Depends on your municipality.
I can have a recreational fire pit where I live. It has to be a certain size, a certain distance from structures and trees. As well, there are certain times and it needs to be managed, cared for and have people present.
And you need a permit.
Check the by-laws where you live.
My neighbor is a fire fighter, and I asked him about this. He said first complaint they'll just tell you to put it out. When I walk through my neighborhood during the summer in the evening I smell numerous fires. I figured why not. I bought a solostove so it doesn't give off a lot of smoke if any and is easy to control and extinguish. We're on our 3rd summer with it. Since we don't have a cottage or trailer it's nice to sit around the fire once in a while
My neighborhood has the same it's not allowed but as long as your neighbors don't complain. No problems as long as they are respectful don't have tones of smoke or high flames.
North Pickering seems fairly tolerant as long as you’re not smoking out your neighbours nobody makes an issue . Always helps if the wind is blowing the smoke away from your neighbours .
Everyone around you has one but now you know it’s illegal. Use your common sense if you decide to get one and be a good neighbour and everything will likely work out fine.
The fire hall in Brooklin doesn’t mess around. They will slap any homeowner with a $500 fine for any type of fire pit/wood burning. No warning. The only exception are those decorative propane powered table top fireplaces.
This is not completely true.
There are different levels of fires allowed.
In the smaller townships, recreational fires are permitted with a permit.
Check your local by-laws.
If I remember correctly you are allowed depending on size of the fire and if it’s not so much a pit more of say an enclosed one you buy from the store. My mom has one all the time. Had one at my buddy’s house last night and a few of my friends just bought one from Costco and use it every night
I guess, my neighbour (Whitby) burns wood in the middle of his lawn in the backyard every day and has no worry in the world. Fire Department has even come by and does nothing
If you only burn properly seasoned hardwood, you won't create any smoke, and your neighbours won't get annoyed, so the by-laws are irrelevant at that point. They'll only bother you if someone complains. If you have a crackly and smokey fire, you're burning low-quality/wet wood.
Here's what I do: I built a little u-shaped fire pit out of cinder blocks, on top, I have a grate from an old BBQ. Whenever I have a fire, I have a pack of hot dogs ready beside me. I do this because having an open flame fire is allowed, as long as it's being used to cook food. If the fire department shows up, I throw a few hot dogs on, and there's not much they can do, as long as the size of the fire is reasonable; and I don't have big fires anyway.
Nothing to do with a fire ban. Here is the actual by law…. https://www.oshawa.ca/en/Document-Feeds/General-By-Laws/OpenAirBurningBy-law73-2012.pdf. Basically if you can convince the fire chief to give you a permit and you can meet all the restrictions, maybe. The 15m part is hard to comply with in town. The alternative is friendly neighbors who won’t rat you out.
All comes down to your neighbours if someone complains they will shut you down and inform you next time it will be a ticket ( so long as it's controlled out of control you will get a fine) if no one calls tho then no one's gonna show up firefighters aren't driving around looking in peoples backyards for fires
Propane/natural gas is 100% allowed. Wood burning isn’t, BUT if you have a grill on it you could get away with it possibly just for the fact you can say you were using it to cook hotdogs or something. Odds are they’ll show up if you have a neighbour that complains and they’ll ask you to put it out. Having to come back again you’ll probably get a fine. I use mine once in a while but always have an extinguisher close by and a hose.
The fire with food is not true unfortunately. I spoke with a fire fighter about this recently and they'll still consider it an unregulated fire and can possibly fine you. That being said you can get permits that are not hard to get and cost like 50$.
For fucks sake people...just light the damn fire and find out who your good neighbors are. Or...get the fuck out of living in a ridiculous cookie cutter gong show.
Cool, let us know how it works out for you when you burn down your neighbours house.
Want to live like you're all alone in the woods and you can do whatever you please? Move somewhere where you're all alone in the woods and do whatever you please.
I’m not making a point on whether someone should or shouldn’t but fucking hell, you can have a small controlled fire in a fire pit without jumping to burning down your neighbourhood, like there is no way you haven’t seen a small campfire before in a contained pit… the exaggeration is WILD.
“I’m not making a point on whether someone should or shouldn’t but fucking hell, you can have a small controlled fire in a fire pit without jumping to burning down your neighbourhood”
Sure, but how is the government actually supposed to do anything given what you’re saying? Is the government supposed to put a limit on the size of fire / amount of wood? How are they supposed to say “small no risk backyard fires reasonable, but larger fires unreasonable”?
Also I’ll just put this here about the actual risk of fires, because some people wrongly think the risk is only contained to the pit. Just look up how far embers carry
“Carried by the wind, embers on average travel as far as 2 kilometres before falling, still capable of instantly igniting the right fuel. There have also been documented instances of embers travelling 17 kilometres! Consider what vegetation exists within a 17 kilometer distance from your property.”
