---
title: Salt Spring Island backyard fire and burning rules
question: "Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste, and do I need a permit?"
place: Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/salt-spring-island
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: other
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/backyard-fire/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/backyard-fire.json"
---

# Salt Spring Island backyard fire and burning rules

**Question:** Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste, and do I need a permit?

**Short answer:** On Salt Spring Island, yes. Open-Burning Bylaw 125 of Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue requires a permit from the Fire Chief year-round for all open burning, including campfires. The permit fee was not found. The Fire Chief can ban burning and suspend permits, and BC Wildfire Service bans can also apply.

**Who handles it:** Another public body  
**Cost:** The permit fee was not found. Call Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue to ask.  
**Where:**
- Online: Fire permits and bylaw (Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue), https://saltspringfire.com/fire-permits-and-bylaw/
- Phone: Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue office, 250-537-2531
- Email: Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, info@saltspringfire.com

## Key facts

- **Backyard campfires:** Allowed only with a permit from the Fire Chief of Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue. A campfire is one pile no bigger than 0.5 m high and 0.5 m wide, for recreation, cooking, warmth or ceremony. Keep it at least 5 m from any structure or property line and 1.5 m from standing vegetation, with a shovel or 8 litres of water on hand.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Open Burning Bylaw No. 125, Part I s. 1; Part II ss. 1, 12](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf)
  - Official wording: "burns material in one pile no larger than 0.5 m in height and 0.5 m in width" … "be located at least 5 metres from any structure or property line and 1.5 metres" … "No Person shall carry out Open Burning without a valid Permit issued by the Fire Chief."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Burning yard waste:** Allowed only with a permit from the Fire Chief, year-round. Brush piles (Category 2) must be hand piled, no more than two piles each up to 2 m high and 3 m wide, at least 10 m from any structure or property line and 5 m from vegetation, with water on hand. Garden refuse may be burned in a screened incinerator. Garbage and prohibited materials may not be burned.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Open Burning Bylaw No. 125, Part I s. 2; Part II ss. 1, 11, 13](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf)
  - Official wording: "burns material concurrently in no more than two piles each not exceeding 2 m in" … "be hand piled and located at least 10m from any structure or property line and 5m" … "No Person shall burn Noxious Materials or Garbage, or the prohibited materials listed in"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permit:** Yes. A permit from the Fire Chief of Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue is needed year-round for all open burning, including campfires, and it cannot be used on another property. Fee: not found. Call 250.537.2531.
  - Source: [Fire Protection Services, Capital Regional District, Salt Spring Island Fire Protection](https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/fire-emergency/fire-protection-services)
  - Official wording: "Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue oversees fire regulations, response, and permits for most of Salt Spring Island and is operated by Salt Spring Island Fire Protection Improvement District." … "Tel: 250.537.2531"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Open Burning Bylaw No. 125, Part II ss. 1, 8](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No Person shall carry out Open Burning without a valid Permit issued by the Fire Chief." … "Permits are required year round for all Open Burning and may be suspended when Open"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fire bans:** The Salt Spring Island Fire Chief can order a fire ban for any category of open burning and suspend permits; check the Burn Restrictions page at saltspringfire.com or call 250.537.2531. BC Wildfire Service can also order open fire bans; check its fire prohibitions page, since local bans can add to provincial ones.
  - Source: [Fire bans and restrictions, BC Wildfire Service, Current prohibitions; Where orders apply](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/prevention/fire-bans-and-restrictions)
  - Official wording: "Even if there are no provincial open fire prohibitions in place, always check with local government authorities for any other open fire restrictions." … "BCWS open fire prohibition and equipment/activity prohibition orders typically apply in Regional District and Improvement District areas outside of municipal boundaries."
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Open Burning Bylaw No. 125, Part I s. 6; Part II s. 2](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Fire Ban – means periods when Open Burning of selected categories may be prohibited"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Instead of burning:** Backyard household composting is a permitted use in all residential zones. The CRD lists no municipal yard-waste collection for Salt Spring Island.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, Islands Trust, s. 3.23.1](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/)
  - Official wording: "Backyard, household level composting is a permitted use in all residential zones."
  - Source: [Collection Services in Your Area, Capital Regional District, collection table](https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/garbage-recycling/collection-services-your-area)
  - Official wording: "The municipalities (M) that offer these services are outlined in the table below."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** No local ticket amount: breaking Bylaw 125 is an offence under the Offence Act, and the owner may be billed the fire department's costs. Breaking a BC Wildfire Service open fire prohibition: ticket of $1,150 (Province).
  - Source: [Fire bans and restrictions, BC Wildfire Service, Offences and fines](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/prevention/fire-bans-and-restrictions)
  - Official wording: "Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150"
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Open Burning Bylaw No. 125, Part II ss. 18-19, 23](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Any Person who contravenes any provision of this Bylaw is guilty of an offence and is" … "The burning of any material without a required Permit may result in cost recovery from"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Open-Burning Bylaw No. 125 (Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District, adopted January 28, 2016). The CRD Fire Regulation Bylaw No. 2, 2022 (4489) does not apply on Salt Spring.
  - Source: [Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Open Burning Bylaw No. 125, title, s. 26](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Open-Burning Bylaw No. 125" … "This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “Open-Burning Bylaw No. 125”."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Salt Spring Island is not a municipality. Open burning is run by Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, the fire protection improvement district, under [Open-Burning Bylaw 125](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf). A permit from the Fire Chief is needed year-round for all open burning, including campfires. It cannot be used on another property. The CRD's Fire Regulation Bylaw 4489 does not apply on Salt Spring.

