Every Sydney building with essential fire safety measures carries a legal duty that returns once a year: the annual fire safety statement. FireSafe AU inspects, certifies and lodges your annual fire safety statement Sydney-wide, so building owners, strata committees and facilities managers meet the deadline without chasing contractors or paperwork. Our accredited practitioners assess every measure on your fire safety schedule, fix what fails and hand you a statement ready to sign. One team handles everything from inspection day to lodgement.

What Is an Annual Fire Safety Statement?

An annual fire safety statement (AFSS) is a formal declaration that each essential fire safety measure (EFSM) in a building has been assessed and performs to the standard listed on its fire safety schedule. The building owner signs the annual fire safety statement every year and sends copies to the local council and the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW. A copy must also hang in a prominent position inside the building, alongside the current fire safety schedule.

The annual fire safety statement NSW framework sits in the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021. The Regulation requires owners to use the form approved by the Planning Secretary, so the annual fire safety statement form NSW councils accept is fixed. Owners cannot swap in a modified annual fire safety statement NSW template or a contractor’s own version.

Why the statement matters

Your annual fire safety statement tells council, Fire and Rescue NSW and your occupants that sprinklers, alarms, exits and other life safety systems will work when a fire starts. Since 13 February 2026, owners must also maintain those measures to the AS1851-2012 inspection standard for routine servicing. For a detailed breakdown of the rules, read our complete guide to annual fire safety statements in NSW.

What Buildings Require an Annual Fire Safety Statement?

So, what buildings require an annual fire safety statement? Any building with a fire safety schedule, which covers building classifications from Class 1b to Class 9 under the National Construction Code. Standalone houses (Class 1a) and non-habitable structures such as sheds and carports (Class 10) generally fall outside the scheme.

  • Class 1b: boarding houses, guest houses and small short-term accommodation
  • Class 2: apartment buildings, including strata-titled blocks
  • Class 3: hotels, motels, backpacker hostels and staff accommodation
  • Class 4: a single dwelling inside a non-residential building
  • Class 5 and 6: offices, shops, cafes and showrooms
  • Class 7 and 8: car parks, warehouses, factories and workshops
  • Class 9: hospitals, aged care facilities, schools, childcare centres and places of assembly

Our team services commercial and industrial properties across Greater Sydney, from single-tenant warehouses to multi-level office towers.

Annual fire safety statement strata obligations

In a strata scheme, the owners corporation fire safety obligation sits with the owners corporation as the legal building owner. In practice, the strata manager’s annual fire safety statement workload covers booking the inspection, collecting repair quotes and signing under written authority from the committee. Strata AFSS compliance in Sydney often stalls while committees approve defect repairs, so start eight to ten weeks early.

Is there an annual fire safety statement exemption?

No general annual fire safety statement exemption applies to Class 1b to 9 buildings that hold a fire safety schedule. Some older buildings have no schedule because no development consent, complying development certificate or fire order has applied to them since July 1988. Council can still issue a fire order at any time, and future building work usually triggers a new schedule and an ongoing annual fire safety statement obligation.

What Is Included in the AFSS Process?

FireSafe AU follows the same five steps for every annual fire safety statement AFSS engagement. Each step lines up with the annual fire safety statement requirements NSW councils check when your statement arrives.

Step 1: Review the fire safety schedule

We start with your fire safety schedule NSW document, which lists every measure in the building and its standard of performance. If the schedule is missing, outdated or contains errors, we flag it and liaise with council before inspection day.

Step 2: Inspect and assess every measure

Our accredited practitioner fire safety (APFS) team inspects each measure, including hydrants, sprinklers, exit signs, emergency lighting, fire doors and alarm panels. The Regulation requires the assessment within three months before the owner issues the annual fire safety statement, so we book your fire safety inspection within three months of lodgement to keep the dates valid. You can also book stand-alone fire safety inspections with us between statements.

Step 3: Rectify defects and issue the report

After the inspection, you receive a written fire equipment report post-inspection that lists each measure as compliant or defective. Our technicians then run the AFSS defect rectification process, from replacing fire extinguishers to repairing closers and seals on fire doors.

Step 4: Certify and sign

Once every measure passes, the APFS completes the assessment section on the approved form. The AFSS building owner signature requirement means the owner, or an agent with prior written authority, signs the declaration. The practitioner who assessed the measures cannot sign on the owner’s behalf.

Step 5: Lodge with council and Fire and Rescue NSW

We handle the local council AFSS submission and the Fire and Rescue NSW lodgement, then send you a copy to display in the building. You receive written confirmation and a reminder well before your next annual fire safety statement falls due.

