Priority sites

Priority sites are sites with land or groundwater contamination that have been issued with a remedial notice by EPA and which require active management to reduce the risk of harm to human health and the environment.

You can find priority sites on Victoria Unearthed.

This will give you:

  • the location (address, suburb and municipality)
  • a description of the type of contamination
  • the notice issued by Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA)
  • the management controls required to clean up the contamination.

Using Victoria Unearthed

On the map, select priority sites under the EPA data drop down menu. You may need to zoom in to a scale of 1:250,000 or less.

Priority sites appear as red dots. Red outlined shapes with horizontal lines show a site boundary or area covered by a priority site.

Click the Identify button then on a red dot or shape to view information in the left sidebar.

For more information on a specific priority site, contact EPA through the contact centre via 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842).

EPA notices

Priority sites are sites which are the subject of an active remedial notice issued under the Environment Protection Act 2017 in relation to managing contamination. These notices include:

  • improvement notices
  • environmental action notices
  • prohibition notices
  • site management orders.

The notices require active management to reduce the risk of harm to human health and the environment. This can include clean-up, monitoring and management controls.

Read more about requirements for managing contaminated land and groundwater here’.

When the requirements of a notice are met, the EPA will revoke the notice and the site will be removed from the Priority Sites Register and Victoria Unearthed.

Victoria Unearthed is updated regularly, however the EPA can be contacted directly to confirm whether any site is currently on the Priority Sites Register

Information for property owners, buyers or developers

If you own or control a site, and it is on the register:

  • An active remedial notice has been issued in respect of contamination at the site; and
  • You may been issued this remedial notice, and will be required to comply with its requirements.

Read more about buying, selling, or developing land here.

Selling a priority site

If you are selling a site that is the subject of an active remedial notice, you are required to comply with section 32D of the Sale of Land Act 1962 (Vic) and provide the particulars of the notice as part of a statement prepared in accordance with section 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962 (Vic).

Depending on the particulars of the relevant notice, new owners of a priority site may be bound by the requirements of the notice and may be able to seek reasonable costs of compliance from the previous owner

Buying a priority site

Conduct your own independent investigations and due diligence.

The register is not a complete list of contaminated sites in Victoria.

It does not list sites:

  • managed by voluntary agreements
  • subject to management by planning controls (for example, sites managed in accordance with section 173 agreement under the Planning and Environment Act 1987).
Developing a priority site

If you are planning to renovate, sub-divide or change the use of land, the presence of potential contamination may require you to undertake additional activities.

Read more about property and contamination here.

Priority Sites Register Disclaimer

The Priority Sites Register is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of contaminated sites in Victoria. A site should not be presumed to be free of contamination just because it does not appear on the Priority Sites Register.

While EPA has published information regarding potentially contaminating land uses, local councils and other relevant planning authorities may hold additional records or data concerning historical land uses. It is recommended that these sources of information should also be consulted in addition to this Extract.

The EPA does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information in the PSR.

Any person using or relying upon such information does so on the basis that the EPA assumes no liability whatsoever for any errors, faults, defects or omissions in the information in the PSR.

Persons are advised to undertake independent due diligence and seek professional advice before relying on this information.

For sites listed on the Priority Sites Register, copies of the relevant Notices, including reasons for issuance and associated management requirements, can be requested from the EPA through the contact centre via 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842).

Page last updated: 20/10/26