Lighting a Fire in a Residential Area

Published on 16 August 2021

Council would like to remind all residents of the Hindmarsh Shire that if you wish to light a fire on your property and live in a built up area, you may be required to obtain a permit to burn in the open air. This requirement to obtain a permit is within Hindmarsh Shire Council Municipal Local Law, Division 5.2, Section 24.1 to 28.1 inclusive. A copy of Hindmarsh Shire Council’s Municipal Local Law can be found on Council’s website at https://www.hindmarsh.vic.gov.au/council-resources.

A permit, known as a Schedule 14 Fire Permit, allows residents to burn up to 1 cubic metre at a time for a period of up to 14 days. This provides residents the opportunity to clean their gardens and yards prior to the introduction of the Declared Fire Restriction Period. You are not permitted to burn household rubbish, rubber, textile fabrics and food waste etc under any permit conditions, these items should be taken to your nearest transfer station for correct disposal.

When obtaining a permit Council informs other agencies, when necessary, that a permit has been issued for the property address, thus preventing a possible emergency call out, and also informs the applicant of any conditions that they must adhere to while burning. All residential and rural burns are to be conducted in the open air as incinerators are illegal to use in the Hindmarsh Shire Council area.

The penalty for lighting a fire without a permit is currently 10 penalty points or $1,817.00.

For more information, please contact Local Laws on 03 5391 4444 or email info@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.

Greg Wood

Chief Executive Officer