Burning Bylaw
OPEN AIR BURNING BY-LAW
The Fort Erie Fire Department has implemented a proactive approach to dealing with Open Air Burning within the Town, creating fair and easy to follow rules to have a recreational fire (i.e. backyard fires or recreational fires) without negative effects on your neighbours. The Open Air Burning By-law was amended in September 2020 to include additional regulations.
This By-Law includes container types, size of fires, location on properties, time of day allowed for fires, weather conditions, acceptable materials to burn, required supervision, suppression devices and more.
As part of the by-law, Fort Erie residents and visitors can burn recreational fires between 4 and 11 p.m. only.
The main purpose of this By-Law is to reduce burning complaints. These reductions relieve the fire service from unnecessary incidents and assist the community by:
- Keeping emergency crews available for other life-threatening and fire incidents.
- Reducing costs associated with emergency response (truck maintenance, fuel and manpower).
- Reduces the potential for vehicle accidents that could occur when emergency responders drive to the fire hall as well as responding to the incident in emergency vehicles.
Consequences of not following the fire burning by-law will result in the individual receiving a Burn Notice. A second Burn Notice within a 12-month period may result in an invoice of $509.89 per responding fire vehicle for the first hour and $254.95 per responding fire vehicle for each half-hour thereafter.
Burning of construction materials, brush, garbage, yard waste, etc. is also prohibited at any time of the day.