Guides · Bushfire
Getting your gutters fire-ready before the Fire Danger Period
Dry leaves in a gutter are exactly where embers land. This is the CFA's timing and checklist for gutters and roofs, plus what it means if the council sends you a Fire Prevention Notice.
Before you start: Clean gutters are one part of preparing a property, not the whole of it, and they don't make a house safe to shelter in. Have a bushfire plan: the CFA's advice is that leaving early is always the safest option. If you'll be on a ladder, read the ladder safety guide first.
Steps
- Find out when your Fire Danger Period starts. The CFA declares it council by council, and the date moves every year. In 2025 it started on 24 November in Nillumbik and on 29 December in Manningham. From October, check the CFA fire restriction dates for your council.
- Clean in early spring, before that date. The CFA's property preparation guide says to clear gutters of leaves, twigs and rubbish before the Fire Danger Period, keep clearing them regularly through the season, and make sure they're clear before a day rated Extreme or Catastrophic.
- Do the hidden places, not just the front gutter. The CFA notes that wherever leaves collect around a house is generally where the wind carries embers. On a roof that means the valleys, box gutters, the join where a verandah or pergola roof meets the house, and the back corners you can't see from the street.
- Bag the debris and take it away. Don't tip it into garden beds or leave a pile against the house, where it's fuel waiting for an ember. Don't burn it either: once the Fire Danger Period starts, burning off in the open needs a permit.
- Flush the downpipes. Run a hose into the gutter near each downpipe and check the water comes out at the bottom. A blocked downpipe keeps the gutter above it full of wet leaf litter that dries out in summer.
- Check the roof line for gaps. Broken tiles, gaps under ridge capping and unscreened vents let embers into the roof space. The CFA and building regulator's retrofit guide recommends sealing gaps over 3 mm and screening openings with metal mesh of 2 mm or less. Note what you find; fixing roofs is a job for a roofer or roof plumber.
- Keep a dated record. Take before-and-after photos of the cleaned gutters with the date on them. It's useful if the council or your insurer asks.
If that didn't help
- Got a Fire Prevention Notice? Councils inspect properties for fire hazards in the lead-up to and during the Fire Danger Period. Manningham runs a Fire Hazard Inspection Program, and Nillumbik's 2024 program covered more than 9,000 properties in its Bushfire Management Overlay. A notice lists the works you must do and the date they're due. In Manningham, ignoring one can mean a fine of up to 10 penalty units, plus the cost of a contractor the council sends to do the work. If anything in your notice is unclear, ring the council before the deadline.
- Not sure whether your block is in the Bushfire Management Overlay or a designated bushfire prone area? Look up your address on VicPlan.
- Gutters full again a few weeks after the spring clean? Under heavy gums that's normal, and it's why the CFA says to keep clearing them through the season. The Fire-ready plan books a second clean each May.
When to call me instead
The house is two storeys, the roof is steep or slippery, you'd be on the ladder alone, or a notice deadline is close. Book a fire-season clean and you get a dated before-and-after photo report with the receipt.
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