---
title: White Rock backyard fire and burning rules
question: "Can I have a backyard fire or burn yard waste in White Rock?"
place: White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/white-rock
category: Bylaws, noise and complaints
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of White Rock
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/backyard-fire/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/backyard-fire.json"
---

# White Rock backyard fire and burning rules

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

**Short answer:** No. White Rock bans open-air fires of any kind, including wood campfires and fire pits. The only exception is an approved portable appliance fuelled by propane, natural gas or charcoal. Burning yard waste or household waste is never allowed. The ticket is $150.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of White Rock, https://www.whiterockcity.ca)  
**Cost:** Ticket $150 for outdoor burning or burning residential waste. No permit is available for ordinary backyard burning.  
**Where:**
- Phone: White Rock Fire Rescue (non-emergency), 604-541-2121
- In person: White Rock Fire Rescue, 15315 Pacific Avenue, White Rock, BC V4B 1R1
- Phone: Emergency (fire), 9-1-1

## Key facts

- **Backyard campfires:** No wood campfires or fire pits: open-air fires of any kind are banned. The only exception is a fire in an approved portable appliance designed to be fuelled by propane, natural gas or charcoal. No size rules are given.
  - Source: [Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw 2014, No. 2057, s. 5.1](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/288/Fire-Protection-and-Safety-Bylaw-2014-Number-2057-PDF)
  - Official wording: "No person shall at any time start, light, ignite or burn" … "any fire of any kind in" … "the open air" … "specifically designed to be fueled by propane, natural gas or charcoal." … "open air, except where such fire is contained within an approved portable appliance or" … "device that has been specifically designed to be fueled by propane, natural gas or"
  - Source: [Beach Fires and Open-Air Burning, Beach Fires & Open-Air Burning](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/923/Beach-Fires-Open-Air-Burning)
  - Official wording: "White Rock has a bylaw that prohibits open-air burning, including beach fires."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Burning yard waste:** Not allowed. No one may burn residential waste, including household waste and yard materials, indoors or in the open air under any circumstances.
  - Source: [Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw 2014, No. 2057, s. 5.2(a)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/288/Fire-Protection-and-Safety-Bylaw-2014-Number-2057-PDF)
  - Official wording: "A person must not burn residential waste, including. without limitations," … "household waste and yard materials, indoors or in the open air under an" … "circumstances."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Permit:** No burning permit for ordinary backyard burning. Only fires for special circumstances approved in advance in writing by the Fire Chief are excluded from the ban.
  - Source: [Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw 2014, No. 2057, s. 5.1(c)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/288/Fire-Protection-and-Safety-Bylaw-2014-Number-2057-PDF)
  - Official wording: "fires for special circumstances and approved in advance in writing by the" … "Fire Chief"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fire bans:** The City bans open-air burning all year, so no seasonal ban notice applies; up to $1,150 fine during a Provincial fire ban. Provincial bans are posted on the BC Wildfire Service Fire Prohibitions and Restrictions page (gov.bc.ca).
  - Source: [Beach Fires and Open-Air Burning, Beach Fires & Open-Air Burning](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/923/Beach-Fires-Open-Air-Burning)
  - Official wording: "a minimum fine of $150, and a fine of up to $1,150 during a Provincial fire ban."
  - Source: [Fire Bans and Restrictions, BC Wildfire Service, Current prohibitions and restrictions](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."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Instead of burning:** Yard trimmings go in the weekly curbside organics collection (Green Can, kraft paper bags, or tied bundles of twigs and branches up to 75 mm thick). Excess can go to Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre, 6711 154 Street, Surrey (604-681-5600) or Revolution Resource Recovery, 19500 56th Avenue, Surrey (604-539-1900).
  - Source: [Solid Waste Bylaw 2015, No. 2084, s. 25, s. 27](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/270/Collection-Removal-Disposal-and-Recycling-of-Solid-Waste-Bylaw-2015-Number-2084-PDF)
  - Official wording: "organic waste containers, comprised of either compostable paper yard waste bags," … "bundles of twigs, or plastic or metal garbage cans with lids." … "Twigs and small branches up to 3 inches (75 mm) in diameter each can be tied in bundles"
  - Source: [Organics and Food Scraps, Alternate Recycling Facilities](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/1270/Organics-Food-Scraps)
  - Official wording: "Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre, 6711 – 154 Street, Surrey, BC V3S 7C6, 604-681-5600" … "Revolution Resource Recovery, 19500 56th Avenue, Surrey, BC V3S 6K4, 604-539-1900"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Outdoor burning: $150. Burning residential waste: $150. Under the Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw general penalty: $150 first offence, $500 second, $1,000 third and later.
  - Source: [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw 2011, No. 1929 (consolidated), Schedule B16](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/2072/Consolidated---Ticketing-for-Bylaw-Offences-2011-No-1929-PDF)
  - Official wording: "Conduct of Persons 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 $150.00 Outdoor Burning 5.1 $150.00 Residential Burning 5.2 (a) and (b) $150.00" … "Outdoor Burning 5.1 $150.00 Residential Burning 5.2 (a) and (b) $150.00 Accumulation of 5.3 (a), (b) or (c) $150.00" … "Securing Fire Damaged or 5.9.1 $150.00 Vacant Buildings Offences and Penalties 8.1 $150.00, first offence, $500.00, second offence, $1000.00, third or subsequent" … "Vacant Buildings Offences and Penalties 8.1 $150.00, first offence, $500.00, second offence, $1000.00, third or subsequent offence"
  - Source: [Beach Fires and Open-Air Burning, Beach Fires & Open-Air Burning](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/923/Beach-Fires-Open-Air-Burning)
  - Official wording: "Open-air burning can result is a minimum fine of $150"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw, 2014, No. 2057
  - Source: [Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw 2014, No. 2057, s. 12](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/288/Fire-Protection-and-Safety-Bylaw-2014-Number-2057-PDF)
  - Official wording: "Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw," … "2014, No. 2057."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The [Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw 2057](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/288/Fire-Protection-and-Safety-Bylaw-2014-Number-2057-PDF) bans open-air fires of any kind in White Rock. That covers wood campfires and fire pits. The one exception is a fire in an approved portable appliance designed to be fuelled by propane, natural gas or charcoal. No size rules are given. Fire training, fires needed for public safety, and fires approved in advance in writing by the Fire Chief are not counted as open-air fires. There is no permit for ordinary backyard burning.

