Jurisdictional fire bans and fire pit regulations for the City of Saskatoon

With dry conditions across all of Saskatchewan, the Saskatoon Fire Department would like to inform members of the public of provincial resources outlining the current jurisdictional fire bans in Saskatchewan. Additionally, residents are reminded of the requirements and regulations when using private or public fire pits within the City of Saskatoon.

Currently, there is no fire ban in effect for the City of Saskatoon. A complete and updated list of active fire bans, as well as information regarding wildfire in Saskatchewan can be found here.

Residents must ensure proper safety precautions and regulations are followed, with consideration being given to nearby properties when choosing to have an open-air fire in a private or public-use fire pit.

Burn Responsibly:

• Your fire pit must be made of non-combustible materials, and
• Only dry, cut seasoned cord wood or charcoal briquettes are permitted for burning. Burning elm branches is not permitted.

Burn Respectfully:

• Nuisance smoke can negatively affect the health of some people; fires producing nuisance, drifting smoke must be extinguished,
• Open-air fires must be extinguished by 11:00 p.m.,
• Garbage, yard waste, plastic, manure, livestock/animal carcasses, and any material producing dense black smoke, including insulation, hydrocarbons, rubber materials, and painted or creosoted wood are not permitted to be burned, and
• Communicate with your neighbours; they may appreciate being notified of your plan to have an open-air fire in advance.

Burn Safely:

• Position your open-air fire pit at least 3 metres from any combustible materials, including structures, fences, and trees,
• Cover your fire with a protective spark screen that has openings no larger than 13mm (1/2 inch),
• The size of your open-air fir pit must not be greater than 0.61 metres (24 inches) by 0.61 metres (24 inches) by 0.61 metres (24 inches),
• Supervise your fire at all times, always having a water supply on hand to extinguish your fire when you are finished with it, and
• Check the weather and respect wind speed, electing not to have a fire with winds exceeding 15 km/hr.

As per The Fire and Protective Services Bylaw No. 7990, open-air fires are prohibited outside of the permitted burning hours of 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily. Electric, propane, and natural gas appliances used in accordance with manufacturer direction are not considered open-air.

Public-use fire pits by location:

The fire pits located within City of Saskatoon parks and along Meewasin Valley Authority trails in Saskatoon abide by the same time and burning regulations as outlined in Bylaw 7990.

The fire pits located within the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo are permitted to burn outside of the hours specified in Bylaw 7990; however, are only permitted to burn during the hours of operation of the facility.

The fire pits located within the Gordon Howe Campground are permitted to burn outside of the hours specified in Bylaw 7990. Visitors to the Gordon Howe Campground are encouraged to inquire with a staff member regarding the facility’s fire pit policy.

For all private and public-use fire pits, only dry, cut seasoned cord wood or charcoal briquettes are permitted to be burned.

REMINDER: for acreage and farm properties located within the bounds of the City of Saskatoon, burn permits are required prior to initiating a controlled burn.

In an emergency, call 911 immediately.