Ladysmith backyard fire and burning rules

Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste in Ladysmith?

Ladysmith, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-06

Short answer

In Ladysmith, a contained campfire needs no permit if it is no bigger than 0.5 m high and wide, at least 5 m from buildings, shrubs, grassy areas and property lines, and supervised with water on hand. Backyard burning of yard waste is banned, as are burn barrels. Fires are not allowed during a Town or provincial ban.

Key facts

Backyard campfires	Allowed without a permit if the fire is contained (fire ring, pit or fireplace), no bigger than 0.5 m high and wide, at least 5 m from buildings, sheds, shrubs, grassy areas or property lines, supervised, and 8 litres of water or a tool is on hand. Not allowed during a Town or provincial ban.Fire Restrictions, Ladysmith Fire Rescue, Campfires & Outdoor Fireplaces; Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815, s. 15(d) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Must be at least 5 metres away from buildings, sheds, shrubs, grassy areas, or property lines. Must be no larger than 0.5 metres in height and width. You MUST have at least 8 litres of water or a tool on hand at all times while the fire is lit. Must not violate any provincial or Town orders restricting campfires or outdoor burning. Campfires and outdoor fireplaces situated not less than 5 meters from any
Burning yard waste	No. Backyard burning is banned: garden-waste (Class 2), demolition-waste (Class 3) and any yard-waste fires are not permitted, and burn barrels and burn cages are prohibited.Fire Restrictions, Ladysmith Fire Rescue, Year-round restrictions; Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815, s. 17 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Conduct backyard burning. Use burn barrels, burn cages or sky lanterns. No person shall start or maintain a Class 2 or 3 Fire or a garden refuse fire.
Permit	No permit for a campfire that meets the rules. Class 1 special-occasion fires are allowed only if approved by a Town officer (civic events). For other fires, e-mail Ladysmith Fire/Rescue at dispatch@ladysmith.ca. No fee stated.Fire Restrictions, Ladysmith Fire Rescue, Fire classifications / Need a fire permit?; Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815, s. 16 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Allowed, only if approved by a Town officer Some fires may be permitted for special events. No person shall start or maintain a Class 1 Fire unless it is for a civic event, function or
Fire bans	Town restrictions are posted on the Town's Fire Restrictions page; the Province, through the Coastal Fire Centre, also imposes seasonal restrictions. Check the Coastal Fire Centre or the BC Fire Bans and Restrictions page.Fire Restrictions, Ladysmith Fire Rescue, Fire Restrictions page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording the Province, via the Coastal Fire Centre, also imposes restrictions on a seasonal basis For information on regional and provincial fire bans, please visit the Coastal Fire Centre
Instead of burning	Yard and garden waste is not accepted at the curb. Take it to the CVRD Peerless Road Recycling Centre, 10830 Westdowne Road: grass, leaves and branches under 3 inches across, free for residential loads.Organics, Unaccepted items; Accepted Materials and Fees, Cowichan Valley Regional District, Yard Waste; Garbage, Peerless Road · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Yard and garden waste Yard Waste \| Free (residential loads) Address: 10830 Westdowne Road
Fine	None set. The Fire Prevention Bylaw makes breaking the rules an offence but states no fine amount.Read: Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815
Bylaw	Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815, s. 2 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 Official wording Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815

How it works

The Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815 and the Town's Fire Restrictions page set the rules for Ladysmith. A campfire needs no permit if it meets all of these:

It is contained in a fire ring, pit or fireplace.
It is no bigger than 0.5 m high and wide.
It is at least 5 m from buildings, sheds, shrubs, grassy areas and property lines.
It is supervised, with 8 litres of water or a tool on hand.

Campfires are not allowed during a Town or provincial ban.

What is banned

Backyard burning is banned year round. Garden-waste fires, demolition-waste fires and any yard-waste fires are not permitted, and burn barrels and burn cages are prohibited.

Steps

Check the Town's Fire Restrictions page and the Province's BC Fire Bans and Restrictions page (the Coastal Fire Centre sets seasonal provincial restrictions) before you light a fire.
For a fire not otherwise allowed, e-mail Ladysmith Fire/Rescue at dispatch@ladysmith.ca. Class 1 special-occasion fires are allowed only if approved by a Town officer.
For yard waste, use the drop-off instead; see the yard waste answer.

Good to know

Yard and garden waste is not accepted at the curb. The CVRD Peerless Road Recycling Centre takes grass, leaves and branches under 3 inches across, free for residential loads.
The bylaw makes breaking the rules an offence but states no fine amount. An older ticket schedule names a burning bylaw that has since been repealed.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

North Cowichan · Duncan · Lake Cowichan · Nanaimo · Lantzville · North Saanich

Backyard fire and burning rules in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

Fire Prevention Bylaw 2013, No. 1815 (PDF) (read 2026-11-06)
Fire Restrictions, Ladysmith Fire Rescue (read 2026-11-06)
Organics, Town of Ladysmith (read 2026-11-06)
Garbage, Town of Ladysmith (read 2026-11-06)
Accepted Materials and Fees, Cowichan Valley Regional District (read 2026-11-06)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set. How answers are checked.