Compliance by state

What an NSW Annual Fire Safety Statement actually requires

An Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS) is issued yearly by or for an existing building's owner under the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW). It confirms an accredited practitioner (fire safety) has assessed, inspected and verified every essential fire safety measure, on the standard government template, and since 13 February 2026 those measures must be maintained to AS 1851-2012.

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Official name: Annual Fire Safety Statement (AFSS)
Regulator: NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
Who issues it: The building owner, based on an assessment by an accredited practitioner (fire safety), for example under the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS)
When: Every existing building with a fire safety schedule, on a yearly cycle regardless of whether anything has changed
Deadline: Annually. NSW Government guidance does not publish a single fixed date, it runs against each building's own fire safety schedule cycle
Lodgement: Not specified by current NSW Government fire safety certification guidance beyond using the standard template. Confirm your council's submission process directly
Keep records for: Not specified in the guidance reviewed. Keep the current and prior statements with the fire safety schedule as your compliance record
Penalty: Current NSW Government fire safety certification guidance does not publish a specific penalty figure for failing to issue an AFSS. The accreditation requirement itself is enforced through the scheme, work outside an accredited practitioner's scope is not work the regulation recognises as satisfying the statement.

Homeowner? If you own or manage a NSW building, check your practitioner holds current accreditation, for example under FPAS, before they sign your AFSS: an assessment by someone outside an approved scheme is not one the regulation recognises for statutory measures.

What the certificate must show

Every essential fire safety measure applicable to the building, on the government's Fire safety statement template
Confirmation the accredited practitioner (fire safety) assessed, inspected and verified each measure
Confirmation exit systems comply with the applicable requirements
From 13 February 2026, maintenance of those measures carried out to AS 1851-2012

Recent change

From 13 February 2026, buildings needing an AFSS must have their essential fire safety measures maintained to AS 1851-2012, the final phase of reforms to the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 that began in December 2022.

Produce it from a ServiceM8 job

Set up each building as a client with its fire safety schedule attached as a job note, listing every essential measure it covers.
Build a form, AFSS assessment NSW, with one repeating section per measure: Measure, AS 1851-2012 maintenance status, Assessed and verified (Y/N), and a Photo.
Record the accredited practitioner's name and accreditation scheme (for example FPAS) as fixed fields on the form so the statement shows who signed off.
Create an annual Reminder from the last AFSS date so the next assessment job lands in the Inbox before the statement lapses.
Map the completed form into the government's Fire safety statement template via ServiceM8's document template field codes, rather than a free text report.
Store the signed statement in the job diary and hand a copy to the building owner for their council submission, since ServiceM8 does not lodge it for you.

An annual document, not a one off

The AFSS is the recurring half of NSW's fire safety paperwork. Where a fire safety certificate is triggered by finishing building work, the AFSS runs on a yearly clock regardless of whether anything has changed. NSW Government guidance describes it plainly: the statement is issued annually by or on behalf of existing building owners and confirms that an accredited practitioner (fire safety) has assessed, inspected and verified the performance of each fire safety measure that applies to the building. It has to cover every essential measure on the building's fire safety schedule and confirm the exits comply, and it has to be written on the government's standard Fire safety statement template, not a practitioner's own letterhead.

Who is allowed to sign it off

This is the part that changed under the 2021 Regulation's rollout of reforms. Only a person accredited under an approved industry accreditation scheme can do the fire safety measure assessments that a statutory Annual or Supplementary Fire Safety Statement relies on, NSW Government's own guidance is explicit that this accreditation is mandatory for statutory work, and it only allows a building owner to rely on someone they consider competent for non-statutory measures that aren't part of a performance solution. The Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS), approved 1 July 2020, is the scheme currently covering assessment of essential fire safety measures for annual and supplementary statements. If your practitioner cannot show FPAS or equivalent accreditation, the statement they sign is not one the regulation recognises.

The maintenance standard behind the signature

From 13 February 2026, building owners whose building needs an AFSS must maintain their essential fire safety measures in accordance with the procedures in Australian Standard AS 1851-2012, this was a phased requirement: NSW Government guidance notes that if measures weren't already being maintained to AS 1851-2012, the standard did not become mandatory until that date. Practically, that means the maintenance records an accredited practitioner checks before signing the AFSS now have a named standard behind them, not just "reasonable" upkeep.

What NSW Government guidance does not spell out

Current NSW Government fire safety certification guidance describes what the AFSS must contain and who can assess it, but it does not publish where the finished statement is lodged or a specific penalty figure for not issuing one. Treat your local council's own fire safety register process as the authority on submission, and don't assume a figure you've seen quoted elsewhere is current, the regulation and its accreditation timetable have moved twice in the last few years.

Sources

An Annual Fire Safety Statement is issued annually by or on behalf of existing building owners and confirms that an accredited practitioner (fire safety) has assessed, inspected and verified the performance of each fire safety measure. It must cover all essential fire safety measures applicable to the building, verify exit systems comply, and use the provided Fire safety statement template. NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, checked 25 Sep 2026.
Only a person accredited under an approved industry accreditation scheme can do fire safety measure assessment work covered by that scheme; for non-statutory measures not subject to a performance solution, a person the building owner considers competent may do the work. The Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS), approved 1 July 2020, covers assessing the performance of essential fire safety measures for annual and supplementary fire safety statements. Requirements derive from the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 and the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021. NSW Government (Building Commission NSW), checked 25 Sep 2026.
From 13 February 2026, building owners must maintain essential fire safety measures in accordance with the procedures in AS 1851-2012, for buildings needing an annual fire safety statement; the standard was not mandatory before that date if measures were not already maintained to it. Reforms to the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 were introduced from December 2022 in phases: a mandatory Fire Safety Schedule template from 13 February 2023, and mandatory FSS use by councils and certifiers plus referral of fire safety performance matters to Fire and Rescue NSW from 1 August 2023. NSW Government (Building Commission NSW), checked 25 Sep 2026.
The Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW) is the regulation governing fire safety statements and certificates. NSW legislation register, cited via NSW Government (Building Commission NSW), checked 25 Sep 2026.