Flood risk map: where to find the official one in each state

There is no single national flood risk map in Australia. The official flood map for an address is published by the local council or the state, and each state does it differently: council planning scheme flood overlays in Queensland, council flood maps and the section 10.7 certificate in New South Wales, flood zones and overlays on VicPlan in Victoria, flood hazard overlays on SAPPA in South Australia, ACTmapi in the ACT, the SES strategic flood maps in Tasmania, and the state's Floodplain Mapping Tool in Western Australia, which covers the 1% AEP floodplain of mapped rivers and major watercourses only (not local stormwater flooding), with site-specific floodplain development advice from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. Most are free.

First, what a flood map is showing you

Most official flood maps are built around a nominated design flood, usually the 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) event. The Bureau of Meteorology explains it as a flood that has a 1% chance (a 1 in 100 chance) of being equalled or exceeded in any year. Over 50 years, the Bureau puts the chance of at least one such event at about 40%.

Maps also differ in the type of flooding they cover. Some only map river (mainstream) flooding. Others add overland flow, which is rain running across the ground towards the low points, and storm tide on the coast. A property can be clear on a river map and still sit in an overland flow path, so check which kind of flooding each map covers.

Queensland

The map that counts for a property is your council's planning scheme flood overlay. Councils map flood hazard areas under the State Planning Policy, and the overlay sets the building rules, such as minimum floor levels.

FloodCheck Queensland is the state's own flood mapping portal. It shows historic flood lines for 1893, 1974, 2010 and 2011, the likely extent of floodplains across the state, and flood studies. The Queensland Government is clear that it works at a regional scale and tells people to refer to local government flood maps and data for enquiries at a property scale.

In Brisbane, Council's free Flood Awareness Map shows the likelihood of river, creek, storm tide and overland flow flooding for an address, and you can download a technical FloodWise Property Report from it with estimated flood levels and floor level requirements. Our guide to a Brisbane flood check by address walks through it.

New South Wales

The section 10.7 planning certificate is the formal answer for a NSW property, and it comes attached to the contract of sale. Under the planning regulations, the council must state whether the land is within the flood planning area and subject to flood-related development controls, and whether it sits between the flood planning area and the probable maximum flood (the largest flood that could reasonably occur) and is subject to controls.

Council flood maps are the detailed source. Many councils publish flood study mapping on their website, and some issue flood information for a lot on request.

Two state resources sit behind them:

• The NSW Flood Data Portal, run by NSW SES, is a catalogue of flood studies, reports and spatial data that councils upload. It is useful for finding the study that covers an area, but it is not an address lookup, and it says local councils remain the primary source.
• NSW SES Local Flood Insights gives an overview of flood-prone areas, historic floods and modelled risk for communities across the state.

Victoria

VicPlan is where to start. Search the address and download the free Planning Property Report, which lists any flood controls. Victoria uses four:

• Urban Floodway Zone (UFZ) - urban land whose main job is to carry or store floodwater. Most development is prohibited.
• Floodway Overlay (FO) - the main flood path, where water moves fast or deep.
• Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) - land affected by mainstream flooding, typically the land covered in a 1% AEP flood.
• Special Building Overlay (SBO) - urban land affected by overland flow from the drainage system.

The Victorian Government's Know your risk map also shows 1% AEP flood extents by address, but it says it should not be used for planning. For an actual flood level, contact the floodplain manager. In Melbourne that is Melbourne Water, which issues a flood level certificate for a fee, giving the estimated flood level for the property in metres AHD (height above sea level). Outside Melbourne it is the local catchment management authority.

South Australia

The Planning and Design Code maps flood risk with three overlays, all visible on the free SA Property and Planning Atlas (SAPPA):

• Hazards (Flooding) Overlay - higher-risk areas where development should generally be avoided.
• Hazards (Flooding - General) Overlay - lower-risk areas where mitigation, such as raised floor levels, is expected.
• Hazards (Flooding - Evidence Required) Overlay - areas with no suitable flood study, so precautionary rules apply, such as raising new homes' floor levels above the kerb.

