Burning of tyres, paint, solvent residues, coated wire and treated timbers is prohibited.
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Open Burning in the Blue Mountains
The intention of the Regulation is solely to manage the air pollution issues associated with burning, with a view to protecting local and regional air quality, local amenity and human health.
The Regulation allows Council to approve the burning of dead vegetation in the Blue Mountains area, as well as providing some discretion as to the areas in which it allows burning. However, for health and air quality reasons the Regulation strictly prohibits the burning of other items such as:
- Tyres
- Paint and paint containers
- Solvent residues and containers
- Coated wire
- Treated timbers
It is important to note that Council can only approve the burning of vegetation - an application to burn any other material will be rejected. Building wastes, plastics and other garbage are not to be burnt at any time.
Two approval mechanisms apply for burning within the Blue Mountains local government area. A standing approval has been issued to a certain class of person, and an approval by application process exists for all other residents.
The 'class of person' approval relates to properties that fall into the following categories:
- Land zoned Rural Conservation. This covers all privately owned land in Mount Wilson, Mount Irvine, Mount Tomah, and Megalong Valley, as well as some land within Sun Valley;
- Land zoned Bushland Conservation - No Subdivision (not to be confused with land zoned Residential - Bushland Conservation). This covers a widely distributed range of properties that are largely on the urban fringes of the City; and
- The Pulpit Hill precinct. This covers all properties that front Pulpit Hill Road, Explorers Road, Saywell Road and Nellies Glen Road Katoomba.
Residents in these areas do not need to apply to Council every time they wish to burn a pile of dead vegetation on their property, however, they must comply with a number of strict conditions that aim to minimise smoke impacts and ensure the fire is managed safely. The approval document, including important conditions that must be followed can be downloaded on the right hand side of this page.
For residents who own or manage land outside of these areas, approval will only be granted subject to an application and assessment of the burning proposal. The application process has been maintained for all other properties, as burning close to or within built up areas has significant potential to cause adverse smoke impacts on the community. An application form can be downloaded from the right hand side of this page or over the counter at Council offices. Assessment of applications can take up to fifteen working days, so please be patient and take assessment time into account when proposing a date for the fire.
All approved burning activities must be undertaken in accordance with the Rural Fire Service / NSW Fire Brigades document Standards for Pile Burning. This document is also available from the downloads area on this page, or on the Rural Fire Service website.
It should be noted that approvals relating to open burning are not intended to apply to bush fire hazard reduction works, and do not limit a resident's ability to undertake genuine hazard reduction activities. See the application guidelines in the downloads section to ensure you are submitting the correct type of application for the activity you wish to undertake.