Flooding information and advice

Plan ahead: understand the impacts of potential flooding on your plans to buy, sell, build, renovate or develop property.

Please note these pages are currently under review. Updates will be made in accordance with our Flood Management Strategy for Port Phillip and Westernport 2021-2031.

Large cities like Melbourne will always experience some type of flooding — it’s an inevitable part of our weather cycle. In addition to maintaining Melbourne’s drainage system, we aim to minimise the impact of flooding by setting building and renovation criteria, providing flooding advice and updating flood information for the greater Melbourne area.

Find out what to do when you:

Build and renovate: make sure your proposed plans meet our flooding criteria
Buy and sell: flooding information for buyers and sellers
Plan and develop: access the latest flood information updates and amendments

As a floodplain manager, Melbourne Water utilises the now Department of Transport and Planning’s Guidelines for Development in Flood Affected Areas (DELWP 2019) in accordance with provision of flood advice and assessment of development proposals. These guidelines are also applicable to CMAs, Developers, Council Staff, Private Building Surveyors.

Need help? We can provide advice on how to design and build when land is subject to flooding. Please note this service may take up to 28 days. Click apply now to find out more.

Advice on the Port Phillip Bay Coastal Hazard Assessment

Melbourne Water acknowledges the release of the Port Phillip Bay Coastal hazard Assessment by DEECA. This assessment is based upon a hydrodynamic model, consistent with the modelling approach for the Western Port Coastal Hazard Assessment.

The information is being reviewed by Melbourne Water’s Flood engineers. Following review and formal acceptance, significant data processing and system changes are required to integrate this new information into existing data sets.

It is anticipated that this process will take until mid-year 2024. Until the data processing and review is complete, Melbourne Water will continue to use its current data and mapping to inform development referrals and advice.

Note that the planning for sea level rise benchmark remains at 0.8m, as per Victoria’s Planning Provisions Clause 13.01-2s and Melbourne Water’s Interim Sea Level Rise Guidelines will continue to be used to assess development referrals.

Build and renovate a property

If your land is subject to flooding, your council won’t issue you a planning permit unless your plans meet our criteria for flooding and we consent to your proposed work.

If your property is subject to flooding, you may also be asked to get a flood level statement (velocity) for the purposes of the Building Code of Australia (Building in Flood Hazard Area). This service is free and takes 14 days.

Buy and sell a property

Flood level certificate

If you’re buying a property, you can request a flood level certificate to check any potential flooding.

Our flood level certificate service costs $53.92 and takes 14 days. The LANDATA and Dye & Durham services cost approximately $50 and can take 10 days.

Use our flood level certificate service – apply now

Property information statement

If you’re selling a property, you may need to provide a detailed property information statement for a section 32 or vendor statement.

LANDATA and your water retailer can help you with a property information statement. We do not provide this service.

The LANDATA service costs around $50 and can take 10 days. Costs and times vary for each water retailer.

Plan and develop

We constantly collect and update new flood information for the wider Melbourne area. This information is displayed as amendments on council scheme maps.

You may need to get a flood level statement (velocity) for the purposes of the Building Code of Australia (Building in Flood Hazard Area). This service is free and takes 14 days.