No one may burn residential waste, including household waste and yard materials, indoors or in the open air under any circumstances.

## Good to know

- Yard trimmings go in the weekly curbside organics collection: Green Can, kraft paper bags, or tied bundles of twigs and branches up to 75 mm thick. Curbside service only reaches properties zoned One, Two or Three Unit Residential. The City's organics page lists Green Cans and kraft paper bags and does not mention bundles, while the bylaw allows them.
- Extra yard waste can go to Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre, 6711 154 Street, Surrey (604-681-5600) or Revolution Resource Recovery, 19500 56th Avenue, Surrey (604-539-1900).
- Tickets: $150 for outdoor burning and $150 for burning residential waste. Under the bylaw's general penalty the amounts are $150, $500, then $1,000. The City's burning page says up to $1,150 during a Provincial fire ban. Confirm with Fire Rescue.
- The City bans open-air burning all year, so no seasonal notice applies. Provincial bans are posted on the BC Wildfire Service fire prohibitions page at gov.bc.ca.

## Official forms and pages

- [White Rock Fire Rescue](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/235/White-Rock-Fire-Rescue)
- [Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw No. 2057 (PDF)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/288/Fire-Protection-and-Safety-Bylaw-2014-Number-2057-PDF)
- [Beach Fires and Open-Air Burning](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/923/Beach-Fires-Open-Air-Burning)

## Related questions

- [White Rock yard waste collection and drop-off](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/yard-waste.md)
- [White Rock fireworks rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/fireworks.md)
- [White Rock bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Backyard fire and burning rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/backyard-fire.md)
- [Surrey](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/surrey/backyard-fire.md)
- [Langley City](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langley/backyard-fire.md)
- [Township of Langley](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langley-township/backyard-fire.md)
- [Delta](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/delta/backyard-fire.md)
- [New Westminster](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-westminster/backyard-fire.md)
- [Burnaby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burnaby/backyard-fire.md)

## Sources

- [Fire Protection and Safety Bylaw 2014, No. 2057 (PDF)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/288/Fire-Protection-and-Safety-Bylaw-2014-Number-2057-PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Beach Fires and Open-Air Burning, City of White Rock](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/923/Beach-Fires-Open-Air-Burning) (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)
- [Ticketing for Bylaw Offences Bylaw 2011, No. 1929 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/2072/Consolidated---Ticketing-for-Bylaw-Offences-2011-No-1929-PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Solid Waste Bylaw 2015, No. 2084 (PDF)](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/DocumentCenter/View/270/Collection-Removal-Disposal-and-Recycling-of-Solid-Waste-Bylaw-2015-Number-2084-PDF) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Organics and Food Scraps, City of White Rock](https://www.whiterockcity.ca/1270/Organics-Food-Scraps) (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 City of White Rock. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/white-rock/backyard-fire/_