For developers, owners and anyone confused about whether the "landfill buffer" is 500 m or 1,500 m and what it means for their site. Last reviewed June 2026.
There isn't one single "landfill buffer distance" in Victoria — there are two different distances that get confused all the time. The first is the siting buffer used when locating a brand-new putrescible landfill away from homes and other sensitive uses (now up to 1,500 m). The second is the gas-screening distance (the landfill gas buffer, typically 500 m) used to decide whether a development near an existing or closed landfill needs a landfill gas assessment. They sound similar, but they answer opposite questions, and mixing them up is the cause of most of the confusion.
Both numbers are real and both come from EPA Victoria guidance, but they apply to different situations:
The short version: 1,500 m looks outward from a new landfill; ~500 m looks inward toward your development from an existing one. If you only remember one thing, remember which direction the buffer is facing.
If you're a developer or owner asking "does my project need a landfill gas risk assessment?", the relevant figure is the gas-screening distance (historically around 500 m), not the 1,500 m siting buffer. But it's a mistake to treat even that 500 m as a hard line. The real trigger isn't a number you measure off a map yourself — it's:
A site at 450 m on clean clay may be lower concern than a site at 550 m sitting on permeable fill with service trenches running toward it. The distance is a screening prompt, not the answer. Treat ~500 m as "this is likely to be on the radar" rather than "inside means yes, outside means no".
Landfill gas is approximately 50% methane and approximately 50% carbon dioxide, with trace gases. It doesn't migrate a fixed distance — how far it moves underground depends on the pathways available:
This is exactly why a fixed buffer can't be the whole story. Geology and the presence of pathways matter more than raw distance. It's also why the concern is gas entering enclosed or below-ground spaces — basements, lift shafts, voids under a slab — where methane can accumulate toward its explosive range (about 5% to 15% by volume in air) or where gases can displace oxygen. Outdoors, gas disperses and the risk is low.
For a development near an existing or closed landfill, the relevant figure is the landfill gas buffer in EPA Victoria's 2024 guideline — 500 m for putrescible (Type 2) landfills and 200 m for solid-waste (Type 3), measured to a building or structure (for a closed landfill, the gas-migration separation distance from the cell boundary). If your site falls within that buffer, the assessment itself is staged and risk-based. Depending on the landfill's waste type, size and age, and the kind of development you propose (sensitive, below-ground uses raise the concern most), the outcome under the current guideline is one of three:
Where to start checking? Victoria Unearthed is the free public online map run by the Victorian Government for searching a property against the landfill register, priority sites and environmental audit locations. It's the right first tool — but read it with care: many old or closed tips are poorly documented or unregistered, so a clean map result is not a guarantee. A professional desktop review also checks historical aerial photographs and other records.
If your council has asked for a landfill gas assessment, Automated Environmental can scope it for your specific site and tell you which of those three outcomes you're likely looking at — request a free LFG RA quote or read more about our landfill gas risk assessments.
Yes. The current EPA Victoria guidance is the Landfill buffer guideline (EPA Publication 1950) and the Separation distance guideline (EPA Publication 1949), both finalised on 12 August 2024. Publication 1950 superseded the older Publication 1642 ("Assessing planning proposals within the buffer of a landfill") and replaced parts of the Landfill Best Practice Environmental Management guidance. If you find references online to Publication 1642, treat them as out of date and work from the 2024 guideline instead. The 2024 update is also where the new-landfill siting buffer of up to 1,500 m sits — another reason the figure has been circulating and getting attached to the wrong question.
If you're developing near a landfill, don't get anchored on a single number. Confirm what your council requires for the planning permit, check the site on Victoria Unearthed, and have the 2024 guideline applied to your ground, your distance and your proposed use. The 1,500 m figure almost certainly isn't about your project; the ~500 m figure is a screening prompt, not a verdict; and the decision that actually matters is the staged, site-specific one.
There are actually two distances people call a "landfill buffer". One is the siting buffer for locating a new putrescible landfill away from sensitive uses (now up to 1,500 m, reducible to about 1,000 m with assessment). The other is the gas-screening distance (historically around 500 m) used to decide whether a development near an existing or closed landfill needs a landfill gas assessment. They apply to opposite situations, which is why they're so often confused.
Both, depending on the question. If you're siting a new landfill, the recommended separation to sensitive uses is up to 1,500 m. If you're developing near a landfill that already exists, the relevant screening distance is historically around 500 m. For a developer or owner asking whether their site needs an assessment, it's the ~500 m gas-screening idea that matters, not the 1,500 m siting buffer.
There's no fixed distance. Landfill gas moves along available pathways, so permeable ground like sand, gravel or fill, fractured rock, and especially backfilled service trenches can carry it further, while low-permeability clay or basalt tends to keep it close to source. This is why geology and pathways matter more than raw distance, and why a screening distance is only a prompt to assess, not a guarantee of where gas stops.
The screening conversation typically starts around the historical ~500 m range, but the assessment is staged and risk-based. Depending on the landfill's waste type, size and age and the development proposed, the outcome under the 2024 EPA guideline is one of three: no further assessment, a landfill gas risk assessment, or a Part 8.3 environmental audit. Your council and the guideline applied to your specific site determine which one applies.
Yes. EPA Victoria finalised the Landfill buffer guideline (Publication 1950) and the Separation distance guideline (Publication 1949) on 12 August 2024. Publication 1950 superseded the older Publication 1642 and replaced parts of the earlier Landfill best practice guidance, so the 2024 guideline is the one to work from now.
Related reading: Do I need a landfill gas risk assessment for a planning permit? · Landfill gas risk assessment vs environmental audit · Building near a former landfill
This article is general information, not legal or professional advice. EPA Victoria guidance should be read in full and professional advice obtained for your specific site and circumstances.