## Steps

1. Call Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue at 250.537.2531 to ask for a permit and the fee, which was not found.
2. Check the Burn Restrictions page or call before you light anything.
3. Follow the size and distance rules below, and have water or a shovel on hand.

## Good to know

- Campfire: one pile no bigger than 0.5 m high and 0.5 m wide, for recreation, cooking, warmth or ceremony. Keep it at least 5 m from any structure or property line and 1.5 m from standing vegetation, with a shovel or 8 litres of water on hand.
- Brush piles (Category 2): hand piled, no more than two piles, each up to 2 m high and 3 m wide, at least 10 m from any structure or property line and 5 m from vegetation, with water on hand.
- Garden refuse may be burned in a screened incinerator. Garbage and prohibited materials may not be burned.
- The Fire Chief can order a fire ban for any category of open burning and suspend permits. BC Wildfire Service can also order bans, and local bans can add to provincial ones. Status changes often, so check before you burn.
- Backyard household composting is a permitted use in all residential zones. The CRD lists no municipal yard-waste collection for Salt Spring.
- Breaking Bylaw 125 is an offence under the Offence Act, and the owner may be billed the fire department's costs. Breaking a BC Wildfire Service open fire prohibition brings a $1,150 ticket from the Province.

## Official forms and pages

- [Burn restrictions (check current status)](https://saltspringfire.com/burn-restrictions/)
- [Open Burning Bylaw No. 125 (PDF)](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Salt Spring Island fireworks rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/fireworks.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard fire and burning rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-fire.md)

## Sources

- [Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District Open Burning Bylaw No. 125 (PDF)](https://www.saltspringfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Open-Burning-Bylaw-No.-125.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Fire Protection Services, Capital Regional District](https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/fire-emergency/fire-protection-services) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Fire bans and restrictions, BC Wildfire Service](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/prevention/fire-bans-and-restrictions) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Salt Spring Island Land Use Bylaw No. 355, Islands Trust (PDF)](https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/ssi-ltc-bylaw-no-355/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Collection Services in Your Area, Capital Regional District](https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/garbage-recycling/collection-services-your-area) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 7 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with any government. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salt-spring-island/backyard-fire/_