Burn Permits

A residential burn permit allows you to have multiple types of fire on one property for $20/year. This type of permit includes:

• Campfires
• Burn barrels
• Residential brush fires
• Agricultural fires

As the permit holder you must make sure that you comply with the Open Air-Burning By-law for each of the permitted fires you choose to have under this permit.

The multiple site agricultural burn permit is for farmers that require fires on multiple properties to support farming activities. The permit costs $20/year. A maximum of 3 properties can be listed on one permit and properties must be greater than 10 hectares (24.7 acres) each. Please e-mail staff or call 705-652-8392 x 212 for more information and assistance in obtaining this permit type.

The campground, trailer park or resort burn permit is for a location with numerous campfire sites. Size and clearance restrictions are the same as defined for a campfire. An annual inspection is required. The fee for this permit is $50/year.

A Commercial Fire permit is needed for the clearing of land. Heavy equipment must be available and ready to control and extinguish the fire if necessary. The fee for this permit is $100.00 and the permit is only valid for a designated time period.

An incinerator is intended for outdoor burning and shall conform to Sections 6.2.6 of the Ontario Building Code and 2.6.3 of the Ontario Fire Code. An annual inspection is required. The fee for this permit is $60.00/year.

A special occurrence burn permit is for an open-air fire that does not meet the requirements of any other permit type and is specific to an event or occurrence. All special occurrence burn permits require a site inspection prior to starting the fire to determine the approved size and required clearances. The fee for this permit is $40.00 and the permit is only valid for a designated time period.

Burn permits expire annually on December 31st, except Commercial and Special Occurrence permits which are only valid for a designated time.

You can burn wood, wood by-products (cardboard, paper, etc.) and leaves.

It is never acceptable to burn garbage. If you need assistance getting information on how and where to dispose of garbage please contact us at the municipal office.

Yes, you must activate your burn permit prior to starting any fire, including campfires and burn barrels permitted under the Residential Burn permit.

You can activate your burn permit up to 24-hours before starting your fire by:

• Calling the toll-free number 1-844-971-1121
• Signing into your burn permit account and activating your burn permit via the “Register Burn” button

If you call to activate your burn permit, you will be greeted by the automated system and given information on the current fire risk level. If a burn restriction is in place, the message will include instructions detailing when you can have a fire.

If you sign into your burn permit account to activate your burn permit, the website shows you the fire risk level and associated message below your permit. Restriction and burn ban information also appears in this location.

All open-air burning is prohibited during a burn ban unless you are exempt under Section 3 of the Open Air-Burning By-law.

Activating your burn permit before every fire does two main things:

• It lets fire department staff know where active fires are in the township
• It lets you know exactly what the fire risk status is, if there are any restrictions in place or if there is a burn ban in effect. These details can change daily during the high-risk times of the year - most notably in the early spring and summer months when dry vegetation makes fire spread very likely – activating your burn permit before every fire keeps you informed.

The burn permit fees pay for the Burn Permit website and system. This system enables you to purchase permits from the comfort of your own home or business at any time, easily check on the fire risk status and receive alerts regarding burn bans.

Any surplus from the sale of fire permits goes into a wildland firefighting reserve to help pay for future operational response and/or equipment.

A campfire is a fire used for warmth or cooking food.

A campfire must meet the following requirements:

• The maximum size of the wood pile is 1 m in diameter and 0.5 m in height
• There is at least 3 m clearance from the fire to property lines and combustibles (including dry vegetation)
• The fire is contained by a non-combustible surrounding like rocks, bricks, a metal fire ring or a chiminea

A burn barrel is a metal drum or a similar container with a heavy duty screened lid.

A burn barrel must meet the following requirements:

• The maximum burn barrel size is 1 m in diameter and 1 m in height
• The burn barrel has a heavy-duty screen with a mesh-size no greater than 6.35 mm (1/4 inch)
• The burn barrel must be at least 3 m from property lines and combustibles (including dry vegetation)

A residential brush fire must meet the following requirements:

• The maximum size of the wood pile is 2 m in diameter and 1 m in height
• There is at least 10 m clearance from the fire to property lines and combustibles (including dry vegetation), overhead wires, highways and vehicle right-of-ways
• There is at least 15 m clearance from and structure of building

An agricultural fire permit is needed for any agricultural fire.

An agricultural fire must meet the following requirements:

• The maximum size of the wood pile is 5 m in diameter and 2 m in height
• There is at least 20 m clearance from the fire to property lines and combustibles (including dry vegetation)
• There is at least 100 m clearance from and structure of building

The campground, trailer park or resort permit is required for locations with numerous campfire sites and covers the entire park. An annual inspection is required. Size and clearance restrictions are the same as defined for a campfire.

You will need a commercial fire permit if you would like to have a fire to clear land. Heavy equipment must be available and ready to control and extinguish the fire as necessary.

A commercial fire must meet the following requirements:

• The maximum size of the wood pile is 10 m in diameter and 5 m in height
• There is at least 50 m clearance from the fire to property lines and combustibles (including dry vegetation)
• There is at least 150 m clearance from and structure of building

An incinerator is intended for outdoor burning and shall conform to Sections 6.2.6 of the Ontario Building Code and 2.6.3 of the Ontario Fire Code.

A special occurrence fire is an open-air fire that does not meet the requirements of any permit type and is specific to an event or occurrence. All special occurrence fire permits require a site inspection to determine approved size and clearances prior to any fire.