Homeowners · Builders · Designers
Landslip reports for building on Hobart's slopes
Building in a Landslip Hazard Code band often needs a landslip hazard report before your building surveyor or council will approve the work. We assess the slope, investigate the ground and set out what the design must do, to AGS 2007 with an AS 1726-2017 site investigation.
Check the map first
The band on LISTmap, not the suburb name, decides what your project needs.
Fixed quote in 1–2 business hours
Get a fixed quote for a landslip report
Send the address, your plans or a sketch of the work, and any earlier reports. We check the landslip band before we quote.
Fixed quote for your job. No obligation. Or call 03 6146 4747
In short
A landslip report, or landslip hazard report, assesses the landslide risk to your block and the planned work, and sets out what the design must do to manage it. In Hobart, building surveyors and councils often ask for one when a site is in a Landslip Hazard Code band on LISTmap. We prepare it to AGS 2007 with an AS 1726-2017 site investigation, priced by fixed quote.
- Fee
- Fixed quote per job, agreed before we start
- Needed when
- The site is in a low, medium, medium-active or high band
- You receive
- AGS 2007 risk assessment, investigation logs and recommendations
Overview
What is a landslip report?
A landslip report, formally a landslip hazard report, is a geotechnical assessment of the landslide risk to a site and to the work planned on it. It says what could move, how likely that is, what the consequences would be and what the design has to do so the risk stays tolerable.
The Landslip Hazard Code in the Tasmanian Planning Scheme sets who writes one and how. The author must be a geotechnical practitioner, which includes a licensed Engineer – Civil engineer, a geotechnical engineer or an engineering geologist. The report follows the Australian Geomechanics Society's Landslide Risk Management guidelines (AGS 2007) and rests on a site investigation to AS 1726-2017.
What the report covers
- The band, earlier reports and mapped landslides nearby
- The slope: angle, drainage, seepage and signs of movement
- The ground: boreholes or test pits logged to AS 1726-2017
- The hazards, their likelihood and consequences, compared with tolerable risk under AGS 2007
- Recommendations for footings, cuts and fills, retaining walls and drainage
Where the building surveyor asks for it, the report comes with a Form 55 (Certificate of Qualified Person – Assessable Item). If we also design the footings, walls or drainage, each design comes with a Form 35.
Key takeaways
- Check LISTmap first: the landslip band decides what your project needs.
- Low-risk work in a landslip band becomes notifiable. Class 1 work in a High band becomes permit work.
- Reports follow AGS 2007, with a site investigation to AS 1726-2017.
- Water is a common landslide trigger, so drainage and stormwater are part of every assessment.
The landslip bands
What do the landslip hazard bands mean?
The Landslide Planning Map sorts land into five bands. The lowest, Acceptable, has no landslip controls; the Landslip Hazard Code applies to the other four: low, medium, medium-active and high. The band over your site shows how prone the ground is to landslides, and it changes which approvals your work needs.
| Band | What it means | What it can mean for your project |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Mapped as ground where landslides are possible. Being in the band does not mean a landslide has happened. | Low-risk building work becomes notifiable. Work that needs Building Act approval is exempt from the planning code and handled through the building landslip rules. |
| Medium | Mapped as more prone than the low band. It also does not mean a landslide has happened. | As for low: low-risk work becomes notifiable and the building landslip rules apply. |
| Medium-active | Known recent landslide activity. | The planning code applies as well as the building rules, and a landslip hazard report is likely to be needed. |
| High | The declared Landslip A areas. | Class 1 work, such as a house, becomes permit work, and the planning code applies. |
Bands from the Landslip Hazard Code (C15); what each band means from Mineral Resources Tasmania's landslip fact sheet; approval categories from the Director's Determination. Your building surveyor confirms the category for your work.
The rules in Tasmania
Under the Building Regulations 2016 (reg 59), a landslip hazard area is land within a band on the planning scheme's landslip overlay. The Director's Determination on categories of building work then lifts low-risk work in a landslip hazard area to notifiable work, and Class 1 work in a High band to permit work.
Mineral Resources Tasmania is reviewing the landslide planning maps (draft report, September 2025). Until a change is adopted, the current bands apply.
- Landslip A and B areas
- Declared landslip areas. Mineral Resources Tasmania describes the high band as the declared Landslip A areas.
- AGS 2007
- The Australian Geomechanics Society's Landslide Risk Management guidelines, used to weigh the likelihood and consequences of a landslide against tolerable risk.
