Open air fire permit (burn permit)

Annual open air fire permit

An annual open air fire 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.

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

Annual restricted open air fire permit

In some areas of the city, mostly in rural villages, there are additional restrictions applied to open air fire permits. An annual restricted open air fire 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 during the winter months, between December 1 and March 31 of the following year. These larger fires can only be burned during daylight hours and can be up to 3 metres in length, width, and height.

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 permit. Permit effective upon purchase.

Burn permits (or open air fire 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 open air fire permit. Acceptable ID is a driver’s licence or a City of Ottawa Tax bill.
• 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.
• A permit is required in order to light a fire on private property; this includes having a backyard fire or using a large fire pit.
• A permit is not necessary for outdoor natural gas, propane or ethanol fireplaces.
• If a device is designed and intended solely for the cooking of food in the open air, it does not require an open air fire permit, provided it does not burn wood, tree limbs, branches and non-compostable material limited to paper and sisal twine. Approved cooking appliances include gas, charcoal or propane BBQ/hibachis or gas or propane outdoor fireplace [must be ULC approved].

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

Note: To be considered a renewal, you had a valid permit last year. If you did not have a permit last year, you will be considered a new applicant online.

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 My ServiceOttawa, 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.

• 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