Can I burn today in Highlands East?

General daytime-hours prohibition, fire season

No person shall set, maintain, or cause to be set or maintained, Open Air Fire between the hours of 7am and 7pm and between the dates of April 1st to October 31st. except as outlined in Part 3.

General conditions for any Open-Air Fire, including R2 (Hamlet Residential) size limit

Every person setting, permitting to be set, maintaining, or permitting to be maintained, an Open-Air Fire shall comply with the following conditions: a) a responsible person is available and in attendance at all times until the fire is completely extinguished, b) the material is burned in a single pile that is less than two (2) meters in diameter and less than two (2) meters high. c) Properties zoned R2 (Hamlet Residential) shall limit fire size to .6 meters in diameter, d) only burn wood or by-products of wood, e) not burn noxious materials, f) fire must be at least three (3) meters from combustible materials, property line, buildings, fences, trees and roadway, g) the responsible person has tools and/or extinguishing agent adequate to contain and completely extinguish the fire, h) the fire must be completely extinguished before the burn site is vacated.

Flying lantern ban

No person in the Municipality shall set or permit a flying lantern or any other device designed to carry an open flame as an airborne light, also known as sky lanterns, Chinese Lanterns, wish lanterns, sky candles or fire balloons.

Environmental-condition prohibitions — fog, smog alert, wind speed

Burning will not be permitted during the following environmental conditions: a) if it is foggy, b) if a Smog Alert has been declared, c) if wind direction or intensity causes a decrease in visibility on any highway or roadway, rapid spread of fire through grass or a brush area and/or, d) wind speed, as reported by Environment Canada for the Haliburton County area is in excess of 30 Km/hr.

Cooking/warmth fire exemption from daytime-hours prohibition

Open Air Fires may be set between the hours of 7am and 7pm and between the dates of April 1st to October 31st, when such burning consists of a small confined fire, supervised at all times and is used to cook food on a grill or a barbecue, or is for personal warmth. In addition to the provisions of this by-law an open-air fire for cooking and/or warmth must be: a) smaller than .6 meters in diameter, b) must comply with all conditions of this Bylaw, c) must be confined within a fire pit or appliance, d) must be completely extinguished when cooking is complete, e) fires for cooking and warmth are not permitted during a fire ban.

Burn Permit conditions (Part 4)

The Municipality may issue written burn permits to authorized applicants, permitting a responsible person to burn approved materials between the hours of 7am and 7pm and between the dates of April 1st to October 31st under the following conditions: a) a responsible person is available and in attendance at all times until the fire is completely extinguished, b) the material is burned in a single pile that is less than two (2) meters in diameter and less than two (2) meters high, c) fire must be at least 3 meters from combustible materials, property lines, buildings, fences, trees and roadways, d) only burn wood or by-products of wood, not burn noxious materials, e) the person tending the fire has tools and/or extinguishing agent adequate to contain and completely extinguish the fire, f) the fire must be completely extinguished before the burn site is vacated and, g) all burn permits are suspended during a fire ban.

Burn permit validity period

Burn permits will be in effect for 7 days.

Burn permit fee — tied to Fees and Charges By-law (amount not stated in this by-law)

Fees associated with obtaining a burn permit are payable to the Municipality of Highlands East as per the established Municipality of Highlands East Fees and Charges Bylaw.

Fire ban exemptions — wood boilers and approved appliances

Wood fueled boilers utilized as a heat source are exempt from a Fire Ban if; a) boiler is located on a non-combustible surface, b) open flame is contained in a firebox within the boiler, c) chimney has a spark arrester in the cap. Approved fueled fired appliances may be used for cooking during a fire ban if; a)appliance is equipped with a solid lid and an on/off valve that can be easily operated and valve must be accessible, b)appliance is on a non-combustible surface, c)appliance is monitored by a responsible person and, d)appliance is shut off when cooking is complete.

Slash piles

In accordance with the restrictions of section 2.6 will be allowed outside of the MNRF fire season (November 1st to March 31st) and responsible person must notify Chief Frie Official or designate prior to ignition and upon completion of burn.