Burning off

No burning off is permitted during the Fire Danger Period without a Permit to Burn, which can be applied for through the Fire Permits Victoria. 

You must apply for a permit to light a fire in the open air on land, including in an incinerator, unless:

• you are using a barbecue, pizza oven or other properly constructed appliance for cooking food
• you are using a fire in a brazier or chimenea for heating
• you are using a tool of trade for the purpose for which it was designed
• a member of a fire and emergency services agency lights a fire during the course of their duty
• Council grants you an exemption to the land size restriction of 4,000 square metres or less. 

As of 25 September 2023, with the adoption of a new Community Local Law, the following burning off rules and regulations apply.

If your property is less than 2,000 square metres

Burning in the open air will be prohibited. 

If your property is between 2,000 square metres and less than or equal to 4,000 square metres (one acre)

You must apply for a permit to burn off. See permit information below.

If your property is above 4,000 square metres (one acre), but less than 40,000 square metres

You don't need a permit to light a fire in the open air on land, including in an incinerator, if:

• you do not light a fire or allow it to remain alight before 8am or after 6pm on any day
• you do not burn more than 10 cubic metres of vegetation at any one time
• the fire is not within 50 metres of any neighbouring dwelling
• the fire is not offensive and does not cause any nuisance to another person in the vicinity or outside of the property boundary.

If your property is above 40,000 square metres

You don't need a permit to light a fire in the open air on land, including in an incinerator, if:

• you do not burn more than 100 cubic metres (e.g. 5 metres wide x 5 metres long x 4 metres high) of vegetation at any one time
• the fire is not within 100 metres of any neighbouring dwelling
• the fire is not offensive and does not cause any nuisance to another person in the vicinity or beyond the property boundary.

Apply for a permit

To apply for a permit to burn, complete an application and submit it to Council. There is no charge for a permit to burn application:

• Online application - permit to burn
• Application form - permit to burn(DOCX, 194KB)
• Application form - permit to burn(PDF, 171KB)

If you are planning to burn off on your property, you must register your burn off.

If your burn has been registered, then emergency services can verify the fire is a planned burn if calls are received to report it as an actual fire. 

The quickest and easiest way to register your burn-off is by using the Fire Permits Victoria website 

While the burn-off registration phone line (1800 668 511) is available, callers can experience long wait times on days of high demand, as call takers concentrate their efforts on vital emergency calls.

However, if you are intending to burn within the next two hours, you must register your burn on 1800 668 511, so make sure to plan your burn well in advance.

Before you register, make sure you:

• Follow Council's Local Laws outlined above and CFA Total Fire Ban and Fire Danger Ratings information
• Notify your neighbours if the burn will generate fire and smoke.
• Check the weather conditions are safe to burn. Postpone your activity if high fire risk conditions develop.
• Establish a gap in vegetation or fire break of no less than three metres cleared of all flammable material.
• There are enough people to monitor, contain and extinguish the burn safely and effectively.

When burning off, you must ensure that:

• the fire is not offensive or a nuisance to another person in the area or outside of the property boundary
• the fire does not cause a hazard to any person's health
• the fire does not affect visibility outside of the property boundary, this includes reducing visibility for motorists and other users of a public road
• the fire does not create a hazard on or near a public road
• the fire is supervised by an adult at all times
• sufficient fire protection equipment is available to extinguish the fire if required
• the vegetation to be burnt must be dead and dry before you light it
• the wind speed at the site of the fire must not be more than 15 kilometres an hour (8 knots).

You must not burn or cause any of the following to be burnt:

• green or wet material
• non timber based building materials
• rubber or plastic, including plastic mulch, plant pots and packaging materials
• furnishings and carpets
• manufactured chemicals
• petroleum or oil products
• paint, including any container in which paint is kept
• food waste
• manure and straw
• household waste
• other offensive, noxious or toxic matter; or
• animals or animal parts.