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Lantzville backyard fire and burning rules

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

Lantzville, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-08

Short answer

In Lantzville, small contained campfires are allowed any time of year if no fire ban is in place. Open burning of yard piles is allowed only October 15 to April 15, under strict conditions. Check the District's Outdoor Burning page for bans.

Key facts

Backyard campfiresAllowed any time of year if contained in a device or fixture, burning only propane, natural gas, clean wood or charcoal, no bigger than 0.61 m, and no fire ban in place. Keep at least 5 m from dry grass, shrubbery, a wooden fence, buildings and fuel tanks. On beaches only a CSA- or ULC-rated portable propane apparatus, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., flame under 15 cm.District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 25(c), 25(e); District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 31(5) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
an outdoor cooking, ceremonial or camp fire, provided the fire is contained in a device or
does not exceed 0.61 meters in size at any time
of the year providing there are no fire bans in place
No Open Air Fires are permitted on any beach within the boundaries of the District of Lantzville at any time
a Ceremonial and/or Outdoor Cooking fire less than
five (5) metres from any dry grass, shrubbery or wooden fence
Burning yard wasteOpen air or incinerator fires (piles under 1.2 m high and 1.8 m across) only October 15 to April 15, only if every reasonable alternative has been tried and the venting index is good. Needs wind under 15 km/h, an adult over 18 in charge with a phone, water, hose and shovel, and 5 m from dry grass, shrubs, fences and buildings. No prohibited materials.Sources differ: Conflict: the Outdoor Burning Regulations and Guidelines brochure (March 2024) says in one place the bylaw prohibits open air fires April 16 to October 14, and in another that it "permits Open Air and Incinerator fires from April 16th to October 14th". The bylaw (s. 25(a)) and the Outdoor Burning Information page say the permitted season is October 15 to April 15; the value follows the bylaw. Agricultural Clearing Waste Fires: October 15 to November 15 only, with a provincial burn registration number and the Fire Chief's prior written approval (s. 28). Prohibited materials are listed in s. 30. The District page says land clearing fires are prohibited at all times except on Agricultural Land Reserve land.District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 25(a); District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 27, 31(1)-(3); Outdoor Burning Information, Outdoor Burning Information page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
an Open Air Fire or Incinerator Fire composed of a pile of combustible material less than
1.2 metres high and less than 1.8 metres in diameter only during the period beginning
October 15th of a calendar year and ending April 15th of the following calendar year
does not indicate a good venting index for the period in which the fire is to burn
in wind conditions exceeding 15 kilometres per
a person over the age of 18 is present and
five (5) metres from any dry grass, shrubbery or wooden fence, and
October 15th - April 15th - Open Air burning and Incinerator Fires are permitted subject to conditions - see Bylaw No. 185.
PermitThe bylaw does not mention a permit for ordinary open air or incinerator fires. Agricultural clearing waste fires need a burn registration number from the Province and the Fire Chief's prior written approval.District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 28 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
having a burn registration number issued by the Province;
with the prior written approval of the Fire Chief.
Fire bansAll Provincial fire bans in the Coast Forest Region apply in the District. A Fire Department representative may demand any fire be put out at any time, and no fire may burn if the Central Vancouver Island venting index is not good. The District posts ban notices on its website.District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 25(h), 26, 27; Outdoor Burning Information, Outdoor Burning Information page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
all Provincial fire bans effective within the Coast
Forest Region, shall apply within the District boundaries
a representative of the Fire Department may demand a fire be extinguished
call the Ministry of Environment at 1.888.281.2992 and follow the prompts to hear Environment Canada's daily ventilation index for Central Vancouver Island
Instead of burningYard and garden waste (leaves, grass, light trimmings up to 1.5 cm thick and 60 cm long) can go in the green-lidded organics cart collected by the RDN every week. For other disposal, the Fire Chief's brochure points to the RDN Solid Waste Services at 250.390.6560.Curbside Collection Program Overview, Regional District of Nanaimo, Curbside program page; Outdoor Burning Regulations and Guidelines brochure, Brochure · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Leaves, grass, and light trimmings are accepted.
No larger than 1.5 cm (0.5 inches) in diameter; and,
No longer than 60 cm (2 feet) in length.
Nanaimo Solid Waste Services at 250.390.6560.
FineMunicipal ticket $500 for most burning offences (prohibited fire, fire too large, burning outside the permitted period, burning prohibited materials, burning during a fire ban, unattended fire). On conviction, $500 to $10,000 plus prosecution costs.Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 100 (consolidated May 1, 2020), Appendix 1; District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 34 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
Prohibited fire 25 $500.00
Burning outside of permitted period
Burning during fire ban
25.h. $500.00
a minimum
fine of $500 and a maximum fine of $10,000 and the cost of prosecution
BylawDistrict of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019, s. 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
Official wording
This Bylaw may be cited as the “District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No.
185, 2019”.

How it works

Burning in Lantzville is governed by the Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185.

Campfires. Allowed any time of year if contained in a device or fixture, burning only propane, natural gas, clean wood or charcoal, no bigger than 0.61 m, and no fire ban is in place. Keep at least 5 m from dry grass, shrubbery, a wooden fence, buildings and fuel tanks. On beaches, only a CSA- or ULC-rated portable propane apparatus is allowed, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a flame under 15 cm.

Open air or incinerator fires. Piles under 1.2 m high and 1.8 m across, only October 15 to April 15, only if every reasonable alternative has been tried and the venting index is good. You need wind under 15 km/h, an adult over 18 in charge with a phone, water, a hose and a shovel, and 5 m from dry grass, shrubs, fences and buildings. Prohibited materials may not be burned.

Good to know

  • Check the District's Outdoor Burning page for the current ban status. Notices change. All Provincial fire bans in the Coast Forest Region apply in the District.
  • A Fire Department representative may demand that any fire be put out at any time. No fire may burn if the Central Vancouver Island venting index is not good.
  • The bylaw does not mention a permit for ordinary fires. Agricultural clearing waste fires, October 15 to November 15 only, need a provincial burn registration number and the Fire Chief's prior written approval. The District says land clearing fires are prohibited except on Agricultural Land Reserve land.
  • Instead of burning, leaves, grass and light trimmings up to 1.5 cm thick and 60 cm long can go in the green-lidded organics cart collected by the RDN every week. Other disposal: RDN Solid Waste Services, 250.390.6560.
  • Municipal ticket: $500 for most burning offences. A conviction can carry $500 to $10,000 plus prosecution costs. The Fire Department's response costs may also be charged.
  • The brochure gives one season in a contradictory way; the bylaw and District page both say October 15 to April 15.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Nanaimo · Parksville · Qualicum Beach · Sechelt · Ladysmith · Gibsons

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

Sources

  1. Outdoor Burning Information, District of Lantzville (read 2026-11-08)
  2. District of Lantzville Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 185, 2019 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
  3. Outdoor Burning Regulations and Guidelines brochure (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
  4. Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 100 (consolidated May 1, 2020), Appendix 1 (PDF) (read 2026-11-08)
  5. Curbside Collection Program Overview, Regional District of Nanaimo (read 2026-11-08)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 7 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.