Burning off and fireworks

Burning off cleans up excess green waste, branches and leaves to prepare your property for the fire season.

If you live in a residential, urban growth or a semi-rural area, you can burn off on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10am and 3pm. You’ll need to obtain a permit from Council for any other time.

If you are a resident in a rural area, you can burn off any day of the week. All burn offs need to be registered with VicFire (call 1800 668 511). No fires can be lit on total fire ban days or smog alert days.

Each year the Fire Danger Period is declared by the CFA for each shire or council at different times in the lead up to the fire season. It depends on the amount of rain, grassland curing rate and other local conditions. The Fire Danger Period will remain in place until the fire danger is reduced.

People living in country Victoria and the outer metropolitan suburbs of Melbourne are affected by these restrictions.

You can check the CFA website for the latest update on the current Fire Danger Period status for Mitchell Shire and subsequent restrictions.

Please be aware, you can only burn off during this time if you have a permit from the CFA. Council will not issue burning off permits during the fire danger period.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) officially lifted the Fire Danger Period restrictions in Mitchell Shire Council on 16 March 2020 at 1am.

Find out more about what you can and can't do during the Fire Danger Period.

Green waste

Most green waste can be taken to Resource Recovery Centres during the Fire Danger Period (fees apply).

Not all fires lit are for the purposes of a burn off. Fire pits and fire drums can be lit in Mitchell Shire during non-Fire Danger Period months, however, please be mindful of your the surrounding properties. A nuisance is defined by unnecessary amounts of smoke or ash travelling into a neighbours property or otherwise. For more information, please call Council on 03 5734 6200.

Burning in the open-air, for the purposes of fuel reduction, is permitted from the end of the declared CFA Fire Danger Period to 1 October each year.

In most cases you can burn-off without a permit, but there are some local laws that need to be followed.

• In residential areas, Urban Growth areas (less than 0.4ha or 1 acre) and semi-rural areas, you can burn off on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10am and 3pm. You’ll need a permit outside of these days and times.
• In rural areas, you can burn off any day of the week.
• From 1 October each year to the start of the CFA declared Fire Danger Period, you’ll need a permit to burn a windrow, stump, log or vegetation with a diameter greater than 75mm

• Once the CFA declared Fire Danger Period begins you will need a permit from the CFA. Council will not be issuing permits during the fire danger period.
  

All open air burning requires notification to VicFire (1800 668 511) and fires are not to be lit on days of Total Fire Ban, smog alert days or during the CFA declared Fire Danger Period.

To obtain a permit, fill out a permit form or call (03) 5734 6200.

From 1 October to the start of the CFA Fire Danger Period each year you will need a permit from Council to burn a windrow, stump, log or vegetation with a diameter greater than 75mm. A windrow is any combustible or inflammable material, including garden or tree waste and household rubbish (unless listed as not allowed), that is stored in an area exceeding 2 cubic metres.

The days you can burn off depends on the zoning of your property.

There are four different property types:

• residential
• semi-rural
• urban growth area (on land less than 0.4 hectares, or approximately 1 acre)
• rural

If you're not sure how your property is classified, go the township maps on pages 30-36 of our Local Law No. 1 Community and Environment below.

When burning off is prohibited, lighting a fire will result in a fine.

If you are concerned about the legalities of fireworks being let off, please contact us on 03 5734 6200. One of our Local Laws Officers will manage the concern.