Backyard fires in Fort Frances
Whether a backyard fire or fire pit is allowed in Fort Frances, Ontario, the permit rule, coverage level, and how to check today's fire ban.
Under By-law 27/12, a typical open-air fire in Fort Frances, meaning burning wood, brush, leaves, or grass, needs a fire permit, but the Chief Fire Official currently prohibits burning brush and wood piles, fields, leaves, and grass altogether, so those permits aren't being issued for that kind of burning right now. What's actually allowed without any permit is a small confined fire for cooking or recreation, under 1 metre in diameter and 1 metre high, built with clean dry wood and supervised at all times.
Municipal ruleGas versus wood
Gas and propane fire pits are treated separately from open-air wood burning and are the simplest option; placement rules and any active ban still apply.
Today's fire ban
Fort Frances is in Ontario's provincial fire region, so beyond the town's own standing prohibition on brush and wood-pile burning, the Ministry of Natural Resources can declare a Restricted Fire Zone that bans all outdoor fires, including the small recreational exemption, across the whole district. Check Ontario's online fire situation map in addition to the Town's fire page before lighting anything.
For the provincial layer, check Ontario's fire restrictions and the Forest Fire Information Map, which show Restricted Fire Zones across the fire region.
Two separate rules can stop a backyard fire in Ontario: a municipal fire ban, which any municipality can declare during a dry spell, and a provincial Restricted Fire Zone, declared only in the northern fire region. Either one overrides your normal permission, so check both before you light up.
Backyard fire safety in Fort Frances
Where a recreational fire is allowed, these rules keep it legal and safe almost everywhere in Ontario:
- Burn only clean, dry, untreated firewood. Never garbage, leaves, brush, or treated or painted wood.
- Keep the fire small and contained in a pit, ring, or approved appliance, not a loose pile.
- Stay well back from buildings, fences, trees, decks, and the property line.
- Keep water or an extinguisher within reach, and never leave the fire unattended.
- Watch the wind. Skip it on dry, gusty days, and soak the ashes cold before you go inside.
- Never burn during a fire ban or Restricted Fire Zone, even if you usually could.
Fort Frances backyard fire questions
Can I have a backyard fire in Fort Frances?
Under By-law 27/12, a typical open-air fire in Fort Frances, meaning burning wood, brush, leaves, or grass, needs a fire permit, but the Chief Fire Official currently prohibits burning brush and wood piles, fields, leaves, and grass altogether, so those permits aren't being issued for that kind of burning right now. What's actually allowed without any permit is a small confined fire for cooking or recreation, under 1 metre in diameter and 1 metre high, built with clean dry wood and supervised at all times. Source: Town of Fort Frances, Fire Rescue Service (By-law 27/12), last checked 2026-07-02.
Are gas or propane fire pits allowed in Fort Frances?
Gas and propane fire pits are treated separately from open-air wood burning and are the simplest option; placement rules and any active ban still apply.
How do I know if there is a fire ban in Fort Frances today?
Fort Frances is in Ontario's provincial fire region, so beyond the town's own standing prohibition on brush and wood-pile burning, the Ministry of Natural Resources can declare a Restricted Fire Zone that bans all outdoor fires, including the small recreational exemption, across the whole district. Check Ontario's online fire situation map in addition to the Town's fire page before lighting anything. For the provincial picture, check Ontario's fire restrictions page and the Forest Fire Information Map, which show Restricted Fire Zones in the fire region.
What can I burn in Fort Frances?
Only clean, dry, untreated firewood for a recreational fire. Burning household garbage, leaves, brush, painted or treated wood, and construction debris is prohibited across Ontario, fire ban or not.
When is fire season in Ontario?
Ontario's official fire season runs April 1 to October 31. During it the province manages wildfire and can declare a Restricted Fire Zone in the northern fire region. Municipal open-air burning rules apply all year, so check Fort Frances's by-law any time of year.
What happens if I have a fire during a ban in Fort Frances?
Municipalities and the province can fine illegal open-air burning, and you can be billed for the cost of fighting any fire you start. If a ban or Restricted Fire Zone is in effect, do not burn, even if you hold a permit.
Source
From Town of Fort Frances, Fire Rescue Service (By-law 27/12), last checked 2026-07-02. Call the Fort Frances Fire Rescue Service for current status before burning anything larger than a small supervised cooking or recreational fire; the town's own page is updated when the prohibition or a provincial zone changes.
This is a plain-language summary, not the bylaw, and not legal advice. Open-air burning rules and bans change quickly, especially in dry weather. Always check your municipality's page and today's ban status before you light anything.
Other municipalities: Alberton, Lake of the Woods, Chapple, Dawson. Or see every municipality.