Burning and Fire Permits

Before you burn:

Always check the fire hazard and wind conditions. Never burn during a Fire Ban.
Always have a way to put out the fire close to your fire pit. Easy options are your watering hose or a bucket of water.
All fires must be continually supervised.

Fire pits

Backyard fire pits do not require a permit.

Within the City of Fort Saskatchewan, residential fire pits must:

Be at least 3 metres (10 feet) from buildings, property lines and anything else that could catch fire
Be surrounded by 1 metre (3 feet) of non-combustible material i.e. gravel, shale, concrete, etc.
Be less than 0.6 metres (2 feet) high
Be less than 1 metre (3 feet) wide
Have enclosed sides made from bricks, concrete or heavy-gauge metal
Have a mesh screen on top to stop sparks (spark-arrestor) with openings smaller than 1.25 centimetres
(1/2 inch)

For quick reference please refer to our Fire Pit Brochure.

Open-air burning

Those looking to have an open-air burn need to obtain a fire permit from the Fire Department. An open-air burn is when a person burns clean material that is not within a fire pit.

While you burn

Have a mobile phone ready and be prepared to call 911 if the fire gets out of control. The earlier you call, the better. Don't attempt to extinguish the fire yourself - call us first.

Please consider your neighbours.

Smoke from fire pits can cause adverse health effects in some people. Be aware of neighbours that may be negatively impacted to exposure of smoke from outdoor fire pits.
Before using your fire pit, familiarize yourself with optimal wind conditions and take precautions to prevent smoke from disturbing your neighbours.
- High wind speeds may send smoke long distances or pose a fire hazard.
- Low wind speeds won't easily disperse smoke and can contribute to poor air quality.
Placing a metal grill/screen on top of the fire pit reduces the flame's size and helps prevent sparks and embers from escaping and igniting nearby materials.

What can I burn?

You can burn non-combustible debris or wooden materials which do not contain preservatives.

Please put any yard debris in your Green Organics Cart. Please do not burn the following:

grass and weeds
leaves, tree prunings, brush and fallen trees on newly cleared land or associated with logging operations
straw and stubble

What I can't burn?

You cannot burn prohibited or combustible waste as they may release dense smoke, offensive odours or toxic substances. Prohibited waste includes:

animal manure
pathological waste
non-wooden material
waste material from building or construction sites, excluding wooden materials that do not contain preservatives
combustible material in automobile bodies
tires
rubber/plastic, or anything coated with rubber /plastic or similar substances, except if attached to shredded scrap steel
used oil
wood/wood products containing preservatives

Caution: The City and Province can issue hefty fines against those who burn prohibited materials.

Burning complaints

Type of burning complaint and who to contact
Type of Complaint	Contact
Burning impacting quality of life	Municipal Enforcement Services 780-997-7930
Burning causing offensive odours	Alberta Environment and Parks 1-800-222-6514
Burning affecting safety of life/property	9-1-1

Other references

Fire Service Bylaw