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Orangeville proposes updates to fine-tune burning bylaw

May 7, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Orangeville is taking steps to clarify its Open Air Burning Bylaw.

One of the most obvious ways to clarify the bylaw is to suggest changing its name to the Open Air Fires Bylaw.

Town council broached the bylaw update during a public meeting on April 28, when residents were invited to give input.

Open-air burning is generally prohibited under the Ontario Fire Code unless approved, and municipal rules outline permit requirements and conditions for certain outdoor fires.

Since the bylaw was enacted, Orangeville has identified opportunities to improve clarity for residents and strengthen public health and safety provisions, particularly around smoke impacts, complaint response, and outdoor burning conditions.

The update will provide clear, plain-language rules for residents on when open-air fires are allowed, when permits are required, and the conditions that must be followed. And terminology, definitions, and rules will be updated to reflect current practices and enforcement needs.

Expanded definitions are included to help residents understand what is regulated and to explain concepts such as adverse effects, responsible person, and out-of-control fires.

The draft update continues to require permits for certain types of open-air fires, and it lists common activities that do not require a permit. Those are small, controlled-flame devices and certain cooking-related uses, provided they comply with all safety rules and do not create problematic smoke or odour. That’s one of the defined adverse effects.

The draft maintains and clarifies key safety conditions. A fire must be supervised and controlled at all times by a responsible adult, and only appropriate materials may be burned. Fires must be kept within an approved outdoor fireplace unit and be fully extinguished before the responsible person leaves the site.

It was suggested that fires be restricted to the hours between noon and 11 p.m., unless expressly permitted otherwise. But Councillor Andy Macintosh, who is a retired Orangeville fire chief, asked for clarification.

“Anybody burning at 12:30 in the afternoon is not roasting marshmallows or having a friendly dinner with friends,” Macintosh said.

The draft includes clearer restrictions that would prohibit open-air fires when a local fire ban is declared, during dry conditions, when rain or fog is present, and during certain air quality advisories to help reduce smoke-related health impacts.

The draft updated bylaw continues to prohibit the burning of waste and sets out a detailed list of materials that cannot be burned.

The draft continues to support protections for locations and individuals that may be more affected by smoke. Those are the health-related sensitive receptor considerations carried over from the existing rules.

This draft continues to align with the current User Fees and Charges Bylaw, which permits the Orangeville Fire Service to recover costs related to emergency response for those burning without a permit, beyond the permit parameters, or for fires that become out of control.

“Some things have cropped up in the last three to six months where we were finding the past bylaw didn’t quite fit the current needs of the town,” Fire Chief John Snider said.

For example, certain exemptions from the current bylaw are problematic. Somebody is cooking hot dogs over a backyard fire, which, for whatever reason, creates the nuisance of soot on vehicles along the street. Little could be done in such a scenario because the fire was technically for outdoor cooking.

“They had the package of hot dogs there and, technically, it’s hard to enforce,” Snider said. “It’s therefore exempt.”

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