---
title: Trail backyard fire and burning rules
question: "Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste in Trail?"
place: Trail, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/trail
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/backyard-fire/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/backyard-fire.json"
---

# Trail backyard fire and burning rules

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

**Short answer:** No. The City of Trail's Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw bans all open burning and makes no exception for fire pits or campfires. The only exception is land-clearing burns with a Fire Service permit. Confirm with the fire service before using a fire pit, and use the City's yard waste collection instead.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Cost:** No ticket amount found; the bylaw sets the maximum penalty under the provincial Offence Act. No permit fee stated.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement, 250-364-0833
- Online: Police, Fire and Safety Services (City of Trail), https://www.trail.ca/contact/police-fire-safety/

## Key facts

- **Backyard campfires:** Not allowed. The bylaw bans all open burning (smoke going directly to the air, other than a fireplace, stove or solid fuel appliance in a building) and makes no exception for fire pits or campfires. Only land-clearing burns with a Fire Service permit are allowed. Confirm with the fire service.
  - Source: [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996, s. 2, s. 12(1)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person shall engage in open burning." … "the burning of material which results in the products of the combustion being emitted directly to the air and which is not contained within a domestic fireplace or stove or a solid fuel burning appliance"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Burning yard waste:** Not allowed. The only exception is open burning for land clearing under a Fire Service permit. The City's fall notice repeats that open burning is prohibited within city limits.
  - Source: [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996, s. 12, s. 14](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No person shall engage in open burning." … "a person may conduct open burning for land clearing purposes under the authority of a permit issued by the Fire Service"
  - Source: [Yard and Garden Waste Collection Fall 2026 Schedule, Fall 2026 notice](https://www.trail.ca/uncategorized/yard-and-garden-waste-collection-fall-2026-schedule/)
  - Official wording: "open burning remains prohibited within city limits"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permit:** Only for land-clearing burns (a permit from the Fire Service) and fireworks displays. Fee not stated.
  - Source: [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996, s. 14, s. 20(3)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "a person may conduct open burning for land clearing purposes under the authority of a permit issued by the Fire Service"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fire bans:** None set. Trail's Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw has no fire-ban provision because open burning is banned all year.
- **Instead of burning:** City yard and garden waste collection on days the City sets (fall 2026: Oct. 26 to Nov. 10), or the McKelvey Creek Regional Landfill at 1900 Highway 3B (tipping fees apply).
  - Source: [Yard and Garden Waste Collection Fall 2026 Schedule, Fall 2026 notice](https://www.trail.ca/uncategorized/yard-and-garden-waste-collection-fall-2026-schedule/)
  - Official wording: "The City of Trail has released its 2026 fall yard and garden waste collection schedule"
  - Source: [https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/green-bin-user-guide.pdf, Green bin guide, FAQ](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/green-bin-user-guide.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Landfill. Tipping fees apply."
  - Source: [Garbage & Recycling, Garbage & Recycling page](https://trail.ca/services/garbage-recycling/)
  - Official wording: "located at1900 Highway 3B in Trail"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** No ticket amount found. The bylaw sets the maximum penalty under the provincial Offence Act.
  - Source: [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996, s. 22](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "A person who contravenes the provisions of this bylaw commits an offence and is liable to the maximum penalty prescribed by the Offence Act."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996
  - Source: [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996, s. 1](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as the "Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335 , 1996"."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Trail's [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf) bans open burning. Open burning means burning that sends smoke directly into the air, other than a fireplace, stove or solid-fuel appliance in a building. The bylaw makes no exception for fire pits or campfires, so they appear to be covered. It never names them, so confirm with the fire service before using one. The City's fall 2026 yard waste notice says open burning remains prohibited within city limits.

## Good to know

- The only exception is open burning for land clearing, which needs a permit from the Fire Service. "Land clearing" means removing trees and plants to prepare property for subdivision. No permit fee is stated. The bylaw has no permit for backyard burning.
- The Fire Service may order any open fire put out and charge the cost.
- Yard waste instead: the City sets yard and garden waste collection days (fall 2026: October 26 to November 10; see the yard waste answer). Yard waste may not go in the green bin. You can also take it to the McKelvey Creek Regional Landfill, 1900 Highway 3B (tipping fees apply).
- The bylaw has no fire-ban provision because open burning is banned all year. The City's Police, Fire and Safety Services page links to current emergency alerts.
- No ticket amount found. The bylaw sets the maximum penalty under the provincial Offence Act.
- To report a neighbour's fire, call Bylaw Enforcement at 250-364-0833. For an uncontrolled fire, call 9-1-1.

## Official forms and pages

- [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996 (PDF)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Trail yard waste collection and drop-off](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/yard-waste.md)
- [Trail fireworks rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/fireworks.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard fire and burning rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-fire.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/backyard-fire.md)
- [Rossland](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/backyard-fire.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/backyard-fire.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/backyard-fire.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/backyard-fire.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/backyard-fire.md)

## Sources

- [Fire Safety and Prevention Bylaw No. 2335, 1996, City of Trail (PDF)](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fire-Safety-and-Prevention-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Yard and Garden Waste Collection Fall 2026 Schedule, City of Trail](https://www.trail.ca/uncategorized/yard-and-garden-waste-collection-fall-2026-schedule/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Garbage & Recycling, City of Trail](https://trail.ca/services/garbage-recycling/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Police, Fire and Safety Services, City of Trail](https://www.trail.ca/contact/police-fire-safety/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Bylaw Enforcement, City of Trail](https://www.trail.ca/city-hall/bylaws/bylaw-enforcement/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/green-bin-user-guide.pdf](https://trail.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/green-bin-user-guide.pdf) (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. 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/trail/backyard-fire/_