Denmark shire sets 2026-27 firebreak rules with $250 on-the-spot fines

The Shire of Denmark has issued its 2026–2027 Firebreak and Property Management Notice, requiring all owners and occupiers of land in the shire to prepare and maintain their properties for the coming fire season. The notice, published in the Western Australian Government Gazette No. 115 of 8 September 2026, sets burning periods and a mandatory property maintenance window beginning 1 December 2026, with on-the-spot fines of $250 for non-compliance.

Issued under the Bush Fires Act 1954 (Sections 17, 18, 25 and 33), the notice is a “first and final notice” addressed to every owner and occupier within the shire. It combines the 2026–2027 burning periods with a Firebreak and Property Management Notice, and warns that failure to comply may result in a penalty of up to $5,000.

Burning periods and fire restrictions

The notice defines three burning periods for the 2026–27 season, each governed by the Bush Fires Act 1954:

• Restricted — 1 November 2026 to 15 December 2026 (Section 18, permit required)
• Prohibited — 16 December 2026 to 15 March 2027 (Section 17)
• Restricted — 16 March 2027 to 30 April 2027 (Section 18, permit required)

Throughout the year, no outdoor fires are allowed at any time when the Daily Fire Danger Rating is HIGH or above. During the Prohibited Burning Period, outdoor fires are banned anywhere in the shire, including solid fuel barbeques, fire pits and outdoor pizza ovens. In the Restricted period, camp and cooking fires are only permitted when the Fire Danger Rating is moderate or below, with the means to extinguish the fire at hand, and within a purpose-built structure, a steel barbecue container, or a fire pit of no more than 1m diameter and at least 30cm deep.

Property maintenance and compliance

The maintenance period runs from 1 December 2026 to 30 April 2027, and all properties — including vacant land — must comply for the entire period. Compliance inspections commence on 1 December 2026, and an Authorised Officer may enter a property without warning or permission to conduct them. If requirements are not met to the officer’s satisfaction, an on-the-spot fine of $250 is issued.

Every property must meet all requirements of category 1, plus either category 2A or 2B, and any additional responsibilities:

• Category 2A (properties under 5,000m² / 1.23 acres): slashed, mowed or trimmed grass and groundcover not exceeding 100mm, and managed flammable material.
• Category 2B (properties over 5,000m²): a firebreak (Low Fuel Boundary Access, or LFBA), with an additional LFBA required to break up bushland areas exceeding 40 hectares, and grassland maintained to 100mm.
• Additional responsibilities: an Asset Protection Zone (APZ) around habitable buildings, and vehicular access of 6m overall width with a 4m trafficable surface and 4.5m vertical clearance.

The Asset Protection Zone is the 20m area immediately surrounding any habitable building, from which all flammable matter must be removed, with managed vegetation kept to no more than 5cm depth and lawns under 100mm. Outbuildings outside the APZ require a 3m Low Fuel Boundary, haystacks and stockpiled flammable material need a 3m-wide boundary, and fuel and chemical storage requires a 10m-wide Low Fuel Boundary.

Variations and additional obligations

Owners and occupiers may apply for a variation to employ alternative methods of preparedness, but applications must be received before 1 December 2026. A variation is not an exemption. Properties subject to an approved Bushfire Attack Level assessment or Bushfire Management Plan must also adhere to those documents, and clearing outside the notice’s minimum requirements may require a clearing permit, with penalties for unauthorised clearing.

The notice is significant for every landholder in the Shire of Denmark, as it makes fire preparedness a legal obligation with real financial consequences — from the $250 on-the-spot fine to penalties of up to $5,000 — and allows shire contractors to enter properties to carry out required works at the owner’s expense. With inspections beginning on 1 December 2026, residents have until the end of November to bring their properties into line.

Source: Western Australian Government Gazette, No. 115, 8 September 2026, Local Government section, p. 1879 (official reference: LG502).