The mapping is changing. A draft state-wide update to the flood overlays went to public consultation in 2026, with a viewer that compares current and proposed overlays, so check the current Code rather than an old report.

ACT

The ACT Government publishes its flood maps on ACTmapi. Choose the flood map from the home page and the 1% AEP flood extent shows by default, with depth and hazard layers you can switch on. The ACT Government notes the maps cannot account for blocked drains or broken water systems.

Tasmania

The Tasmanian Strategic Flood Maps, produced by the Tasmania SES, show flood extent, depth, speed and hazard for the 2%, 1% and 0.5% AEP floods, plus a 1% AEP flood under projected 2100 climate. You can view them through the SES website and LISTmap. The SES describes them as a broad, regional scale picture, says council flood study maps typically have more detail, and notes that some council areas are not covered.

Within the Tasmanian Planning Scheme, flood rules sit in the Flood-Prone Areas Hazard Code, and where a council has mapped flood-prone land it appears as an overlay on LISTmap.

How to read any flood map properly

• Outside the map is not the same as safe. Maps cover the events and flood types that were studied. Rarer floods go further, and some overland flow is never mapped.
• Regional maps screen, council maps decide. State-wide tools are built for broad understanding. The council map and certificate are what set the building rules for a lot.
• Check the date. Overlays change when flood studies are updated.
• An overlay is not a flood depth. Being inside an overlay tells you rules apply. It does not say how deep the water would get at the house. Our guide to reading flood overlays versus actual flood risk goes into this.

Common questions

Is there a national flood risk map for Australia? No. Flood mapping is done by councils and state agencies, so the official map for an address depends on where it is. Start with the council's planning scheme mapping or your state's planning map, which is where flood overlays that affect building rules are shown.

How do I check if my property is in a flood zone for free? Search the address on the council's flood or planning scheme map in Queensland and New South Wales, VicPlan in Victoria, SAPPA in South Australia, ACTmapi in the ACT, or the Tasmanian Strategic Flood Maps on LISTmap. In NSW, the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract also states whether flood-related development controls apply.

What does a 1% AEP flood mean? It is a flood with a 1% chance of being equalled or exceeded in any given year. It used to be called a 1 in 100 year flood, but it can happen in back-to-back years, and over a long ownership period the chance of experiencing one is significant.

Why does the state flood map show something different from the council map? State-wide maps such as FloodCheck Queensland and the Tasmanian Strategic Flood Maps give a regional picture, while council maps come from more detailed local flood studies. For a specific property, the council's mapping sets the rules.

Want the flood overlay, overland flow, flood hazard and recorded flood events for an address in one place? Pop in your address or check out a sample report.

LayeredGeo's Property Report pulls together public planning and site data for property due diligence across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania, so you can understand a place before you commit.

Sources

• Bureau of Meteorology - Why 1% AEP, not 1 in 100 years. bom.gov.au
• Queensland Government - FloodCheck Queensland application. qld.gov.au
• Brisbane City Council - FloodWise Property Report. brisbane.qld.gov.au
• NSW Flood Data Portal. flooddata.ses.nsw.gov.au
• NSW SES - Local Flood Insights. ses.nsw.gov.au
• Victorian Government - Know your risk. vic.gov.au
• Melbourne Water - Flooding information and advice. melbournewater.com.au
• YourSAy - State-wide Flood Hazard Code Amendment. yoursay.sa.gov.au
• ACT Government - Flood maps. act.gov.au
• Tasmania SES - How SES developed the flood maps. ses.tas.gov.au

About this article. Published by LayeredGeo and written from the published research cited in the Sources section above. It is general information about how property and ground conditions are assessed in Australia, not engineering, planning, legal or financial advice, and it is not specific to any property. Check anything that matters against the source dataset or a suitably qualified professional before you rely on it. If you spot something wrong, tell us at hello@layeredgeo.com.au and we will fix it.

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