{"title":"Wells backyard fire and burning rules","question":"Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste in Wells?","slug":"backyard-fire","place":{"path":"ca/bc/wells","name":"Wells","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"bylaws-and-complaints","name":"Bylaws, noise and complaints"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"District of Wells","url":"https://www.wells.ca"},"short_answer":"The District of Wells Fire Services Bylaw has no campfire, fire pit or burning permit rule. It lets the Fire Chief suspend all outdoor burning for public safety or air quality, and while it is suspended no one may do open burning in the District. Ask the Fire Chief before burning.","aliases":["backyard fire wells bc","burning permit wells","campfire wells bc","burn ban wells"],"cost":"No permit or fee is stated.","how_long":"Not applicable.","where":[{"type":"email","label":"Fire Chief, Wells Volunteer Fire Brigade","value":"firechief@wells.ca"},{"type":"phone","label":"Fire Chief, Wells Volunteer Fire Brigade","value":"604-805-5366"},{"type":"phone","label":"District Office","value":"250-994-3330"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells","url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf"}],"related":[],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/quesnel","name":"Quesnel","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/quesnel/backyard-fire/"},{"place":"ca/bc/williams-lake","name":"Williams Lake","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/williams-lake/backyard-fire/"},{"place":"ca/bc/mcbride","name":"McBride","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/mcbride/backyard-fire/"},{"place":"ca/bc/prince-george","name":"Prince George","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-george/backyard-fire/"},{"place":"ca/bc/100-mile-house","name":"100 Mile House","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/100-mile-house/backyard-fire/"},{"place":"ca/bc/valemount","name":"Valemount","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/valemount/backyard-fire/"}],"topic":{"title":"Backyard fire and burning rules in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-fire/"},"facts":{"campfires":{"label":"Backyard campfires","value":null,"status":"none","note":"The District of Wells Fire Services Bylaw has no standing rule on campfires, fire pits or yard waste burning, and names no burning permit.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf","title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells"}]},"open_burning":{"label":"Burning yard waste","value":null,"status":"none","note":"The District of Wells Fire Services Bylaw has no standing rule on campfires, fire pits or yard waste burning, and names no burning permit.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf","title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells"}]},"permit":{"label":"Permit","value":null,"status":"none","note":"The District of Wells Fire Services Bylaw has no standing rule on campfires, fire pits or yard waste burning, and names no burning permit.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf","title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells"}]},"fire_bans":{"label":"Fire bans","value":"The Fire Chief may suspend any or all outdoor burning for public nuisance or public safety, including air quality and risk of fire spread. While suspended, no one may carry on open burning within the District.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf","title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells","section":"s. 17.1","quotes":["The Fire Chief may, at his or her discretion, suspend any or all outdoor burning","no person shall carry on open burning within the District"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"alternatives":{"label":"Instead of burning","value":"Trees, branches and dimensional lumber can go to the wood waste yard at the Wells Transfer Station, 10720 Barkerville Hwy.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/residents/garbage-recycling","title":"Garbage and Recycling, District of Wells","section":"Garbage page, Garbage","quotes":["The Wells Transfer Station is located at 10720 Barkerville Hwy","The wood waste yard is for wood waste only, including trees, branches, and dimensional lumber"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"No ticket amount is stated. A person who breaks the Fire Services Bylaw commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to the penalties in the Offence Act; each day is a separate offence.","short":"No ticket; Offence Act penalties","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf","title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells","section":"s. 32.1","quotes":["liable on summary conviction to the penalties provided for in the Offence Act","constitutes a separate offence"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"District of Wells Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf","title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells","section":"s. 1.1","quotes":["This Bylaw may be cited as “Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015”"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":7,"stated":4,"matched":4,"none":3,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe District of Wells [Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015](https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf) has one outdoor burning section. It lets the Fire Chief suspend any or all outdoor burning for public nuisance or public safety, including air quality and risk of fire spread. While burning is suspended, no one may carry on open burning in the District. The bylaw gives no standing rule on campfires, fire pits, yard waste or brush piles, and it names no burning permit.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. Before you light anything, ask the Fire Chief at firechief@wells.ca or 604-805-5366 whether burning is allowed and whether a permit is needed.\n2. Check for provincial wildfire bans through BC Wildfire Service.\n3. Instead of burning, take trees, branches and dimensional lumber to the wood waste yard at the Wells Transfer Station, 10720 Barkerville Hwy.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- No page on wells.ca says where to check for a current suspension.\n- The bylaw states no ticket amount. A person who breaks it is liable on summary conviction to the penalties in the Offence Act, and each day is a separate offence.\n- Transfer station hours are not stated on the District page.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/application/files/2615/9373/2772/Bylaw_No._142_2015_Fire_Services_Bylaw.pdf","title":"Fire Services Bylaw No. 142, 2015 (PDF), District of Wells","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/residents/garbage-recycling","title":"Garbage and Recycling, District of Wells","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.wells.ca/residents/fire-protection","title":"Fire Protection, District of Wells","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 3 are recorded as not set."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/backyard-fire/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/backyard-fire.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/wells/backyard-fire.json"}}