Annual agricultural burn permit (open air fire permit)

An annual agricultural open air fire permit is available to operators of a farm business and can include up to 4 properties under one permit (farm business registration number is required). An annual agricultural permit allows the permit holder to:

• have a campfire (less than 60cm in width by 50cm in height) or an outdoor fireplace 
• burn larger piles of untreated wood, tree limbs and branches. These larger fires can only be burned during daylight hours and can be up to 3 metres in length, width, and height.
• burn windrows as part of normal farm practices for clearing agricultural land. Windrow material to be burned cannot exceed 50 m in length, 5 m in width and 3 m in height and must consist solely of wood, tree limbs and branches.

Specific clearances from buildings, hedges, fences, overhead wiring or highways are detailed on the permit and in the Open Air Fire By-Law.

$15 (tax included) for an annual agricultural permit that may include up to four (4) properties.

Annual agricultural burn permits are issued under the Open Air Fire By-law No. 2004-163, which regulates the conditions under which fires may be set in the open air.

• Confirm you are able to obtain a permit by finding your property (area/location) on the burn zone schedule.
• Identification is required to obtain a new permit. Acceptable ID is a driver’s licence or a City of Ottawa tax bill.
• One (the primary location) of the four properties on the permit must have a civic address.
• You must be the legal owner of a property to obtain a permit for it. If you do not own the property, you must provide written consent from the landowner authorizing your permit application.
• Your farm business registration number is required at time of application
• This permit will allow you to burn windrows fires overnight from Monday to Friday. These types of fires are usually left to burn for days at a time due to their size (i.e., 50 metres in length, 5 metres in width and 3 metres in height) and require supervision at all times.

For agricultural permits, one (the primary location) of the four properties on the permit must have a civic address.

Online

At My ServiceOttawa with the following payment options: MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Interac Online and Visa Debit

New applicant

1. Sign in to your My ServiceOttawa account. If you don't have an account, create one.
2. Once you are signed in, navigate to the “Open air fire permits” portal, located on your My ServiceOttawa dashboard (homepage) under Services.
3. Click “Apply for or renew open air permits” or “View all open air fire permits” to enter the Open Air Fire Permit portal. Note: a civic address is required in order to apply for a permit.
4. After following the steps, you will be prompted to enter the address (where you wish to have an open air fire) and press the “Address Search” button. Your address details will be confirmed, and you will only be issued an open air fire permit if the address provided falls within a burn zone and you are eligible for a permit. If not, you will receive an error message.

Please note your new open air fire permit will not be mailed or emailed to you.

Prior to setting an open air fire, you must first contact Ottawa Fire Services at 613-580-2880 to ensure that a fire ban is not in effect.

Renewals

You must go through the renewal process and pay for your agricultural open air fire permit before you can update the properties on your agricultural permit for the calendar year. Adding new properties to an existing permit is not considered a renewal.

1. Sign in to your My ServiceOttawa account.
2. Once you are signed in, navigate to the “Open air fire permits” portal, located on your My ServiceOttawa dashboard (homepage) under Services.
3. Click “Apply for or renew open air permits” or “View all open air fire permits” to enter the Open Air Fire Permit portal and follow instructions.
4. You will be prompted to insert your PIN and Permit Number, found on your annual renewal notice. If you have registered for other permits through MyServiceOttawa, you may not be prompted to enter your PIN and permit number.

Please note your new open air fire permit will not be mailed or emailed to you.

Prior to setting an open air fire, you must first contact Ottawa Fire Services at 613-580-2880 to ensure that a fire ban is not in effect.

In person

Payment options: Cash, cheque, debit and credit card payment is accepted at all locations.

At a Client Service Centre

• Laurier Client Service Centre, 110 Laurier Avenue West
• Nepean Client Service Centre, 101 Centrepointe Drive
• Kanata Client Service Centre, 580 Terry Fox Drive
• Orléans Client Service Centre, 255 Centrum Boulevard
• Metcalfe Client Service Centre, 8243 Victoria Street (open Tuesday)
• West Carleton Client Service Centre, 5670 Carp Road (open Wednesday)
• North Gower Client Service Centre, 2155 Roger Stevens Drive (open Thursday)

At a Rural Fire Administration office

Please contact the office you wish to visit by phone in advance to ensure that someone is available to assist you upon arrival.

OFSOpenAirFirePermits@ottawa.ca (Please allow 1-2 business days for an initial response after sending an email)

For additional information, visit the Open air fire permit page