The Fire Services Property Levy was introduced in 2013 by the State Government as recommended by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. Rather than contributing through insurance premiums, the levy appears on rates notices and is payable along with your rates payment.
The Fire Services Property Levy is NOT a Council charge, but is collected by Council on behalf of the State Government.
The levy means every Victorian property owner contributes their fair share. Eligible pensioners and veterans receive a concession.
How much will I need to pay?
The levy is made up of two components; a fixed charge component ($132 for residential properties and $267 for non residential properties), plus a variable rate calculated against the Capital Improved Value of your property.
CFA Variable Rates (cents per $1000 of capital improved value): *
| Property Sector - CFA area |
|
| Residential (including vacant residential land) |
8.7 |
| Commercial |
66.4 |
| Industrial |
81.1 |
| Primary production |
28.7 |
| Public benefit |
5.7 |
| Vacant (excluding residential land) |
29.0 |
* Derived from the State Revenue Office Victoria
The levy calculated using the following formula:
Levy = fixed charge + (capital improved value x levy rate) - concession of $50 (if applicable)
Example (based on residential property CIV $300,000 with pensioner concession):
Levy amount = $125 + (300,000 x 0.000087) - $50
Levy amount = $101.10
Primary production properties consisting of multiple land parcels but valued as a single property for rates purposes are treated as a single property for the purposes of the FSPL and only pay the fixed component of the levy once.
A person may also apply for an exemption from paying more than one fixed charge for a farm property that is a single farm enterprise.
Where a Single Farm Enterprise (SFE) holds land in another municipality, an application for all land held by the SFE is to be lodged in each municipality.
The Fire Services Property Levy is collected along with your council rates payment. The levy replaces the Fire Services Levy previously charged on building and contents insurance premiums. Council rates can be paid in quarterly instalments from the September quarter or as a lump sum in February.
See the Paying your rates page for further payment information.
If you disagree with the Capital Improved Value of your property as listed on your rates notice, please visit the Property valuations web page for information on lodging an objection.
To lodge an objection to your Fire Services Levy Classification please complete the appropriate objection form from the links below