The short version: deal with branches over the roof, dead wood and scrub near the house in October and November. Colac Otway Shire starts its fire inspections in November, and once the Fire Danger Period begins you can’t burn off without a permit. Last season it began on 8 December.
When to do it
The CFA declares the Fire Danger Period each year, depending on conditions. In Colac Otway, the 2025–26 period ran from 8 December 2025 to 20 April 2026. During it, you can’t light a fire in the open air without a permit to burn from Fire Permits Victoria, and council says permits aren’t valid for properties in township areas. Surf Coast Shire (Lorne and Winchelsea) can have different dates.
Council’s fire inspections start in November, and properties that aren’t up to standard are issued a Fire Prevention Notice from early December. Not complying can mean a fine. Spring is the time to get ahead of both. Colac Otway Shire has the current dates.
Branches over the roof and gutters
Branches over the house drop leaves and bark into the gutters, and a limb that breaks off can damage the roof and let embers in. The CFA’s bushfire checklist says to cut back branches that overhang the house, with no branches within 10 metres of buildings.
This is usually pruning, not removal. We take limbs back to a sound branch point and leave the tree in good shape.
Low branches and shrubs under trees
Fire climbs. Low branches, and shrubs growing up into a tree, give a grass fire a path into the canopy. The CFA recommends:
- pruning off branches less than 2 metres from the ground
- keeping shrubs under trees short, and pruned well away from the branches
- not having large shrubs next to or under windows
- removing dead undergrowth from bushes and shrubs.
Big hedges and old cypress windbreaks close to the house are worth a look too. Overgrown ones often hold a lot of dead material inside.
Dead trees and dead wood
Dead limbs, loose bark and dead trees near the house are dry fuel, and they keep dropping more. Dead branches can usually be pruned out. A dead tree near the house may need to come down, but check the permit rules first: some standing dead trees still need a permit (see our permit guide).
Firebreaks, fence lines and tracks
On acreage and bush blocks, clear fence lines and tracks let you get around the property and make it easier for fire crews to reach the house. We clear them with a tracked forestry mulcher: scrub and small trees are mulched where they stand, so there are no burn piles and nothing to cart away. More about forestry mulching.
Green waste: chip it, don’t burn it
With burning off restricted over summer, chipping is the simplest way to deal with prunings and clearing waste. We chip branches on site, and you can keep the chips for the garden or have us take them away. Colac Otway Shire also suggests its transfer stations at Alvie, Birregurra and Apollo Bay, or mulching fine fuels for garden use.
What you can clear without a permit
Victoria’s bushfire exemptions let you clear around older homes without a planning permit:
- The 10/30 rule — in a designated bushfire prone area: any vegetation, including trees, within 10 metres of your house, and any other vegetation (not trees) within 30 metres.
- The 10/50 rule — in the Bushfire Management Overlay: any vegetation, including trees, within 10 metres of your house, and any other vegetation (not trees) within 50 metres.
- Boundary fences — in a bushfire prone area, along a boundary fence built before 10 September 2009 between properties with different owners: up to 4 metres in combined width across both sides.
The 10/30 and 10/50 rules apply only to houses built or approved before 10 September 2009, and to some rebuilt after the early-2009 fires. For newer houses, a permit is likely. The exemptions cover your own land only: you need your neighbour’s written permission to clear on theirs, and the land manager’s consent on roadsides or public land.
To see whether your property is in a bushfire prone area or the Bushfire Management Overlay, search your address on VicPlan. The CFA suggests checking with council first in case other rules protect the vegetation. The CFA explains the rules in full, and our permit guide covers the rest.
Power lines
Never cut near power lines yourself. Only Powercor or crews it authorises may cut inside the No Go Zone, which is 3 metres for most local lines. Keeping trees clear of the service line to your house is usually your responsibility; trees near the street lines are handled by Powercor or council. If a tree is near a line, tell us when you enquire. Powercor explains the rules.
The rest of the list
Trees are one part of fire prep. The CFA’s checklist also covers keeping grass at 5 to 10 centimetres through summer, clearing gutters, and removing leaves, twigs and loose bark from around the house: CFA — preparing for bushfire season. Colac Otway Shire also asks every household to have a bushfire plan.
How we can help
We do the tree side of fire prep: pruning branches back from the roof, removing low branches, taking out dead wood and dead trees, cutting back hedges, mulching fence lines and tracks, and chipping the green waste. The site assessment is free, the quote is a fixed price, and we’ll tell you if we think a permit is likely.
Holiday house and you’re not down? Tell us. We’ll arrange access and keep you in the loop by phone. Booking in October leaves time before council’s inspections start in November.
Please note: this is general guidance to help you plan the work. It isn’t a bushfire plan or legal advice, and dates and rules change each season. Sources: CFA, preparing for bushfire season and removing vegetation; Colac Otway Shire, Fire Danger Period and fire inspection program; Colac Otway Planning Scheme Clause 52.12.