Can I have a fire pit in Toronto?
There’s nothing like relaxing in front of a nice campfire when you’re out in the woods surrounded by cottages or tents with something warm in your hand, hugging a flannel.
But what about when you want that same campfire experience at home, in Toronto? Is it legal to set up a backyard fire pit in this city? Let’s see what Toronto Fire Services has to say about backyard fire pits, first. Then we’ll explain where you can actually enjoy a fire pit in the city.
Toronto Fire Services
A little over a decade ago, Toronto Fire Services (TFS) made a grand announcement about fire pits, or what they call ‘open air burning’ in the city.
“The Toronto Fire Services would like to reissue a reminder to the public regarding outdoor fireplaces, firepits, and chiminea devices after receiving numerous calls from the public this past weekend. Open air burning is not permitted within the City of Toronto as per the Ontario Fire Code;
… Although outdoor fireplaces can be purchased at retail outlets throughout the city, open air burning is not permitted unless such burning is used to cook food on a grill or a barbecue and is restricted to a small, confined fire that is supervised at all times.” [emphasis added]
So, if you read that last part, open air burning is fine if it’s confined to a supervised cooking device with a grill. The purpose of this ban on haphazard fire pits, even the ones you can buy from the store, is to protect people, their property and the environment.
Any open air burning that fails to meet these conditions will be extinguished by TFS upon discovery.
Contact your insurance provider to see if installing a fire pit (outside of Toronto) will have any impact on your policy. Failure to inform your home insurance company may lead to them not being liable for damage if it occurs as a result of your fire pit.
What about open air burning in Toronto parks?
If you walk through City of Toronto Parks often enough, you may have noticed cool campfire-esque seating arrangements that seem to circle around fire pits in particular parks. These are the areas deemed fit for campfire entertainment and may be used by the public to fulfill those cottage-in-the-city urges.
During the summer, it’s recommended you obtain a permit to use the park fire pit through a relatively simple process. All you need to do is pick up the phone and call the Customer Service Permit Call Centre (416-392-8188) and let them know which pit you’re interested in reserving. If it’s available, you’ll be informed of the cost to rent the pit, depending on the size of your party.
See this list below for city parks with fire pits (via blogTO):
- Carlton Park
- Christie Pits Park
- Derrydowns Park
- Dovercourt Park
- Downsview Dells Park
- Dufferin Grove Park
- Earl Bales Park
- Etienne Brule Park
- G Ross Lord Park
- Home Smith Park
- MacGregor Playground Park
- Morningside Park
- Northwood Park
- Orchard Park
- Tam O'Shanter
- Taylor Creek Park
- Thomson Memorial Park
- Toronto Islands- Centre Island
- Toronto Islands- Hanlan's Point
- Toronto Islands- Olympic Island
- Toronto Islands- Snake Island
- Wilket Creek Park
- Withrow Park
In essence, all you need is a permit to have a fun campfire going in the city. But you are unlikely to be permitted such “solid fuel burning” fun in your own backyard due to the fire code.
Get a crew together and enjoy a summer night in your favourite Toronto park!