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

# Port Edward backyard fire and burning rules

**Question:** Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste in Port Edward?

**Short answer:** In Port Edward, a small cooking fire (up to 50 cm by 50 cm and 50 cm high, in a fire pit) needs no permit. Other open fires need a permit, except garden refuse grown on your property burned between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. or before dusk.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Port Edward, https://www.portedward.ca)  
**Cost:** No fee is stated in the bylaw or the form. Court fine on conviction: up to $1,000. The District may also recover firefighting costs from the owner.  
**How long:** Not stated.  
**Where:**
- Online: Application to Open Air Burn, https://www.portedward.ca/web-forms/open-burn-application
- Phone: District of Port Edward office (Municipal Hall, 770 Pacific Ave), 250-628-3667 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding public holidays)
- Phone: Port Edward Volunteer Fire Department (567 Sunset Drive), 250-628-3323

## Key facts

- **Backyard campfires:** A small cooking fire (up to 50 cm by 50 cm across and 50 cm high, in a fire pit, for cooking food) needs no permit and is allowed after dusk. Any other open fire needs a permit unless it is only garden refuse burned under s. 5 (3).
  - Source: [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013, s. 3, s. 4 (9), s. 5 (2)](https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A permit is not required for a small confined cooking fire used for cooking food on grills," … "not exceeding 50 cm by 50 cm in diameter and 50 cm in height" … "with the exception of cooking fires" … "means the lighting, ignition or continuation of a fire of any kind" … "Except as provided in this bylaw, a person shall not carry on or permit to be carried on"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Burning yard waste:** Without a permit, only flammable garden refuse (leaves, foliage, pruning, weeds) grown on that property, burned between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. or before dusk, whichever is earlier. Not within 5 m of a dwelling, fence or combustible structure; no more than 1 m³; an adult 16 or older must attend with water.
  - Source: [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013, s. 5 (3), s. 7, s. 4 (6), (7)](https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "The material to be burned consists only of flammable garden refuse." … "The burning takes place between the hours of 9 am and 7 pm or before dusk," … "Within 5 meters of and dwelling, fence or combustible structure;" … "a competent person of the age of at least 16 years"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Permit:** Burning outside the exemptions needs a permit from an authorized person (Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, RCMP officer or Public Works Superintendent). Apply with the District's online Application to Open Air Burn.
  - Source: [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013, s. 3, s. 4 (1)](https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "without first obtaining a permit from an authorized person." … "the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, RCMP Officer or the Public Works"
  - Source: [Application to Open Air Burn, Form](https://www.portedward.ca/web-forms/open-burn-application)
  - Official wording: "Application to Open Air Burn"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fire bans:** Bylaw 534 has no fire-ban rule, though Fireworks Bylaw 723 mentions 'a fire ban'. The Province says BC Wildfire Service bans usually do not apply inside municipal boundaries and municipalities set their own, so check with the District.
  - Source: [Fire Prohibitions and Restrictions - Province of British Columbia, Within municipal boundaries](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/prevention/fire-bans-and-restrictions)
  - Official wording: "Typically, BCWS open fire prohibition and equipment/activity prohibition orders will specify that they do not apply within municipal boundaries, with certain exceptions." … "Municipalities typically implement their own open fire prohibitions that may follow or vary from BCWS prohibitions."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Instead of burning:** Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read.
- **Fine:** No ticket amount found. Court fine on conviction: up to $1,000.
  - Source: [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013, s. 10](https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding $1,000.00."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** District of Port Edward Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013
  - Source: [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013, s. 1](https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The District's [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013](<https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf>) sets the rules for open fires.

- **Cooking fire:** a small fire in a fire pit for cooking food, up to 50 cm by 50 cm across and 50 cm high, needs no permit and is allowed after dusk. The bylaw has no separate rule for recreational (non-cooking) campfires.
- **Garden refuse:** without a permit, you may burn only flammable garden refuse (leaves, foliage, pruning, weeds) grown on that property, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. or before dusk, whichever is earlier. Keep it at least 5 m from a dwelling, fence or combustible structure, and no more than 1 m³. An adult aged 16 or older must attend with water.
- **Anything else** needs a permit.

## Steps

1. Apply with the District's [Application to Open Air Burn](<https://www.portedward.ca/web-forms/open-burn-application>).
2. A permit comes from an authorized person: the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, an RCMP officer or the Public Works Superintendent. They may refuse a permit if it is unsafe (s. 9).

## Good to know

- Prohibited materials: domestic waste, paint, oil, tar, petroleum, asphalt shingles, tires, rubber and plastic. Smoke must not be a nuisance.
- Construction waste may be burned only with a permit, up to 1 m³ from work on the same parcel in one 6-hour period.
- Fire bans: Bylaw 534 has no fire-ban rule. The Province says BC Wildfire Service bans usually do not apply inside municipal boundaries and municipalities set their own, so check with the District (250-628-3667) or the fire department (250-628-3323) before you light anything.
- The District's garbage page says garden waste is not collected.
- No ticket amount is posted. A court can fine up to $1,000.

## Official forms and pages

- [Application to Open Air Burn, District of Port Edward](https://www.portedward.ca/web-forms/open-burn-application)
- [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013 (PDF)](https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Port Edward fireworks rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/fireworks.md)
- [Port Edward noise bylaw: quiet hours, construction hours and fines](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/noise-rules.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard fire and burning rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-fire.md)
- [Prince Rupert](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/backyard-fire.md)
- [Kitimat](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kitimat/backyard-fire.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/backyard-fire.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/backyard-fire.md)
- [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/backyard-fire.md)
- [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/backyard-fire.md)

## Sources

- [Open Air Burning Bylaw No. 534, 2013 (PDF)](https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/534OpenAirBurning.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Application to Open Air Burn, District of Port Edward](https://www.portedward.ca/web-forms/open-burn-application) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Volunteer Fire Department, District of Port Edward](https://www.portedward.ca/services/volunteer-fire) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Resident Complaint Form, District of Port Edward](https://www.portedward.ca/web-forms/resident-complaint-form) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Fire Prohibitions and Restrictions - Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/prevention/fire-bans-and-restrictions) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Port Edward. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/backyard-fire/_