Open burning
Open burning rules depend on whether you are inside the City of Courtenay or in the Courtenay Fire Protection District. Always check your location and follow the correct regulations.
Burning in the City of Courtenay
Open burning is banned year-round within the City of Courtenay. This ban is enforced under Fire Protective Services Bylaw No. 2556. It applies to all outdoor burning of materials, including:
- grass fires
- incinerator or pit fires
- outdoor fireplaces and chimineas
- burning barrels
- forest and brush fires
- scrap wood fires
- running fires
- structure and building fires
- ground-thawing fires
- chattel fires
Wood-burning outdoor fires are not allowed at any time. However, outdoor cooking or heating appliances that use natural gas, propane or briquettes are permitted.
Burning in the Courtenay Fire Protection District
Category 1 fires
Not permitted at any time.
Includes small campfires.
Category 2 and Category 3 fires
Currently banned due to the provincial fire ban, effective May 30, 2025.
No burning permits will be issued during this ban.
When the ban is not in effect, the following rules apply:
- Category 2 fires:
- One pile only, no larger than 1 metre high by 1 metre wide.
- Must not include garbage, tires or construction debris.
- Burning allowed during daylight hours only.
- Category 3 fires:
- One or more piles larger than 1 metre high or 1 metre wide.
- Must not include garbage, tires or construction debris.
- Must follow the Open Burning Smoke Control regulations under the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
Applying for a permit
No burning permits will be issued while the fire ban is in effect.
Please check back once the ban has been lifted.