---
title: Burns Lake backyard fire and burning rules
question: "Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste in Burns Lake?"
place: Burns Lake, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/burns-lake
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Burns Lake
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/backyard-fire/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/backyard-fire.json"
---

# Burns Lake backyard fire and burning rules

**Question:** Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste in Burns Lake?

**Short answer:** In Burns Lake, campfires are allowed if they follow BC Wildfire regulations, and no burning permit is needed for small backyard burning. For any large outdoor burning, contact the Director of Protective Services, Rob Krause, at 250-692-7587 ext 2012.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Burns Lake, https://www.burnslake.ca)  
**Cost:** No permit for small backyard burning. For large outdoor burning, no fee is stated.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Director of Protective Services (Rob Krause), large outdoor burning, 250-692-7587 ext 2012

## Key facts

- **Backyard campfires:** Campfires are permitted within the Village if they follow BC Wildfire regulations.
  - Source: [Fire Department, FAQs](https://www.burnslake.ca/resident-services/emergency-preparedness/fire-department)
  - Official wording: "Campfires are permitted within the Village provided they conform to BC Wildfire regulations."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Burning yard waste:** A burning permit is not required for small backyard burning. All burning in the Village must follow the BC Wildfire open burning regulations. For any large outdoor burning, contact the Director of Protective Services (Rob Krause).
  - Source: [Fire Department, FAQs](https://www.burnslake.ca/resident-services/emergency-preparedness/fire-department)
  - Official wording: "A burning permit is not required for small backyard burning. All burning in the village must conform to the BC Wildfire regulations for open burning." … "For any large outdoor burning, please contact Rob Krause, Director of Protective Services."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permit:** No permit for small backyard burning. For large outdoor burning, contact the Director of Protective Services (Rob Krause); no fee is stated.
  - Source: [Fire Department, FAQs](https://www.burnslake.ca/resident-services/emergency-preparedness/fire-department)
  - Official wording: "A burning permit is not required for small backyard burning." … "For any large outdoor burning, please contact Rob Krause, Director of Protective Services."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fire bans:** Not confirmed. The Village's pages do not state fire ban information or the fine.
- **Instead of burning:** Compostable yard waste is not collected in the household garbage bin. The Village page names no yard waste drop-off; it points extra garbage and recycling to the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako transfer station on Babine Lake Rd (hours on the RDBN site).
  - Source: [Garbage Collection | Village of Burns Lake, FAQs](https://www.burnslake.ca/resident-services/garbage-collection)
  - Official wording: "compostable yard waste or cardboard etc." … "The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako manages the transfer station located on Babine Lake Rd."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine:** Not confirmed. The Village's pages do not state fire ban information or the fine.
- **Bylaw:** Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 1093, 2025 (title and number from the Village's bylaw library; the PDF is a scan and was not read).
  - Source: [Bylaws and policies (page 2: Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 1093), Bylaw library](https://www.burnslake.ca/local-government/bylaws?page=2)
  - Official wording: "Open Air Burning Bylaw | No. 1093"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The Village's Fire Department page says campfires are permitted within the Village if they follow BC Wildfire regulations, and a burning permit is not required for small backyard burning. All burning in the Village must follow the BC Wildfire open burning regulations. The page does not say what "small" means. The Village's [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 1093](<https://www.burnslake.ca/local-government/bylaws?page=2>) is newer than that page and is a scanned PDF that could not be read, so it may set other rules.

## Steps

1. For any large outdoor burning, contact the Director of Protective Services, Rob Krause, at 250-692-7587 ext 2012.
2. Check current fire bans with BC Wildfire before lighting any fire.

## Good to know

- Compostable yard waste is not collected with household garbage. The Village page names no yard waste drop-off; it points extra garbage and recycling to the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) transfer station on Babine Lake Rd. Check the RDBN hours page for what it accepts.
- Fire ban information and the fine are not stated on the Village's pages.

## Official forms and pages

- [Bylaws and policies (Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 1093, 2025)](https://www.burnslake.ca/local-government/bylaws?page=2)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard fire and burning rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-fire.md)
- [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/backyard-fire.md)
- [Granisle](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/granisle/backyard-fire.md)
- [Fort St James](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fort-st-james/backyard-fire.md)
- [Vanderhoof](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/vanderhoof/backyard-fire.md)
- [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/backyard-fire.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/backyard-fire.md)

## Sources

- [Fire Department, Village of Burns Lake](https://www.burnslake.ca/resident-services/emergency-preparedness/fire-department) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaws and policies (page 2: Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 1093), Village of Burns Lake](https://www.burnslake.ca/local-government/bylaws?page=2) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Burns Lake](https://www.burnslake.ca/contact) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Garbage Collection | Village of Burns Lake](https://www.burnslake.ca/resident-services/garbage-collection) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Burns Lake. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/backyard-fire/_