The inclusion of your property within these designated zones does not mean it is going to flood. 

The inclusion of your property within the mapping data means there is a higher risk of stormwater flowing over the kerb and possibly into the property boundary during severe or extreme storms.

If your property is within the designated area, it will mean two key things once we take measures under the Building Regulations:

• Prior to any building permit being issued for land in an affected property, a report and consent approval from Council is required before building can commence.
• We will tell you when your property is in a local flood affected area when you apply for a Property Certificate or planning permit from Council.

In a Council context, flooding is defined as a natural yet persistent gathering of stormwater that disturbs the intended use of infrastructure and properties.

In the case of our flood mapping data, flooding refers to stormwater flowing over the kerb and possibly into the property boundary during extreme and severe weather events.

By understanding how our city is impacted by severe weather events, we can make informed decisions on how to mitigate the effects of flooding. It will help:

• inform the way our city develops
• identify future infrastructure needs
• evolve how spaces are designed to ensure the risk of flooding is as low as it can be

Climate change is increasing the risk of flooding and rising water levels across Victoria.

The data within the flood maps accounts for stormwater overflow that occurs during storms that have a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. These are occasionally referred to as 1 in 100-year storms.

By understanding the risk to this degree, we can ensure our community and our infrastructure are as prepared as possible in case this does occur. 

This data within the flood maps accounts for stormwater overflow that occurs during storms that have a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. These storms are occasionally referred to as 1 in 100-year storms.

During these storms you are more likely to have stormwater flow over the kerb and possibly into your property boundary.

By understanding risk to this degree, we can make informed and evidence-based decisions on how our city grows and develops to ensure the risk of flooding is as low as it can be. 

Yes, we are mandated to conduct this work to ensure the safety of our residents and the municipality. These regulatory obligations are outlined in:

• the Water Act 1989 (Vic)
• the Building Act 1993 (Vic)
• the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic)

If you have questions about the flood mapping data and why it affects your property click here to lodge an enquiry and ask Yarra’s Drainage and Stormwater Team a question. 

These maps were guided by best practice design, benchmarked against methodology undertaken by other Councils and supported by our community’s experience during a consultation in July and August 2023.

While we received 137 responses to the consultation, the engagement reach and awareness level was significantly higher. Some of the ways the "Keeping Yarra flood resilient" consultation in July and August 2023 was promoted included:

• social media advertisements that reached over 12,000 people
• a feature in the July 2023 edition of Yarra News which is delivered to every household
• letter to over 1000 residents in targeted areas across the municipality who Council had been in contact with regarding flooding and rising water levels in the past. 
• close to 3,500 letters delivered to properties inviting community members to one of six nearby pop-up information sessions held across the municipality
• through a variety of Council email newsletters including Yarra Life which has a subscriber base of over 11,000 people 

Being designated as a flood area by Council means that flood levels must be considered in building decision making, and that certain floor levels must be adhered to in new construction when building permits are required. It is also specified in property information certificates so that prospective purchasers are aware that the property is in a designated flood area. 

Some, but not all, of the designated properties will also be included within a future Special Building Overlay as well. These are the properties that meet the following criteria:

Depth and area of flooding greater than or equal to 100 millimetres and 

Area of flooding covers 2% or greater of the total property area or area of flooding covers a minimum of 25% of the road frontage.

Being within a Special Building Overlay means that flood levels must be considered in planning decisions making, and that certain flood levels must be adhered to in new construction when planning permits are required.  

The Special Building Overlay is the tool in the Victorian Planning System to designate areas affected from stormwater and overland-flow flooding that arises when the capacity of drainage assets is exceeded. 

The Special Building Overlay is only relevant if you want to build on the property. A planning permit is usually required to build in the Special Building Overlay, to ensure that certain floor levels are adhered to.  

If your property is in one of these affected areas and you have a live planning permit application being considered by Council, Council’s Statutory Planning Team will check your application and will contact you if this has implications for your application.

If you already have a planning permit for a development in one of these affected areas, but have not yet acted on it, we recommend you click here to lodge an enquiry with Yarra’s Statutory Planning Team about whether this will impact your approved development.

In some cases, there will be no impact to your permit or application, but in some cases you may need to increase your floor levels to meet the new requirements. In these instances, Council officers will assist you to lodge an amendment application and will process it quickly.  

If your property is in one of these affected areas and you have a live building permit or application and want to know whether this is relevant, we recommend you contact your Building Surveyor or click here to lodge an enquiry and ask Yarra’s Building Services Team a question.

If your property is in one of these affected areas and you are considering doing a building project in the future, you will need to make sure your building design takes the flood level requirements into consideration.

Once the data has been officially declared under Building Regulations 153, you should provide the information to your Building designer to ensure that the design takes these levels into account. Alternatively, your Building designer can apply to find out your property’s flood levels after they are declared. 

If you have a live planning permit or application and want to know whether this is relevant, click here to lodge an enquiry and ask Yarra’s Statutory Planning Team a question.

If you have a live building permit or application and want to know whether this is relevant, we recommend you contact your Building Surveyor or click here to lodge an enquiry and ask Yarra’s Building Services Team a question. 

Before the declaration, flood levels can be provided informally to residents and residents with:

• current and future planning applications
• current and future building applications

Flood mapping is an additional measure to improve a city’s resilience to changing weather patterns and severe storms.

Over the last few years, Yarra City Council has undertaken the extensive work to build our city’s resilience against flooding. This includes:

• maintaining the existing drainage network
• undertaking periodic inspections
• regularly cleaning pits and pipes
• proactive planning of capital or renewal work
• monitoring rainfall data and undertaking flood analysis
• boosting community preparedness through education
• identifying and upgrading critical drainage assets
• encouraging permeable surfaces on new developments
• creating new green spaces that absorbs stormwater as part of our Roads to Parks program 

In the event of flooding from heavy rain and severe weather events:

• Follow State Emergency Services (SES) on social media to get up to date storm warnings and affected areas.
• Prioiritise which indoor items you can take to a higher position.
• Prepare to move furniture, vehicles, outdoor equipment, garbage, chemicals and poisons to higher locations.
• If necessary, turn off power, water and gas.
• If flood damage occurs to your house, contact the SES on 132 500.

Please visit SES’s website for more information on flooding or storms.