency	Who signs	Who receives	Classes covered	Instrument and version read
NSW	Annual fire safety statement; supplementary fire safety statement for critical fire safety measures.	Each year; supplementary statements at the intervals in the fire safety schedule.	Issued by or on behalf of the owner, who signs the declaration; each accredited practitioner (fire safety) who assessed a measure signs or gives a signed document. The declarer must not be an assessing practitioner or their employer, employee or direct associate.	The local council and the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW.	Buildings with essential fire safety measures; in most cases buildings other than single dwellings approved from July 1988.	NSW Department of Planning and Environment FAQ (October 2022) on the EP&A (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021, Part 12. Regulation text: not verified (10 Nov 2026).
Victoria	Annual essential safety measures report (reg 223).	Within 28 days before each anniversary of the anniversary date; for buildings constructed before 1 July 1994, for measures not covered by an occupancy permit or determination, within 28 days before each 13 June (reg 223(2), (3)).	The owner, in a form approved by the Authority (reg 224(a), (b)).	We found no lodgement duty. Available at the building within 24 hours of a request by the municipal building surveyor or chief officer (reg 225).	Class 1b, 2, 3, 5 to 9, a Class 4 part, and places of public entertainment; not smoke alarms in a sole-occupancy unit of a Class 1b or 2 building or a Class 4 part (reg 213).	Building Regulations 2018, Authorised Version 032, as at 27 October 2026, regs 213 to 226.
Queensland	Occupier statement (s 55A).	At intervals in compliance with QDC MP6.1 (s 55A(1)); yearly, according to Business Queensland.	The occupier; if there is no occupier, the owner signs (Business Queensland).	The commissioner, within 10 business days after it is due (s 55A(3)); a copy kept with the record of maintenance for 2 years (s 55A(2)).	Buildings with prescribed fire safety installations; MP 6.1 applies to Class 1b and 2 to 9, not 1a or 10 (Business Queensland).	Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008, current from 20 June 2025, ss 50 to 55B; Business Queensland page updated 10 July 2026. QDC MP6.1 not read.
South Australia	Verification of maintenance and testing, in the form determined by the Chief Executive (reg 94(11)).	Not later than 60 business days after the end of each calendar year (reg 94(10)).	Signed as the form requires; the duty is the owner's (reg 94(10), (11)).	The council, or the Commission outside a council area (reg 94(11)).	Buildings with a schedule of essential safety provisions, not Class 1a or 10 (reg 94(2)). Class 1b buildings, and Class 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9b buildings with a rise in storeys of no more than 2 and a floor area of no more than 500 m², are exempt from the verification, unless the council requires it where a provision was installed under a variance or performance solution, or after a s 157 notice (reg 94(12), (13)).	PDI (General) Regulations 2017, version 29.10.2026 (pages headed 7.11.2025), reg 94.
WA	None found.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.	The owner of an existing Class 2 to 9 building must ensure safety measures can perform to the relevant building standards; fine $5,000 (reg 48A(2)).	Building Regulations 2012, as at 1 November 2026 [04-ag0-00], reg 48A.
Tasmania	Not verified (10 Nov 2026); none found in the summary read.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.	Not applicable. A permit authority may request the maintenance schedule and records (reg 77, summary).	Essential building services in Class 1b, 2 to 9 and 10c buildings (reg 72(1), summary).	Building Regulations 2016, authorised version 1 October 2024, Part 7: read as a tool summary only, not verified as text (10 Nov 2026).
ACT	None found in the Act. FSG-05 lists yearly condition reports among the records to be kept; none is lodged.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.	Not applicable. ACT Fire & Rescue guidance expects records, including yearly condition reports, to be available for inspection within 48 hours of a request (FSG-05, 9.1).	Fire appliances provided under a direction given under s 92 (s 95(2)); FSG-05 applies to Class 2 to 9 buildings.	Emergencies Act 2004, Republication 38, effective 16 November 2025, ss 92, 95; FSG-05 (August 2023).
NT	None found.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.	Prescribed buildings in Schedule 2, including health care, child care, education, offices, shops, factories and accommodation for unrelated persons; the owner ensures fire alarms, exit lights, emergency lighting and firefighting equipment are maintained in accordance with relevant standards (reg 11(6)(a)).	Fire and Emergency Regulations 1996, as in force at 16 July 2024, reg 11 and Schedule 2.

Where the builder
comes in.

The yearly statement is the owner's. The list of measures it reports on, and the standard each must meet, is fixed during approval and completion. Our page on building handover documents covers the rest of what passes to the owner.

