Can I burn today in Welland?

Restriction on burning — exempt or permitted only

No person shall set or maintain an Open-Air Fire except 4.1.1 an Exempt fire as described in "Section 5, Exempt Fires", or 4.1.2 as is permitted under the conditions of a Burning Permit as defined in "Section 7, Burning Permits" or "Section 8, Seasonal or Vocational Burning Permits" of this By-law.

Campfire/Chiminea exemption — no permit needed

With the permission of the property Owner a Chiminea or campfire on privately owned lands, except those lands being used as an Approved Camp Ground, provided 5.5.1 the fire is completely contained within a metal, masonry, or ceramic enclosure device ...; 5.5.2 the Hearth area designated for the fire is not more than 66 centimeters in any horizontal dimension, 5.5.3 the pile of materials to be burned is not more than 66 centimeters in height, ... 5.5.7 the fire is not burned on any Smog Day, 5.5.8 the fire is located in a Back-Yard, 5.5.9 the fire is no closer than 3 meters to the property line, and 5.5.10 the fire is attended at all times by a Responsible Person to supervise it.

Burning Permit general restrictions

fires must be located at least 30 meters away from any Building, Combustible Structure, Combustible vegetation, accumulation of Combustible materials, or as measured on the ground horizontally from any overhead wires carrying electricity ... fires must be located at least 250 meters away from any occupied Building when the wind direction is such that at any time during the course of the fire smoke from the fire is likely to pass in the vicinity of the occupied Building.

Fee and permit validity

Permit fees are outlined on "Schedule A" attached to and forming part of this By-law. ... A Burning Permit shall have an expiry date of no later than needed by the Applicant to complete his burn, but in any case no later than six (6) months after the date of issue, except that a Burning Permit issued to an operator of an Approved Camp Ground may have an expiry date of no later than twelve (12) months; and a Burning Permit issued to the Owner of property zoned Agricultural may have an expiry date of no later than twelve (12) months.

Automatic suspension — smog day and wind

All Burning Permits are automatically suspended on any Smog Day and holders of Burning Permits are responsible for keeping informed of such days. Except for Approved Camp Grounds, all valid Burning Permits are automatically suspended during such periods and in such areas where gusting or sustained wind speeds exceed 15 kilometers per hour or where wind directions are changing frequently.

Fee schedule (Schedule A)

1. Burning Permit with a 6 month or less expiration date: $37.00. 2. Burning Permit with a 12 month expiration date: $37.00. 3. Review of Burning Safety Plan: $42.00 (Burning Permit additional). 4. Non-Compliant Open Air Burning: $125.00 (3 occurrences within 12 months). 5. Response rates for fire vehicles: per fire vehicle for the first hour $485.00 plus HST...