No Person shall carry out Open Burning without a valid Permit, issued by the Fire Chief or his designate. Permits are required year-round for all Open Burning and may be suspended when Open Burning is prohibited during Fire Ban periods. Open Burning Bylaw No. 125 prescribes burning regulations on Salt Spring Island. Highlights of Bylaw 125 include:
- All material burned should originate from the property where burned (except campfires).
- All fires shall be continuously supervised to prevent damage and injury to people.
- An adequate amount of extinguishing agent must be present at the burn site, (for example water and hose, or sand & shovel for a campfire).
- No burning of prohibited materials is permitted. These materials include: tires, plastics, drywall, demolition waste, domestic refuse, asphalt, special waste, biomedical waste, treated lumber, railway ties, manure, rubber, paint, tar paper, fuel & lubricant containers.
- No person shall burn green debris that hasn’t been allowed to dry for a minimum of 30 days.
- Check for burning restrictions before lighting any fire.
Requirements: Small-brush piles should only be burned in open areas and must be a minimum of 10 meters from any structure and 5 meters from standing vegetation and fencing. Small-brush piles must not exceed 3 meters in diameter and 2 meters in height. The size of material in a small-brush pile must be no larger than 10cm diameter. No material may be added less than two hours before sunset.
Incinerators (Backyard Burning)
Requirements: incinerators must have a screen covering the entire top opening (1 cm or 3/8 inch mesh). The incinerator and screen must be in good condition and must be 5 meters, from any structure and 1.5 meters from standing vegetation or fencing.
Campfires
Requirements: campfires are not to exceed 0.5 meters by 0.5 meters in size. Campfires must be a minimum of 5 meters from any structure and 1.5 meters from standing vegetation and fencing.
Enforcement/Cost Recovery
The permit holder will be responsible for all the damage caused by lit fires. Permits will be revoked upon violation of its restrictions. If the Fire Department is called to a fire at the burn location, permitted or not, the property owner or occupant may be responsible to pay all costs incurred for the fire call as determined by the Fire Chief.
Re-use or recycle before you burn?
Please check to see if material can be re-used or recycled before you light a burn pile. Call the recycling hotline at 1-800-667-4321 for more information.
The CRD Recycling Depot is open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10:00am to 5:00pm at 349 Rainbow Road, Ganges.
Contact them at 537-1200 for more information on materials accepted for recycling.
CRD Recycling Directory