Burning Permit

After you have obtained an open burning permit, you must ensure that burning is allowed on the day you want to burn. Call the outdoor burning hotline at 1-855-262-2876 to check the Venting Index and Air Quality on the day you plan to burn. Listen to the message to confirm that burning is permitted on that day.

In the Central Okanagan, open burning is only permitted when the venting index is 65 or greater, and particulate matter (PM_2.5 – 24 hr) concentration is less than 15 µg/m³.

• The venting index (VI) is an estimate made by the Province of how well smoke will be carried away from the surface. It’s a measure of atmospheric turbulence and low level winds and has little to do with the way a plume behaves near the ground.
• VI has nothing to do with good weather. Clear and cold winter days are usually poor venting days.

Anyone caught burning without a local Burning Permit or breaking the rules of their permit may be subject to fines up to $2,000 or be charged with the cost of putting out the fire by their fire service.

Under RDCO Bylaw No. 773 and Fire prevention and regulations | Bylaw No. 1066 and local fire prevention bylaws in Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland, open burning requires a valid permit from a local fire jurisdiction and is only allowed between October 1 and April 30 unless further restrictions are in place due to fire hazards or other local conditions.

In addition, the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation is in place by the BC Ministry of Environment. See the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation Factsheet - Burning in a High Smoke Sensitivity Zone.

If using an Air Curtain incinerator, contact your local fire department to get a permit and check the OBSCR Factsheet – Air Curtain Incinerators.

Before lighting any open burn pile, in addition to any local fire permit and bylaws, eligible property owners are also responsible for ensuring compliance with this BC regulation.

The BC Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation divides the province into three smoke sensitivity zones: high, medium and low zones. The Central Okanagan region is within the “high sensitivity zone” and many requirements apply.  See the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation Factsheet - Burning in a High Smoke Sensitivity Zone.

These include, but aren't limited to:

• That efforts have been made to reduce the amount of vegetative debris to be burned through alternative methods of reducing, reusing and recycling
• Open burning setbacks prohibiting burning near hospitals, health care facilities, schools and neighbouring properties. This online setback map was created as an education tool so residents can make an informed decision when applying for a burning permit. Type your address and follow the steps to verify setbacks
• The provincial regulation applies to all branches or other pieces of vegetative debris, with or without leaves, and is 10 cm or greater in diameter
• Use alternatives to burning if the pile is less than 10 cm in diameter

Property owners are responsible for meeting provincial requirements and should email the OBSCR directly for more information. 

Non-compliance to requirements of the provincial Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation that exceed local bylaws will be enforced by the province and are stricter than local bylaws. Enforcement by the province is managed via reporting to the provincial Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline 1-877-952-7277.

If the situation is not an emergency, report the incident online to RAPP or contact the nearest Conservation Officer Services.

There are a number of alternatives to open burning. All residents, farmers and orchardists are encouraged to take advantage of other options such as chipping, flail mowing, or air curtain burning to help reduce smoke pollution in the Central Okanagan.

Alternatives

• Bi-weekly curbside yard waste collection
• Yard waste drop off – available at the Glenmore Landfill and Westside Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre (Asquith Road in West Kelowna) - fees apply
• Clean air alternatives to open burning 
• Alternatives to minimize smoke 
• Free agricultural chipping program - free service for Central Okanagan orchardists who want to chip wood waste material from an orchard. This type of debris typically includes stumps and large branches (a large volume of wood)
• Mow-Chip Rent-it Rebate Program – qualifying participants must have a property one hectare or greater in size with a small volume of wood for fuel reduction and/or agricultural activities that can't be served through the regular Agricultural Chipping Program
• Air Curtain Burning uses forced air to burn wood faster and with less smoke. Contact your local fire department to learn more about forced air incineration options for agricultural or land clearing wood waste. Check the OBSCR Factsheet – Air Curtain Incinerators.
• A number of private companies offer wood chipping and grinding services or rent portable chippers. Some may also pick up yard waste for disposal. We recommend a Google search for: stump grinding, wood chipping contractors, chipper rental, flail mower rental, etc.

After you have considered alternatives to burning to minimize the amount of wood to be burned, have applied for and received a valid open burning permit, please follow these Open Burning Best Practices and check out the Clean Air Alternatives to Open Burning.

Some best practices include:

• Check the venting conditions online
• Call the Open Burning Hotline 1-855-262-2876 on the day you want to burn to ensure that burning is permitted
• Do not start burning until after 10 a.m., as conditions are usually poor for venting smoke before that time
• Prunings and small branches must be dry before burning
• Make piles no greater than 3 metres wide by 3 metres long, and two metres high to better control the fire and reach proper dryness
• All debris 10 cm or greater in diameter should be dry for at least two years or alternatively have 30% or less moisture content (you must keep a record of wood pile moisture content)
• Check wind direction to keep smoke away from neighbours

• Garbage
• Compostable materials (e.g. leaves, grass clippings)
• Vegetative debris resulting from land cleared for a different use (e.g. farmland to residential development)

Unless a prohibition is in place, small campfires are permitted within the District of Lake Country. 

See the District of Lake Country Bylaw 612 – wood campfires allowed, no permit required

1. Always check if there is a campfire ban in place for the Central Okanagan by any local authority or fire ban or restrictions by BC Wildlife in other regions.
2. Always check the Fire Danger Rating to make an informed decision before lighting a fire. Fire danger ratings indicate how easily fires can start and spread in an area.

In order to prevent health issues or any other problems, it is recommended that campfires should be avoided during poor air quality conditions. This is when:

• The Okanagan venting index is less than 34 and/or
• Particulate matter (PM_2.5- 24hr) is 15 µg/m³ or greater

Campfires are not considered part of open outdoor burning.

Campfires are generally small in size and used solely for cooking, lighting or warmth in a camping or recreational setting on private property. 

Open outdoor burning requires a permit and is for disposal of large permitted vegetative wood debris.

If you suspect someone is burning without a permit or the Lake Country Fire and smoke control requirements are not met, call Lake Country Fire Department 250-766-2327 or the regional fire dispatch 250-469-8577 immediately.

Anyone burning without a local burning permit or breaking the rules of their permit may be subject to fines up to $2,000 or be charged with the cost of putting out the fire by the fire service.

No fire permitted to be larger than 2 meters in height by 3 meters in diameter.

Property tenants must provide a signed Registered Owner Authorization form [PDF/164KB] to qualify for an open burning permit.

The permit does not need to be displayed but must be on hand to be presented if requested by a Lake Country Fire Department, District of Lake Country, or Regional District of Central Okanagan official. 

Please contact the Lake Country Fire Department 250-766-2327 or Regional Air Quality Coordinator  250-469 8408