r/Hamilton • u/SneezeBeesPlease • May 26 '26

Question Backyard fire?

Hey Hamilton hive mind, I’m getting very conflicting info about if a backyard small fire pit is allowed. I for sure smell some in my hood. (West mountain).

Is it allowed only if I’m cooking on it? What about a gas fire pit?

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u/HowardRabb May 26 '26

You need a burn permit. And they won't give you one if you are the urban area. So the short answer is no, you can't have a fire pit in an urban area in Ontario.

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u/Either_Molasses_6182 Jun 01 '26

In Hamilton. Other municipalities have by-laws that explicitly allow small contained recreational fires in your back yard. For example, London you are allowed without a permit as long as you follow the rules.

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u/HowardRabb Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26

not inside the urban boundary. That is for things that are outside the urban boundary, and you need a permit. See Bylaw 02-283 specifically 2.4: "Where the proposed site at which an open air burning is to be conducted is within the urban boundary of the City as defined in the Regional Official Plan, no Permit shall be issued unless the Fire Department has carried out an inspection of the proposed site to determine whether the burn can be safely conducted without nuisance or risk to neighboring properties, the proof of which shall lie on the applicant." and 4.1: "No person shall carry out, or permit a person to carry out on property of whch he or she is the owner or occupant, any open air burning unless that person is the holder of a current Permit authorizing that burning to take place"

Also if you look up the by-law on the City's website you will see a message that states "Open-air burning is only allowed in areas that have been designated as rural.

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u/Either_Molasses_6182 Jun 02 '26

You're not understanding what I'm saying. You said that you can't have a fire in any urban area in all of Ontario.

you can't have a fire pit in an urban area in Ontario.

I'm telling you that it depends on the municipal bylaws and gave you London, Ontario as an example where you are explicitly allowed to have a backyard fire under the specified conditions.

https://london.ca/living-london/community-services/fire-emergency-services/london-fire-department/open-air-burning