Open burning & fires — Sooke, British Columbia

Can I have a backyard fire? Do I need a burn permit?

District Municipality of Sooke has 1 adopted bylaw on file, verified against the original document on 2026-06-08.

Fire Protection Services Bylaw No. 292 - Consolidated adopted bylaw
permit required True s.30
permit issuer Fire Chief s.35
restricted months land clearing: January, February, March, April, November, December; special ceremonies: June, July, August, September require permit s.30
allowed materials residential yard debris (yard clippings, leaves, tree and shrub prunings); no household garbage, animal carcasses, prohibited materials s.33, s.38
fire pit rules fire pit in masonry or metal pit not exceeding 0.60 metres diameter; 6 metres from property lines and buildings; garden hose available; fire not before 6:00 AM and fully extinguished by 1:00 AM s.2(q)(iv)
exemptions residential yard debris burning without permit January–April, November–December with Good Ventilation Index; outdoor cooking fires with contained device; fire department training s.31, s.32
fine range not more than $50,000.00 s.49
scout note

Governs backyard burning in Sooke; permits residential burning November 1 to April 30 subject to safety and air quality conditions.

Machine-readable: open-burning.json · Official website: https://sooke.ca/ · Last verified 2026-06-08 · Open burning & fires in other municipalities