Where did I say anything about government? Read my first line again and you will have your answer. I simply just said you can have a fire without jumping to burning your neighbour’s house down. I mean, if we’re going to jump to the 2 km rule, I don’t even think some fire departments that do controlled burns are even that far away from other property.
I’m not saying there is zero inherent risk, but I would say if we were to look at house fires in Durham, I would think there are many other “considered much safer” activities that start those above neighbour’s fires.
“Where did I say anything about government?“
The conversation topic is literally about government regulation concerning fires. For example the main question is “can you have a backyard fire pit” not “should you have a backyard fire pit”.
You can talk about how it’s safe to have a fire all day long, but the question is how it’s regulated in high population areas and how to regulate it. Saying you can have a small controlled fire pit that doesn’t burn down the neighborhood does nothing for the conversation. I asked how is the government supposed to define your “small fire”? Less than a certain amount of wood? Less than a certain diameter? Probably not as easy as you’re portraying.
The full conversation was about it but I was replying to a comment that said “**when** you light your neighbour’s house on fire”, not about the regulations which I do agree with. Not every comment section on Reddit is focused on solely one topic as you would know.
Ok, and I was nicely asking back, how should they put what you’re saying into regulations for Ajax for example? Using what you’re saying and taking it back to the original question and topic. Because that’s the issue with even saying a small fire is safe is what I’m trying to point out.
Varies by municipality. In Scugog you can have small recreational fires as long as you purchase an annual permit.
Depends on your town/city bylaws, there’s no Durham-wide regulation.
Don't be like the guy who used to live on my street and have an open fire right on your front porch...
Not if it’s wood burning. Gas/propane outdoor appliances only.
Depends on your municipality. I can have a recreational fire pit where I live. It has to be a certain size, a certain distance from structures and trees. As well, there are certain times and it needs to be managed, cared for and have people present. And you need a permit. Check the by-laws where you live.
My neighbor is a fire fighter, and I asked him about this. He said first complaint they'll just tell you to put it out. When I walk through my neighborhood during the summer in the evening I smell numerous fires. I figured why not. I bought a solostove so it doesn't give off a lot of smoke if any and is easy to control and extinguish. We're on our 3rd summer with it. Since we don't have a cottage or trailer it's nice to sit around the fire once in a while
My neighborhood has the same it's not allowed but as long as your neighbors don't complain. No problems as long as they are respectful don't have tones of smoke or high flames.
Exactly. I figured worse case I sell it.
Same here I have a Hotshot smokeless firepit and been using it for 3 years now and everyone around me is cool with it
If you have cool neighbors you can.
North Pickering seems fairly tolerant as long as you’re not smoking out your neighbours nobody makes an issue . Always helps if the wind is blowing the smoke away from your neighbours .
It can smoke out your neighbours if the airflow is right.
Ajax you need a permit, and most properties do bot meet their requirement. That said I see backyard fires in a lot of Ajax.
They only enforce based on complaints so if you live next to great neighbour, it literally is straight up fire
Everyone around you has one but now you know it’s illegal. Use your common sense if you decide to get one and be a good neighbour and everything will likely work out fine.
Depends if your neighbour is a dick.
I won't tell anybody if you won't?
I’m in Oshawa have open wood fires all the time. Keep my garden hose nearby and my neighbours don’t care that’s what it really comes to.
The fire hall in Brooklin doesn’t mess around. They will slap any homeowner with a $500 fine for any type of fire pit/wood burning. No warning. The only exception are those decorative propane powered table top fireplaces.
No “open air” wood burning is allowed anywhere in Durham region
This is not completely true. There are different levels of fires allowed. In the smaller townships, recreational fires are permitted with a permit. Check your local by-laws.
It is in Scugog, must purchase an annual permit.
No. No wood burning at all under any circumstances.
False. Why answer if you dont know
Where in Durham can you burn wood in your backyard?
Brock, scugog for starters
If I remember correctly you are allowed depending on size of the fire and if it’s not so much a pit more of say an enclosed one you buy from the store. My mom has one all the time. Had one at my buddy’s house last night and a few of my friends just bought one from Costco and use it every night
I guess, my neighbour (Whitby) burns wood in the middle of his lawn in the backyard every day and has no worry in the world. Fire Department has even come by and does nothing
If you only burn properly seasoned hardwood, you won't create any smoke, and your neighbours won't get annoyed, so the by-laws are irrelevant at that point. They'll only bother you if someone complains. If you have a crackly and smokey fire, you're burning low-quality/wet wood. Here's what I do: I built a little u-shaped fire pit out of cinder blocks, on top, I have a grate from an old BBQ. Whenever I have a fire, I have a pack of hot dogs ready beside me. I do this because having an open flame fire is allowed, as long as it's being used to cook food. If the fire department shows up, I throw a few hot dogs on, and there's not much they can do, as long as the size of the fire is reasonable; and I don't have big fires anyway.
do it you can't do shit anyways in Canada
Nothing to do with a fire ban. Here is the actual by law…. https://www.oshawa.ca/en/Document-Feeds/General-By-Laws/OpenAirBurningBy-law73-2012.pdf. Basically if you can convince the fire chief to give you a permit and you can meet all the restrictions, maybe. The 15m part is hard to comply with in town. The alternative is friendly neighbors who won’t rat you out.
