Fire safety servicing requirements
Fire safety servicing requirements
The NSW Government has introduced additional requirements to ensure fire safety measures are regularly serviced in accordance with Australian Standard 1851-2012, which apply from 13 February 2026. The new servicing requirements apply to owners of all buildings that have a fire safety schedule or a schedule of essential measures. If you are required to submit an Annaul fire safety statement (AFSS) to Council, the new servicing requirements apply to your building. Australian Standard 1851-2012 is published by Standards Australia and includes specifications for the routine servicing of fire safety measures. The NSW Government has mandated compliance with AS 1851-2012, however, the standard is not publicly available for free. A copy of AS 1851-2012 can be purchased from Standards Australia .
At this stage, Council is taking an educational approach to the implementation of the new serving requirements, rather than commencing regulatory action.
Development consent
Where building work is required to be undertaken as part of the routine servicing, development consent may be required to undertake the building work, particularly in residential apartment buildings. It is recommended you seek your own independent professional advice before commencing any building work. The following are links to legislation that may be relevant:
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
- Home Building Act 1989
- Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020
- Residential Apartment Buildings (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Act 2020
Licensing and insurance requirements
Some building work may require written contracts and to be performed by licensed trades who perform specialist work. Some of the work may not necessarily require a licence. There is currently no one set of comprehensive licensing or accreditation schemes that authorise a person to do work related to AS 1851-2012.
Additional information regarding licensing and insurance requirements are available on the Building Commission website.
Impacts on Annual Fire Safety Statement
Building owners are still required to maintain fire safety measures to a standard no less than that specified in the fire safety schedule or schedule of essential services for the building, in accordance with s 81 of the Development Certification and Fire Safety Regulation. In most circumstances, this is a higher benchmark than the proposed fire safety servicing requirements. The requirement to regularly service fire safety measures in accordance with AS 1851-2012 does not affect the submission of an annual fire safety statement. An annual fire safety statement can and must still be submitted to Council if the measures are not being regularly serviced in accordance with AS 1851-2012.
Baseline data
'Baseline data' is a fire safety industry term used to describe the documentation that was used to document the design, installation and commissioning of a fire safety measure. Examples include the approved plans, specifications, test reports and certificates. The Registered Certifier is responsible for obtaining, reviewing and approving baseline data at the time of building certification. All information relied upon by the Registered Certifier, including baseline data, must be submitted to Council for public record. As the majority of buildings are certified by private Registered Certifiers, a significant number of certifiers have not submitted the required baseline data to Council. Council can only provide access to information that has been formally submitted and recorded.
An application may be lodged under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA) to view or obtain a copy of Council’s records.