THE CLEAN AIR BYLAW

Update November 2013

Special Points of
Interest:
Open Burning is not
permitted within the
City of Prince George.
Recreational fires are
permitted when dry
seasoned wood is
burned.

Recreational fires are

not allowed during an

Air Quality Advisory.
The air quality complaints phone number
is
250565-4487 and more
online at
www.bcairquality.ca

WHAT DOES THE BYLAW SAY ABOUT OPEN BURNING

Part 3 of Bylaw No. 8266 Open Burning
The Clean Air Bylaw bans
open burning within the
entire City limits. This
includes the burning of
grass, leaves, prunings,
tree material and land
clearing debris. This ban
is in place year round. It
does not apply to small
recreational fires where
dry seasoned wood is
burned.

the local transfer station

or landfill.

Residents are encouraged

to compost the material
at their home or take it
to the compost bins at

Example of recreational
fire permitted if there
is no air quality advisory

Example of open burningnot permitted

OPEN BURNING OR RECREATIONAL FIRE? - DEFINITIONS

The definition of open
burning and recreational
fires within the Clean Air
Bylaw is the following:

For more information

please contact the PGAIR
City Representative at
250-561-7611.
For enforcement issues
related to the Bylaw
please contact Bylaw Services at 250-561-7622.

Open Burning: the combustion in the open air of

yard and garden waste,
land clearing debris, or
any other material, including burning of any of
these materials in a container. It does not include the combustion of
gas, propane or charcoal
in a barbeque or hibatchi
for the purpose of cooking food;

Recreational fire: the

burning of seasoned firewood for recreational
purposes in a permanent
outdoor fireplace, barbeque or fire pit not larger
than 60cm in diameter
that is designed and constructed to confine the
fire and is suitable for
such a purpose, or within
a fully enclosed burner or
similar device.

Yard and Garden Waste:

grass, foliage, tree debris,
prunings, weeds, crops,
stumps, stubble, compost
and similar waste items.

A recreational fire cannot

be used to burn yard and
garden waste, only seawww.city.pg.bc.ca
soned firewood.

THE CLEAN AIR BYLAW

ENJOY THE FIREBUT DONT SMOKE OUT YOUR NEIGHBOUR
Recreational fires are enjoyed by
many residents in the City, but how
do you have a fire without smoking
out your neighbours? Here are some
tips on reducing the smoke:

Burn small hot fires with seasoned wood;

Clear any dry leaves and debris

away from the fire pit to prevent
sparks spreading the fire;

When stacking wood on the fire,

leave gaps to ensure adequate air
flow which reduces the smoke;

Use small pieces of split wood

rather than whole logs which do
not burn as well.

The following requirements were

added to the Clean Air Bylaw in
2010 to help residents enjoy
their fire safely. These include:

building.
4. Only dry seasoned wood may
be burned.

1. The fire must be controlled

and supervised to prevent it
from spreading. It cannot be
allowed to burn out overnight unsupervised.

5. Remember to check for burn

bans. During periods of hot dry
weather, further restrictions
could be placed to prevent
large fires.

2. Fire extinguishing equipment

appropriate to the size of fire
must be on hand. This could
include access to water or a
fire extinguisher.

Residents may not use their recreational fire to burn grass, leaves or
other yard debris.

3. The fire must be a minimum

three (3) meters away from
any property line, fence,
standing timber, brush or

WHAT DO I DO WITH THE MATERIAL I USED TO BURN?

Residents have a few options for disposing of yard and garden waste.
The best solution is to compost the
material on-site. Everything from
grass and leaves to vegetable scraps
and coffee grinds can be composted
and used in your garden as fertilizer.
For local tips on backyard composting, please visit the REAPS demonstration garden at Fort George Park
or go to www.reaps.org .
Material can
also be taken
to the compost bin at
the Vanway
or
Quinn
Street Transfer
Station, or the

Foothills Landfill. Material is composted on-site at the landfill and is

available for sale to residents.
For larger land clearing debris, land
owners are encouraged to chip the
material and spread thinly on their
property or take it to the landfill
for composting. Moving of material
from one property to another for
burning is not allowed under the
Provincial Open Burning and
Smoke Control Regulation.
Residents are reminded that greenbelt dumping of material is not allowed. Piled material such as grass
takes a long time to break down,
and often smothers the native
plants. Invasive plants can also be

spread through greenbelt dumping.

As well, you can increase the fire
hazard by leaving this material on
the forest floor.

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