Where to find burn restrictions

Fire restrictions are updated daily at 2 pm. You must check the fire restrictions online or call 1-855-564-2876 to see if burning is allowed. Contact your municipality to know if their bylaws are different. If the municipality's fire restriction is more limiting than the provincial, you must follow the municipal restriction.

Colours on the burn safe map

Red means no open fires. The map is always red between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm because this is when wildfire risk is highest. When daily fire restrictions are updated at 2:00 p.m., some or all counties may be red on the map due to dry and/or windy conditions that make burning unsafe.

Yellow means open fires are only allowed after 7:00 p.m. Fires must be out by 8:00 a.m. the following day. Some or all counties may be yellow on the map when conditions are safer for burning in only the evening. Typically, humidity is higher and winds and temperatures are lower in the evening.

Green means open fires are allowed after 2:00 pm. Fires must be out by 8:00 a.m. the following day. Some or all counties may be green on the map when there has been rain, making it safer to burn.

The map may show areas in yellow or red soon after it has rained. It only takes a day after rain for grass and fine fuels to get dry enough to ignite and become a wildfire.

Where the daily fire restrictions apply

Daily fire restrictions apply to open fires across the province, including:

• people's private property, like having a backyard campfire or burning brush at home
• provincial, municipal and private campgrounds

Open fires

Open fires are fires that are not enclosed and use wood as the fuel. Open fires can allow sparks to escape and cause a wildfire.

The daily fire restrictions apply to open fires, such as:

• campfires and fire pits
• chimineas, fire bowls and stoves that burn wood
• burn barrels
• domestic brush burning

The daily fire restrictions do not apply to CSA approved appliances when they are used according to the manufacturer's instructions. Examples are barbeques, fire bowls, stoves and patio heaters that use propane, natural gas or other gas meant for these devices. Charcoal barbeques can only be used with briquettes.

Consumer fireworks are banned by the Office of the Fire Marshal when the map is red. Fireworks are allowed by professional firework companies that have permits and proper fire equipment/measures.

Sky lanterns are completely banned in Nova Scotia. These devices are uncontrollable and often cause fires when they land in forests or on structures.

How burn restrictions are set

Staff collect hourly weather data (wind, rain, temperature and humidity) from weather stations across the province. They use this information is used to calculate wildfire risk according to the Canadian Fire Weather Index System.

Report a wildfire or violations of the fire restrictions

To report a wildfire or violations of the fire restrictions, call 1-800-565-2224 or 911.

Permits for burning

A permit is not required for domestic open fires like campfires and small amounts of brush. However during wildfire season, you must check the fire restrictions online or call 1-855-564-2876 to see if open fires are allowed. Also contact your municipality to know if their bylaws are different.

A permit is required for industrial burning if:
a) it is carried out by a person for remuneration;
b) it is carried out for land-clearing or agricultural purposes, including burning for blueberries within an area larger than 2 ha;
c) the material being burned is in more than 2 piles of any size;
d) the material being burned is wider than 3 m in diameter or taller than 2 m;
e) the fire is not extinguished by 8:00 a.m. of the morning following the ignition of the fire.

Contact your local Natural Resources and Renewables office to purchase an industrial burning permit. Staff will do a site visit and recommend clearances, equipment and personnel requirements before issuing a permit. Permit holders must call daily to see if conditions are safe for burning. Permits will be temporarily suspended if there is a burn ban or woods closure. Permits can be revoked if regulations are not followed. Also contact your municipality to know if their bylaws are different.

Fire bans

When conditions become very dangerous, a proclamation may be put in place to ban all open fires in one or more counties or across the whole the province. The ban is a temporary measure to reduce the risk of wildfires and potential damage.

When a fire ban is in place, the map is red all the time to show that open fires are not allowed anywhere the provincial burn restrictions apply. 

Woods closure

When conditions become very dangerous, a proclamation may be put in place to ban travel in the woods in one or more counties or across the whole the province. The ban is a temporary measure to reduce the risk of wildfires and potential damage.

A woods closure restricts travel in any area of woods. It applies to Crown and private land. Private landowners are free to use their own properties but cannot host others to use wooded areas of their properties. Hiking, camping, fishing and the use of vehicles in the woods are not permitted. People can still access beaches and provincial and municipal parks, but trail systems are off limits. Camping is allowed only in campgrounds.

During a woods closure, industrial burning permits are suspended until the closure is lifted. Forestry, mining and any commercial activity on Crown land are also restricted. People who conduct commercial activity on Crown land can apply for a permit at their local Natural Resources and Renewables office.