Burning & Outdoor Cooking
Know the rules before you light it.
Fire bans, backyard fires, barbecues, camp stoves and park rules can sound complicated. In Richmond, the easiest way to understand them is to start with where you are and what you are burning.
Check the location first. Then check the fuel and appliance.
The Rules at a Glance
What can I use in Richmond?
These are the questions Richmond Fire-Rescue receives most often.
Backyard campfires & open fires
Open-air burning is not automatically permitted. A Richmond Fire-Rescue permit is required unless the activity falls within a specific exemption.
BBQs on private property
Natural gas, propane and charcoal appliances may fall within Richmond’s permit-free exemption when used appropriately on private property.
BBQs in Richmond City parks
Propane and natural gas only — and only inside designated BBQ areas at four City parks.
Charcoal BBQs in City parks
Charcoal barbecues, charcoal camp stoves, wood appliances and open fires are not permitted in Richmond City parks or on City beaches.
Start with the location.
A barbecue that may be acceptable on private property is not automatically permitted in a City park. Parks have additional restrictions designed to protect public spaces, vegetation and other park users.
Backyards, patios and private property
Richmond’s Fire Protection and Life Safety Bylaw regulates open-air burning throughout the City and identifies specific activities that do not require an open-air-burning permit.
Natural gas
Natural-gas-fuelled outdoor cooking appliances are included within the permit exemption in Bylaw 8306.
Propane
Propane-fuelled outdoor cooking appliances are included within the permit exemption in Bylaw 8306.
Charcoal
Charcoal-fuelled appliances are also included within the permit exemption on private property. This does not mean charcoal is permitted in City parks.
Wood, campfires and other burning
Wood fires, backyard campfires, burn piles and other forms of open-air burning do not fall within the normal gas / propane / charcoal cooking exemption. Contact Richmond Fire-Rescue before conducting any open-air burning.
03 / Richmond City Parks
Bringing a BBQ to the park?
City parks have more restrictive rules than private property.
Open fires, wood & charcoal
Open fires, wood-burning barbecues or stoves and charcoal barbecues or stoves are not permitted in Richmond City parks or on City beaches.
Propane & natural gas
Propane and natural-gas barbecues or camp stoves may only be used inside designated BBQ areas at the four parks below.
Garry Point Park
12011 7th Avenue
Steveston
King George Community Park
4100 No. 5 Road
Cambie area
South Arm Community Park
8680 Williams Road
South Richmond
McDonald Beach Park
3500 McDonald Road
Sea Island
A Different Park Authority
Iona Beach Regional Park is not a City of Richmond park.
Although Iona Beach is located in Richmond, it is operated by Metro Vancouver Regional Parks. Its fire danger ratings, cooking restrictions and temporary closures may therefore differ from Richmond City parks.
Conditions can change during fire season. Before bringing a barbecue or cooking appliance to Iona Beach, check current Metro Vancouver Regional Parks information and follow all posted restrictions at the park.
Check Iona Beach04 / Fire Bans
What happens when fire risk increases?
Richmond’s normal bylaws remain in effect throughout the year. During periods of elevated fire danger, additional temporary restrictions may also be imposed.
A temporary fire ban does not make normally prohibited activities legal when the ban ends. The underlying City bylaws still apply.
Check local restrictions, posted park signage and the authority responsible for the property before using any flame-producing appliance.
05 / Official Bylaws
Want the legal wording?
These are the two primary City bylaws governing open-air burning and barbecue use on City property.
Fire Protection & Life Safety
See Part Four, including Sections 4.1 and 4.5, for permit requirements and the open-air-burning exemption.
View Bylaw 8306 →Public Parks & School Grounds
See Sections 2.7.3 and 2.7.4 for rules governing fires, charcoal, propane and natural-gas cooking appliances in Richmond parks.
View Bylaw 8771 →Still Not Sure?
Ask before you burn.
If your appliance, fuel source or planned activity does not clearly fit the information above, contact Richmond Fire-Rescue before using it.