Outdoor Fires

While the official ‘Fire Season’ has ended (April 1-October 31) along with the requirement to obtain a Municipal Burn Permit, there are still rules you need to follow in order to have a safe outdoor fire in Ontario.

The Law

If you live in Northwestern, Northeastern or North-Central Ontario, you must follow certain rules to have an outdoor fire.

Rules to burn wood, brush and leaves

As of November 1^st, you don’t need a fire permit to burn piled wood, brush, leaves or wood by-products if you follow these rules:

• ignite the fire no sooner than two hours before sunset and extinguish it no later than two hours after sunrise
• burn only a single pile at any one time
• ensure the pile is less than two metres in diameter and less than two metres high
• keep the fire at least two metres from any flammable materials
• have tools or water on hand adequate to contain the fire at the fire site
• ensure a responsible person tends the fire until it is extinguished

Using an incinerator

As of November 1^st, you don’t need a fire permit to burn piled wood, brush, leaves or wood by-products in an incinerator if you follow these rules:

• ensure the incinerator is an enclosed device constructed entirely of non-combustible material
• cover the outlet of the incinerator with a screen having a mesh size of not more than 5 millimetres
• keep the incinerator at least five metres from any forest area
• keep the incinerator at least two metres from any flammable material
• ensure a responsible person monitors the fire until it is extinguished

Rules to burn grass or leaf litter

As of November 1^st, you don’t need a fire permit to burn areas of grass or leaf litter on land you lawfully occupy if you follow these rules:

• ignite the fire no sooner than two hours before sunset and extinguish it no later than two hours after sunrise
• keep the total area to be burned under one hectare
• ensure the flaming edge of the fire does not exceed 30 metres in length
• have tools or water on hand adequate to contain the fire at the fire site
• ensure a responsible person tends the fire until it is extinguished

Read more about how to burn grass and woody debris safely.

Source:  https://www.ontario.ca/page/outdoor-fire-rules-and-permits#section-0