Open burning & fires — Cumberland, Nova Scotia

Can I have a backyard fire? Do I need a burn permit?

County municipality of Cumberland has 2 adopted bylaws on file, verified against the original documents on 2026-06-05.

Open Air Burning By-Law 21-06 adopted bylaw

permit required	True	s. 5(a)
permit issuer	Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (provincial Burning Permit); fire chief may extinguish non-compliant fires	s. 5(a); s. 6
allowed conditions	Open air fire permitted only with a valid NS DNR Burning Permit (fire >=30m from adjacent properties, authorized, attended, suppression accessible) or specified exceptions: campfires (<=75cm wide >=9m from dwellings, or <=120cm wide >=30m), recreational outdoor wood burning appliances, agricultural/training/distress fires	s. 5
fine range	$200-$10,000; plus $500 if a fire department is dispatched; $100 payment in lieu within 14 days	s. 7; s. 9; s. 8

scout note

Prohibits hazardous open air fires and prevents nuisance from open burning in densely populated areas of the Municipality of the County of Cumberland. Final reading December 22, 2021.

Outdoor Wood Burning Appliances By-Law 06-12 adopted bylaw

allowed conditions	Outdoor wood burning appliance may be installed/operated only if not prohibited by the Land Use By-Law, located >=100m from any occupied building on other property (or with written consent), 5m clearance all directions, manufacturer instructions followed, not on a wooden deck/combustible platform	s. 5
fine range	$200-$5,000 per offence; $100 payment in lieu within 14 days	s. 8; s. 9

scout note

Regulates outdoor wood burning appliances (e.g. outdoor furnaces) in the Municipality of the County of Cumberland. Final reading November 22, 2006.

Machine-readable: open-burning.json · Official website: https://www.cumberlandcounty.ns.ca/ · Last verified 2026-06-05 · Open burning & fires across Canada