South Australia: schedule on consent, certificates on installation: The relevant authority or council issues a schedule of essential safety provisions on granting building consent (reg 94(4)). A certificate of compliance is provided for each provision on completion of its installation, signed by the installer, to whoever issues the certificate of occupancy (reg 94(5) to (7)); if it goes to the council, within 20 business days (reg 94(8)).
Victoria: occupancy permit or maintenance determination: Essential safety measures are specified in the occupancy permit or in a maintenance determination. Where a building permit needs no occupancy permit, the building surveyor's determination is given to the owner with the certificate of final inspection (reg 215(3)). The anniversary date for the yearly report runs from the first occupancy permit or determination that required the measure (reg 223(4)).
NSW: fire safety schedule and fire safety certificate: City of Sydney guidance says a fire safety schedule can be issued with a construction or complying development certificate, and that for new or altered buildings a fire safety certificate is submitted first for each new or altered essential fire safety measure. Our page on occupation certificates covers what the certifier looks for at completion.
Queensland and Tasmania: the maintenance starts at handover: Business Queensland suggests a body corporate confirm the date the building was approved for construction. In Tasmania the owner maintains essential building services under the approved maintenance schedule (reg 73, read as a summary). Commissioning test results recorded in an inspection and test plan can be the first entries those records point back to.

The fire safety maintenance record,
field by field.

Queensland sets out a maintenance record most fully; Victoria and South Australia say what must be produced and for how long.

Field	What it holds	Basis
Building, address and class	Where the building is and its classification.	Required by Vic reg 224(c) (address); class decides coverage under Vic reg 213 and SA reg 94(2).
Measures and their standard	Each measure that applies and the standard it must meet.	Required by SA reg 94(4)(e), (f) (schedule); Vic reg 222 (maintenance schedule); NSW fire safety schedule (DPE FAQ, Part 10).
Due date	The anniversary or deadline for the next statement.	Required by Vic reg 223 (anniversary date); SA reg 94(10) (60 business days after the calendar year); Qld s 55A (MP6.1 intervals).
Installation maintained	A description of the installation the work was on.	Required by Qld s 55(2)(a).
Who did the work	Name and licence number, or the supervising person's.	Required by Qld s 55(2)(b), (c).
Date and work done	The maintenance date and a brief description.	Required by Qld s 55(2)(d), (e).
Result and corrective action	Whether the installation was in proper working order, what repair was needed, and when it was done.	Required by Qld s 55(2)(g); repairs within 1 month under s 54(4).
Signed maintainer statement	The maintainer's signed statement that the record is correct.	Required by Qld s 55(3)(a).
Critical defect notices	Any notice given within 24 hours of finding a critical defect.	Required by Qld s 53, s 55(3)(b).
Inspection reports	Reports made under s 227E of the Building Act 1993 on a measure.	Required by Vic reg 224(d).
Practitioners	Each accredited practitioner (fire safety) who assessed a measure, with signature.	NSW DPE FAQ (s 92 of the Regulation, not verified).
Statement signed and sent	Who signed, when, to whom it was sent and any receipt.	Required by Vic reg 224(b); Qld s 55A(3); SA reg 94(11); NSW DPE FAQ. The receipt is our design.
Retention and location	How long each item is kept and where.	Vic reg 225(a): 10 years of reports, at the building; Qld s 55A(2): 2 years; SA reg 94(15): proof for up to 2 preceding calendar years, on request; Tas reg 76A: 10 years off premises and a copy on premises (summary).
Handover source	Occupancy permit, fire safety certificate, certificates of compliance and commissioning results.	Our design, drawing on SA reg 94(5) to (7), Vic regs 215, 223(4) and City of Sydney guidance.

What we would put in a system

Four fields decide whether a statement can be shown to rest on the work behind it.

Where agents help here is narrow. A compliance agent can read maintenance reports against the building's list of measures, flag a measure with no entry for the period or a defect with no repair date, and draft the list for the statement; a qualified or accredited practitioner assesses the measures, and the owner or occupier reviews and signs. No agent assesses a measure, certifies performance or signs a statement.

Field	Why it is load-bearing
Measure list with its source	Every statement reports on a set list: the schedule, the occupancy permit or the determination. A measure missing from the list is missing from every statement after it.
Due date per building and state	Victoria counts from an anniversary date, South Australia from the calendar year, and Queensland from MP6.1 intervals. A portfolio across states has several clocks.
Maintenance entries with licence and result	Queensland requires the licence number, the result and a signed statement on each record. Without them the statement has nothing under it.
Lodgement record	NSW, Queensland and South Australia name a recipient and, in two cases, a deadline. A sent date and recipient on file show it was done.

Questions worth asking
of your own fire safety records

For a builder: at handover, can you give the owner the list of measures, its source and the certificates for each?

In South Australia each essential safety provision needs a certificate of compliance on installation (reg 94(5) to (7)); in Victoria the measures are in the occupancy permit or a maintenance determination. The owner's first yearly statement rests on that list. General information as read on 10 November 2026, not legal or safety advice.

For an owner or strata manager in Victoria: do you know each building's anniversary date?

