Get a flood information certificate
When you need to do this
Get a flood information certificate to understand how flooding could affect a property in the City of Sydney. For example, before you buy, or plan development.
This certificate shows flood levels, depths and hazard ratings, based on the most recent flood study for that catchment.
Your architect or builder can use this to identify what development controls under the interim floodplain management policy apply to the property, for example minimum floor heights or using flood-resistant materials.
If you only want to know whether a property has a flood notation, you don't need this certificate. A standard s10.7 planning certificate from the City of Sydney includes that information.
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Lodge your request online
- You may need the property address and lot/DP number.
- Tell us if the certificate is for a development application, purchase, or another purpose. This helps us process your request.
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Pay the application fee
You can pay the application fee online or at one of our customer service centres.
- When you make payment, please quote ‘RC071’ and include the property address and development application number (if applicable).
Once proof of payment has been received, the flood information certificate will be issued within two weeks.
After you finish
When your application is received, a review of our flood models will be undertaken and a certificate prepared. We’ll contact you if we need more information.
Once your certificate is ready, we’ll send it to you by email. It will include:
- property details and the flood study we used
- flood levels, depths, velocity and hazard ratings for a moderate flood (5% AEP), a large flood (1% AEP) and the largest possible flood (probable maximum flood)
- flood maps showing the property for each flood scenario.
If you’re planning development on flood-prone land, development controls in the interim floodplain management policy may apply to manage the impacts of flooding. This might include building above the flood level or using flood-resistant materials.
We recommend you get advice from a qualified engineer if you need help understanding your certificate or planning a development.
The certificate is provided in good faith, using the best available data.
For large or more complex developments, you’ll need a specialist flood consultant to undertake site specific flood modelling and prepare a flood impact and risk assessment. You can also request catchment-wide flood models from us.
