Open Burning of Vegetation

The Snowy Valleys is a legislatively listed area in which burning of vegetation is prohibited except with approval.  

Anyone wishing to conduct open burning of clean dry waste such as tree clippings etc, will require a permit from council.  

Council Burn Approval Permits are subject to conditions and failure to obtain a permit, or failure to comply with the conditions of a permit is an offence with a minimum fine of $500.

All other avenues of disposal should be explored prior to applying for a Burn Permit.  These include utilising local services to dispose of green waste or using the SVC Green Waste (FOGO) Kerbside Service.

Only if you have exhausted other options to eliminate your clean,green waste is it possible to gain approval for a permission to burn permit. The process is based on courtesy and common sense.  It is legal to burn green waste in your backyard provided you have a burn permit. 

  1. Apply to for a burn permit - follow this link to our forms page and search for Application to Burn Vegetation Form 
  2. The ranger will inspect the pile to ensure no prohibited (illegal) waste material is included
  3. The inspection and conditional approval is then given to either the Rural or Town Fire Brigade who then issues the Permission to Burn Permit.
  4. A permit is valid for 30 days from issue and conditions are stated on the permit.

No-burn notices issued by the EPA or Total Fire Bans issued by the Rural Fire Service override any of these conditions except in specific circumstances.

All enquiries please contact our customer service team on 1300 275 782 (1300 ASK SVC) or email [email protected]