Supplementary Fire Safety Statements: When and Why They Apply

Some buildings contain critical fire safety measures that need assessment more often than once a year. The fire safety schedule identifies these measures and sets a shorter interval, such as every six months, often for performance solutions like smoke exhaust or specialised sprinkler systems. Each time that interval passes, the owner must issue a supplementary fire safety statement that NSW councils and Fire and Rescue NSW both receive.

Supplementary statements use the same approved form, the same practitioner assessment and the same penalty regime as annual fire safety statements. We track both dates in one compliance calendar, so a six-monthly obligation never slips behind the annual cycle.

Annual Fire Safety Statement Cost in Sydney

The annual fire safety statement cost for a Sydney building depends on the work involved, not a flat rate. A two-storey office with extinguishers, exit signs and emergency lights takes far less time to assess than a high-rise with sprinklers, hydrants, pumps and a sound system. We provide a fixed quote after we review your fire safety schedule.

What affects the price for annual fire safety statement services

  • The number and type of measures on your schedule
  • Building size, height and the number of units or tenancies
  • Access to apartments, plant rooms and roof areas
  • Whether supplementary statements apply
  • The number of defects found and the cost to fix them

Well-maintained buildings usually see a lower annual fire safety statement cost because fewer defects surface during inspection.

Annual Fire Safety Statement Penalties for Late or Missed Lodgement

Council issues penalty notices on a weekly scale, and each week of delay counts as a separate offence. The AFSS penalty for late lodgement starts with a $1,000 per week council fine for the first week overdue, then climbs to $2,000 in week two and $3,000 in week three. From week four, the $4,000 per week AFSS fine is uncapped and continues until you lodge.

Council can also take the matter to court. In the Local Court, fines reach up to $110,000, and Land and Environment Court proceedings carry maximum penalties in the millions for corporations. A lapsed statement can also give your insurer grounds to reduce a claim or void building insurance after a fire.

Stay of penalty AFSS NSW councils may grant

If defects or access problems delay your annual fire safety statement, many councils accept a stay of penalty application lodged before the due date. Councils generally ask for a contractor’s letter that shows the work in progress and a firm completion date, and some charge a fee. We prepare that supporting documentation for you.

How to Choose an Accredited Practitioner (Fire Safety)

Only an accredited practitioner (fire safety) can assess essential fire safety measures for AFSS NSW purposes. The approved scheme is the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme run by Fire Protection Association Australia, which makes FPAA accreditation the credential to check. Each practitioner holds accreditation for specific classes of measures, so confirm their scope covers every item on your schedule.

Search the FPAA public register before you sign a contract, and ask who will attend on the day. Choose a provider that inspects, repairs and certifies under one roof rather than passing work to subcontractors.

The February 2027 APFS reform

From 13 February 2027, or 18 months after the new accreditation scheme gains approval, building owners must use accredited persons to certify newly installed fire safety measures. That certification must happen before a fire safety certificate that NSW councils accept can be issued, and current APFS accreditation will not automatically satisfy the new scheme. We monitor these changes and keep our accreditations current so your certificates stay valid.

Common AFSS Defects and How to Avoid Them

Most failed annual fire safety statements trace back to the same handful of problems:

  • Fire doors propped open, missing self-closers or damaged seals
  • Expired, missing or incorrectly mounted fire extinguishers and fire blankets
  • Blocked exits, stored goods in fire stairs and locked egress doors
  • Faulty exit signs and emergency lights with flat batteries
  • Faults in EWIS or building occupant warning systems, such as dead speakers or failed panel tests
  • Missing logbooks and service records under AS1851-2012

Routine six-monthly servicing catches most of these faults before the annual inspection. Brief tenants and residents on keeping fire doors shut and stairwells clear, and book repairs as soon as a technician flags them.

How FireSafe AU Manages the Full AFSS Process for You

FireSafe AU takes the full annual fire safety statement process off your desk. We track your due date, book the inspection, assess every measure, fix defects with our own technicians, prepare the approved form and lodge it with council and Fire and Rescue NSW.

  • FPAA-accredited practitioners who assess and certify your measures
  • A fixed quote before any work begins
  • A written report after every inspection
  • Direct coordination with strata managers, committees and tenants
  • Due date reminders, so you never pay a late fee

Book Your Annual Fire Safety Statement Today

Your annual fire safety statement due date will not move, but your options shrink as it gets closer. Call FireSafe AU on 1300 347 372 or complete our contact form to book your inspection and receive a fixed quote.