Regulation 223 counts from the first occupancy permit or maintenance determination that required the measure; for buildings constructed before 1 July 1994, measures not covered by either run to 13 June. The report is due within 28 days before it. General information as read on 10 November 2026, not legal advice.

For an occupier in Queensland: are critical defect notices kept with the record of maintenance?

Section 53 requires a maintainer to give one within 24 hours, and s 55(3)(b) requires the record to include it. Repairs are due within 1 month unless there is a reasonable excuse (s 54(4)). General information as read on 10 November 2026, not legal or safety advice.

For an owner in NSW: is the person signing the declaration independent of the practitioners who did the assessment?

NSW Government guidance says the declarer must not be a practitioner involved in the assessment or inspection, or their employer, employee or direct associate. A record of who did each is what shows it. General information as read on 10 November 2026; the Regulation was not verified.

Questions people ask
about annual fire safety statements

What is an annual fire safety statement in NSW?

According to NSW Government guidance (October 2022), it is a declaration by or on behalf of the owner that an accredited practitioner (fire safety) has assessed each essential fire safety measure and inspected the exit systems. A copy goes to the local council and the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW each year. We could not read the Regulation itself on 10 November 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Is there an annual fire safety statement in Victoria?

Victoria's equivalent is the annual essential safety measures report under reg 223 of the Building Regulations 2018 (Authorised Version 032). The owner signs it, in a form approved by the Authority, and it must be available at the building within 24 hours of a request (regs 224, 225). We found no requirement to lodge it. As read on 10 November 2026; general information, not legal advice.

What are essential safety measures?

In Victoria, reg 214 defines them as the safety measures in Schedule 8 that the Act or Regulations require for a building, other items required for safety in a fire that the relevant building surveyor designates, and measures required before 1 July 1994. South Australia calls them essential safety provisions, Tasmania essential building services, and NSW essential fire safety measures. As read on 10 November 2026; general information, not legal or safety advice.

What goes in an essential safety measures report?

Under Victoria's reg 224: the approved form, the owner's signature, the address, details of any inspection report under s 227E of the Act, a statement if the owner is maintaining to AS 1851 under reg 196 or 217, and a statement that the owner has taken all reasonable steps to keep each measure working and maintained. As read on 10 November 2026; general information, not legal advice.

Is there an essential safety measures checklist or building maintenance checklist template?

We found no statutory checklist in the instruments read. The list for a building is its own: the occupancy permit, maintenance determination or schedule names each measure and the standard it must meet. Frequencies come from those documents or the standard they call up, which we do not reproduce. As read on 10 November 2026; general information, not legal or safety advice.

What this analysis
does and does not show.

Evidence note

What it shows: The periodic fire safety statement or report, its signatory, recipient and coverage, and the records behind it, in the instruments and guidance listed for each state and territory, as read on 10 November 2026.
Key facts quoted: Vic regs 213, 215, 223 to 225 (28 days, 13 June, 24 hours, 10 years). Qld ss 53 to 55A (24 hours, 1 month, 10 business days, 2 years). SA reg 94 (20 and 60 business days, 2 storeys and 500 m², 48 hours, 2 years). WA reg 48A ($5,000). ACT s 95(2), (6). NT reg 11(6)(a).

The NSW legislation register did not open on 10 November 2026. The NSW row rests on a Department of Planning and Environment FAQ from October 2022 and City of Sydney guidance; the Regulation text is not verified, and Fire and Rescue NSW's page did not open.
City of Sydney guidance still refers to a competent fire safety practitioner; the Department's FAQ refers to an accredited practitioner (fire safety). The FAQ is followed here.
Tasmania's Regulations were read only as a summary from a page-reading tool, not as text. The absence of an annual statement there should be confirmed against the full text and s 206 of the Building Act 2016, which was not read.
Queensland Development Code MP6.1, the approved forms in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, and AS 1851 were not read. Frequencies and form contents beyond the regulations are not stated.
ACT guideline FSG-05 cites s 95(7) for the meaning of proper maintenance standard; in Republication 38 that definition is s 95(6).
"None found" means none in the instruments read. Local councils and fire services may have their own requirements.
Nothing here is legal or safety advice, and it does not determine whether any building is covered or any measure is adequately maintained.

Bring us one building's last statement
and its records.

Send us a recent fire safety statement or essential safety measures report and the maintenance reports it relied on. We will show you whether the record names the instrument and version it was prepared under, and whether each measure on the list has an entry, a result and a signatory behind it.

General information about published legislation and government guidance only. It is not legal or safety advice and does not determine whether any building is covered, or whether any statement, report or maintenance is adequate. As read on 10 November 2026 at the versions listed in the sources.

Send us the statement · Compliance agent

Sources

Suggested citation: Cyberate, "The yearly fire safety statement is a different document in each state", Insights, analysed 10 November 2026. Derived figures: none.

The yearly fire safety statement is a different document in each state.