Total Fire Ban permits

6 min read

During a Total Fire Ban, businesses or individuals may need a permit to use fire outdoors. Permits are granted based on necessity and can be suspended or revoked. Find out about the application process, eligible activities, and who can apply for a Total Fire Ban permit.

Summary

A Total Fire Ban permit allows businesses or individuals to use fire in the open air on Total Fire Ban days for specific purposes.
Permits are only issued if the use of fire is deemed necessary by the issuing officer.
Submitting an application does not guarantee you will get a permit.
Any issued permit may be suspended or revoked by the granting officer.

Fire permits for Total Fire Ban days

Businesses or individuals who need to use fire in the open air to conduct their work or activity on a day of Total Fire Ban may require a permit.

The open air is defined as any place that is not within a permanent structure - consisting of a roof and fully enclosed on all sides. It includes a caravan but does not include a tent.

Permit applications are assessed in accordance with the Country Fire Authority Act 1958.

Permits will only be issued for Total Fire Ban days when the granting officer agrees the use of fire to be necessary. Permits may or may not be granted.

Applications for a Total Fire Ban permit will only be considered for specified purposes including:

Carrying out necessary work/business activities
Public entertainment
Religious or cultural purposes

Submitting an application does not guarantee that you will get a permit. Any permit granted may be suspended or revoked by the granting officer at any time. Some activities do not allow you to use your permit on days where a catastrophic fire danger rating has been reached. Please check your permit conditions carefully.

Activities requiring a Total Fire Ban permit:

Bee keeping - using bee smokers
Blow lamps or gas torches
Catering - including using gas, electricity, liquid fuel and solid fuel (applicant must hold a Temporary Food Premises/Stall permit from the relevant Municipal Health Officer)
Emergency flares at civil and military aerodromes
Fireworks and other uses of fire for public entertainment (applicant must hold a Pryotechnical License)
Flares at a petroleum fractionation plant, a gas plant or any plant of a like nature
Gas flare off
HDPE pipe joining
Heating and spreading of bitumen and like substances
Industrial heat testing
Hot air ballooning (applicant must be a commercial operator)
Operating a diesel or gas fired steam cleaner or hot wash
Some religious or cultural ceremonies and activities
Safety fuses in blasting operations
Sawmill waste and refuse burners
Welding, cutting and/or grinding

There may be other activities that require a permit on a day of Total Fire Ban. If you are unsure, please complete an application and select ‘Other’ and we will assess your application.

Who can apply for a Total Fire Ban permit?

Community organisations
Charitable organisations
Fundraising organisations
Statutory corporations
Municipal Councils
Industrial operations, businesses and sole traders

Who issues Total Fire Ban permits?

Depending on the location of the activity, the assessment of applications and granting of Total Fire Ban permits may be done by:

CFA if the planned activity is within the country area of Victoria
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) if the planned activity is within the FRV fire district
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) if the planned activity is within any forest, national park, protected public or fire protected area

How do I apply for a Total Fire Ban permit?

Total Fire Ban permits issued by CFA, FRV or DEECA can be applied for online through Fire Permits Victoria. If you are unable to apply online for permit applications:

within the country area of Victoria contact your local CFA District Office
If you are unable to apply online for permit applications within the FRV fire district contact your local FRV Regional Office
If you are unable to apply online for permit applications within the DEECA managed public land and fire protected areas contact your DEECA Regional Office

If you are not sure if your planned activity is within the country area of Victoria or the FRV fire district, please check the CFA & FRV boundaries. Further information about fire restrictions on public land and fire protected areas can be found on the Forest Fire Management Victoria website.

Note: If applying online, the system will work out which agency is aligned to your application.

Additional information:

In some areas, called fire protected areas, which are within the country area of Victoria and within 1.5km of forests, national park or protected public land, fire restrictions are determined by the Prohibited Period under the Forests Act.

The list of places and dates where the Prohibited Period applies can be found on the Forest Fire Management Victoria website.

Conditions will apply if a permit is granted. The applicant agrees to comply with all conditions.

Failure to comply with each and every condition contained in any permit issued is an offence under the law and penalties for non-compliance will apply.

Following the conditions of the permit does not remove the permit holder's legal responsibility for any damage caused by a fire they light. The permit holder may still be liable under civil or criminal law.

If you receive a permit, you must notify us when you want to use it. Notifications, as required by the permit conditions, are very important. These notifications are to prevent an unwarranted response by the local Fire Brigade as a result of a Triple Zero call being received. Your permit conditions will tell you who must be notified before you burn.

The Fire Permits Victoria website also allows you to notify authorities when you plan to use your permit.

Page last updated: Tuesday, 9 June 2026 12:41:13 PM