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Burn Permits

A burn permit is required for all open-air, non-recreational fires. Specific requirements under the Open-Air Burn By-law must be met to be eligible for a permit.

On this page

You are responsible for verifying that the property is eligible for open-air burning. If you proceed with getting a permit where open-air burning is not allowed, the property owner may be required to pay any associated costs for fire department response if needed.

Confirm if you're eligible

Before applying, you’ll need to confirm your eligibility and review our basic guidelines for open-air burning.

To be eligible for a burn permit:

  • You must be the property owner
  • The property must be located outside of an urban boundary

If you are a tenant, you will need to have the property owner apply for the burn permit on your behalf.

View our online map to determine if your property is in a permitted area. If your property falls within a red region, you are not eligible for a burn permit.

If you’d like to speak to someone about your eligibility, contact the fire department at 905-318-5932, ext. 6230.

Items approved for burning include dry seasoned, untreated wood, dry clean brush, or material approved by the fire department.

Some requirements for conducting an open-air burn include:

  • Non-recreational burns shall be at least 60 meters from anything combustible, buildings or roadways
  • Open-air burns shall be attended to and controlled at all times
  • Open-air burning shall not be conducted on foggy, humidex or air quality alert days
  • Open-air burning shall not be conducted during burn bans
  • Open-air burning shall not be conducted when the wind speed exceeds 20 km per hour
  • Open-air burning shall not be conducted when the wind direction is frequently changing
  • An Open-Air Burn Permit must be on-site with a responsible individual during any burn
  • Open-air burning shall be conducted between sunrise and sunset
  • Items such as but not limited to, pressure-treated woods, metals, asphalt, tires, asbestos or vinyl shall not be burned
  • Open-air burning shall be conducted in a burn area of manageable size not exceeding 6 meters by 6 meters
  • Open-air burning shall not produce smoke that impacts the visibility of motorists
  • Open-air burning shall not produce smoke that negatively impacts surrounding properties
  • A means of extinguishing an open-air burn must be available
  • All Open-air burning must be completely extinguished before dusk

Refer to the Open-Air Burn By-law for all regulations.

How to apply

There are two ways to apply for a burn permit:

Apply online through myHC

When you activate a myHC account, you are automatically enrolled in e-billing for your property taxes. If you do not want e-billing, click the “opt-out” button on the portal homepage.

Permit fee

The 2024 fee for an Open-Air Burn Permit is $28.50.

Recreational fires

A recreational fire is defined as a small, contained fire associated with the use of open-air fire devices or fire burn areas specifically designed for recreational fires.

Recreational fires do not require a permit, however they are still subject to regulations under the Open-Air Burn By-law. Some regulations include:

  • Ensuring the fire is contained and supervised at all times
  • The fire is set back at least 10 metres from combustible buildings/structures
  • A means of extinguishing the fire must be available
  • Smoke and odours are not adversely affecting neighbours

Review the by-law for full guidelines.

Contact Us

Emergency Services
11 Thorburn Street South
Cayuga, ON, N0A 1E0

Email Emergency Services
Phone: 905-318-5932

In case of emergency, call 911

Non-emergency OPP phone: 1-888-310-1122

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