Before you build
How do I know if my property is in a landslip area?
Look the property up on LISTmap, the Tasmanian Government's online map, and check the landslip hazard bands from the planning scheme overlay. Councils point owners there too. If you're unsure what you're looking at, send us the address: we check the band before we quote.
Is the property in a landslip band?
Check for a low, medium, medium-active or high band over the house or the area you plan to build on.
Yes: go to step 2No: a landslip report is not usually neededWhich band, and what work?
In the low and medium bands the building landslip rules apply. In the medium-active and high bands the planning code applies as well.
House work in a high band: permit workLow-risk work in a band: notifiableGet a fixed quote
Send plans or a sketch of the work. Your fixed quote says what fieldwork is included and when you'll receive the report.
What does landslip movement look like?
- Curved cracks in the ground, often across a lawn or near the top of a slope
- Leaning fences, poles, trees or retaining walls that used to stand straight
- Doors and windows that start to stick, with new cracks in walls or paths
- New springs, wet patches or seepage on the slope, especially after rain
- Bulging ground at the foot of the slope, or broken pipes and drains
Any of these is worth an engineer's look, mapped band or not. A crack and movement report is often the first step.
Local landslides
Where are the documented landslides in Hobart?
Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) has studied landslides at Rosetta and Taroona in detail. Landslip bands are also mapped on other slopes across Greater Hobart, so the map for your property matters more than its suburb.
Rosetta
MRT has documented a deep-seated landslide at Rosetta. Glenorchy City Council requires geotechnical reports for building in its landslide areas, so expect your surveyor to ask for one.
Taroona
MRT calls it the Taroona Landslide Complex. MRT published a study of it in 2001, a consultant's report followed in 2002, and a 2014 report covered the School Creek and Channel Highway landslide.
For more on the bands, the maps and what buyers should check, read our guide to landslip areas in Hobart.
How it works
How does a landslip assessment work?
From the address to a report your building surveyor can rely on.
- Step 1
Send the address and plans
We check the band on LISTmap and look for earlier reports or MRT studies nearby.
- Within 1–2 business hours
Get a fixed quote
It says what fieldwork is included, whether a drill rig is needed and when you'll receive the report.
- On site
Map the slope, investigate the ground
We map the slope and its drainage and log boreholes or test pits to AS 1726-2017. Drilling and laboratory testing may be carried out with [geotechnical partner].
- On the date in your quote
Risk assessment and report
Likelihood and consequences assessed to AGS 2007, with clear recommendations and a Form 55 if your surveyor asks for one.
- Only if needed
Design what the report requires
Footings, retaining walls and stormwater designed to the report's recommendations, each with a Form 35.
Landslip hazard report
Priced once we know the band, the work and the site, and fixed before anything starts.
What changes the price
- The landslip band, and any earlier movement on or near the site
- The size of the work, from a deck to a new house
- How many boreholes or test pits, and access for a drill rig
- Whether you also need footings, walls or drainage designed
Help us quote accurately
Send the property address, a site plan or sketch of the work, photos of the slope and any earlier geotechnical or landslip reports.
After the report
What does a landslip report mean for your design?
A landslip report shapes the design of everything that loads, cuts or drains the slope. These are the usual effects, though your report's recommendations are specific to your site.
| Planned work | What the report usually shapes |
|---|---|
| New house or extension | Footing type and depth, often down to rock; limits on cut and fill; how stormwater leaves the site. New footings also need a site classification. |
| Retaining wall | Wall height and drainage, and whether the wall forms part of the slope's stability. In a landslip band, even a small wall is no longer low-risk work. |
| Swimming pool | Where the pool sits, the load it puts on the slope and how it is drained and emptied. |
| Deck | Footing depth, and how far footings sit back from the top of a steep slope. |
| Stormwater and drainage | Piping roof and surface water to the council system rather than letting it soak into the slope. |
General engineering practice. We don't offer bushfire (BAL) assessments: if the site is also bushfire-prone, a bushfire hazard practitioner prepares that.
Related services
Often needed on a landslip-band site
Retaining wall design
Engineer-designed block, concrete, sandstone and gabion retaining walls for Hobart's sloping blocks, with the drawings your builder and building surveyor need.
Learn more
Stormwater & drainage design
Drainage plans, stormwater reports and on-site detention designs for houses, units and subdivisions, with the Form 35 council needs.
Learn more
Extensions & renovations
Structural drawings for extensions, renovations, second storeys and granny flats, working with your architect or building designer.
Learn more