Tree waste rules in Quebec: debris burning, SOPFEU industrial burning permits from April 1 to November 15 and open-fire bans
What SOPFEU and the Fire Safety Act say about burning woody debris, the industrial burning permit needed from April 1 to November 15, the one metre fire size SOPFEU gives, municipal limits, open-fire bans and the fine range for breaking a ban.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It follows two SOPFEU pages and the Fire Safety Act, chapter S-3.4, in the LégisQuébec text marked as updated to August 12, 2026. Fines are in Canadian dollars.
Industrial burning and forestry work
SOPFEU says on its permits and authorizations page that anyone, person or business, doing forestry work that presents a fire risk must obtain authorization from SOPFEU, and that a specific permit must also be requested if burning is required. It defines industrial forestry work as any commercial activity in Quebec using machinery or equipment that may generate sparks or heat. It defines industrial burning as burning in or near a forest to dispose of materials, particularly woody debris cut during land clearing, for industrial or commercial purposes. It states that from April 1 to November 15 an industrial burning permit is mandatory, and that outside that period it recommends telling the local fire department. Requests go through one of four regional bases, which then send a link to an online form.
Debris burning by the public
On the SOPFEU page about burning waste, SOPFEU says the first step is checking for restrictions, since the ministère de la Sécurité intérieure may impose a fire ban, particularly in drought. It advises against lighting a fire when the fire danger index is high or extreme or wind is above 20 km/h. It gives a debris fire size of no more than one metre by one metre, set on a non-combustible surface, supervised at all times, with water, sand or soil nearby. It quotes the Forest Protection Regulations as requiring a person to remain on site until the fire is completely extinguished. It adds that a municipality may restrict burning even without a ban, and that a domestic burning permit may be required in some circumstances. SOPFEU says land-clearing and waste-burning fires cause a significant number of wildfires, and that most Quebec wildfires happen in the spring.
Open-fire bans and the Fire Safety Act
According to the Fire Safety Act, section 150.9 lets the Minister, where a forest fire or the risk of one requires it, order any measure to ensure public safety, including restricting access to a forest and prohibiting the making of fires in the territory the Minister determines. Section 155.1 says anyone who contravenes such a measure is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of CA$500 to CA$50,000. SOPFEU's preventive measures page says a ban on open fires in or near forests applies to any fire that burns freely or could spread freely, and that fire pits and stoves with spark screens of openings no larger than 1 cm, closed solid-fuel barbecues and gas or ethanol appliances are excepted. It adds that municipal police enforce the law and may issue tickets, with the Sûreté du Québec or Indigenous police taking over if no municipal police service is available.
For other places see the table on tree waste and chip rules. Another province is on the Alberta page.