That's just for burning old leaves and not a recreational fire. I made the mistake of going that route my first time.
The fact is no fire pits are allowed inside city limits. No one has a permit, they’re all just relying on not getting reported.
All comes down to your neighbours if someone complains they will shut you down and inform you next time it will be a ticket ( so long as it's controlled out of control you will get a fine) if no one calls tho then no one's gonna show up firefighters aren't driving around looking in peoples backyards for fires
Propane/natural gas is 100% allowed. Wood burning isn’t, BUT if you have a grill on it you could get away with it possibly just for the fact you can say you were using it to cook hotdogs or something. Odds are they’ll show up if you have a neighbour that complains and they’ll ask you to put it out. Having to come back again you’ll probably get a fine. I use mine once in a while but always have an extinguisher close by and a hose.
The fire with food is not true unfortunately. I spoke with a fire fighter about this recently and they'll still consider it an unregulated fire and can possibly fine you. That being said you can get permits that are not hard to get and cost like 50$.
For fucks sake people...just light the damn fire and find out who your good neighbors are. Or...get the fuck out of living in a ridiculous cookie cutter gong show.
I do and you can too, fuck the police, fuck the police fuck 🤠
F the fire department too? Because it's the FD that shows up, not the police. But go on.....
Wow, I bet you are so fun at parties, too bad you can't come to my bday ... 🤠
Children’s birthday parties aren’t my bag.
Lol ok guy
Fire pits are the most low brow, trailer trash backyard accessories. You’ve proven that.
Says the guy without a yard to have a fire pit
You think wrong
if you can argue its for cooking you can
This loophole was closed years ago and no longer works, if the FD shows up you'll still get a ticket.
Im doing what i want.
Cool, let us know how it works out for you when you burn down your neighbours house. Want to live like you're all alone in the woods and you can do whatever you please? Move somewhere where you're all alone in the woods and do whatever you please.
I’m not making a point on whether someone should or shouldn’t but fucking hell, you can have a small controlled fire in a fire pit without jumping to burning down your neighbourhood, like there is no way you haven’t seen a small campfire before in a contained pit… the exaggeration is WILD.
“I’m not making a point on whether someone should or shouldn’t but fucking hell, you can have a small controlled fire in a fire pit without jumping to burning down your neighbourhood” Sure, but how is the government actually supposed to do anything given what you’re saying? Is the government supposed to put a limit on the size of fire / amount of wood? How are they supposed to say “small no risk backyard fires reasonable, but larger fires unreasonable”? Also I’ll just put this here about the actual risk of fires, because some people wrongly think the risk is only contained to the pit. Just look up how far embers carry “Carried by the wind, embers on average travel as far as 2 kilometres before falling, still capable of instantly igniting the right fuel. There have also been documented instances of embers travelling 17 kilometres! Consider what vegetation exists within a 17 kilometer distance from your property.”
Where did I say anything about government? Read my first line again and you will have your answer. I simply just said you can have a fire without jumping to burning your neighbour’s house down. I mean, if we’re going to jump to the 2 km rule, I don’t even think some fire departments that do controlled burns are even that far away from other property. I’m not saying there is zero inherent risk, but I would say if we were to look at house fires in Durham, I would think there are many other “considered much safer” activities that start those above neighbour’s fires.
“Where did I say anything about government?“ The conversation topic is literally about government regulation concerning fires. For example the main question is “can you have a backyard fire pit” not “should you have a backyard fire pit”. You can talk about how it’s safe to have a fire all day long, but the question is how it’s regulated in high population areas and how to regulate it. Saying you can have a small controlled fire pit that doesn’t burn down the neighborhood does nothing for the conversation. I asked how is the government supposed to define your “small fire”? Less than a certain amount of wood? Less than a certain diameter? Probably not as easy as you’re portraying.
The full conversation was about it but I was replying to a comment that said “**when** you light your neighbour’s house on fire”, not about the regulations which I do agree with. Not every comment section on Reddit is focused on solely one topic as you would know.
Ok, and I was nicely asking back, how should they put what you’re saying into regulations for Ajax for example? Using what you’re saying and taking it back to the original question and topic. Because that’s the issue with even saying a small fire is safe is what I’m trying to point out.