Open Burning Advisory

Open Burning of land clearing debris and other materials is prohibited unless you obtain an authorization under Air Quality Management Bylaw 1082, 2008.

Download, complete and submit an open burning application.

Also, open burning must be conducted in accordance with local municipal bylaws and only on days with favourable atmospheric conditions. To determine whether atmospheric conditions are favourable on the day of your planned burn, call our open burning advisory. This advisory is based on the British Columbia Ministry of Environment Venting Index.

Remember - if you plan to burn and have the necessary permits to burn, check in with the advisory daily.

Call 604-436-6777 after 8:30am to hear our advisory for today.

Metro Vancouver Regional District Open Burning Emission Regulation Bylaw No. 1355, 2022 will come into effect on May 15, 2023. Bylaw 1355 provides a streamlined approach to authorize emissions from open burning of vegetative debris if defined requirements are met. The registration system for Bylaw 1355 will be available on this page when the bylaw comes into effect.

The ventilation index tells you how quickly and effectively the smoke will flush out of an area. The index is based on the wind speed and the thickness of the so-called “mixing layer” of the atmosphere.

Good ventilation index:

- dust is carried off and the column is hard to see,
- smoke rises quickly and/ or disperses rapidly.

good ventilation index info graph 

Poor ventilation index:

- stirred dust tends to hang around and linger,
- smoke from chimneys or small fires tends to linger near the source or form a shallow trail that extends downwind.

poor ventilation index info graph