Bonfire Licence

[curatokid]

I have been told that I need a licence to have a bonfire in my garden, is this correct ? also they stated that the licence is only for one fire on the date stated on licence, this does not seem right but could be as this is Spain, we are now putting all garden waste in basura bins which seem to be overfilling with everyones garden rubbish, any information would be appreciated.

[Julie]

Thats right, only time you will get away with a fire is the eve of San Juan, I think off the top of my head that is June 23rd, but check, of course someone would have to report you if you had a fire anyother time !

[Jool]

This is correct and you will not get a licence for a fire in Andalucia until after October 16 this year - it is part of the campaign against forest fires etc as one spark can set everything off. when you see your locals lighting fires for garden waste again then you can go and get a permit for yours, and you will need to watch it all the time it is burning.

Although it sounds bizarre it is actually a sensible rule given the terrain of the area.

[ajtg1952]

My understanding is that you need a licence to have a bonfire if you have it outwith the winter months; which is generally December to March.

My neighbours and I all burn regularly over these months and have no problems. However, we all tend to store cuttings etc. over the summer and when these get dry I often think it is more dangerous to have all this tinder dry material around than to burn it in a controlled manner.

[Beachcomber]

I have had a licence to burn all through the summer. You can burn without one, at least in this area, after the 15th October.

[country boy]

Around us nobody worries unless you set fire to the Campo and then they just throw away the keys if you are "out of season".

[annfoto]

Why do you not just build a compost heap for the soft stuff. If you have a lot of woody prunings buy a decent shreder and use the chippings produced to mulch the ground. This suppreses the weeds and improves the soil.

[Lavanda]

Here we get a weekly license from mid October to mid May. One copy for the Ayuntamiento, one for the Cuartel and one for us. No one can burn anything in the summer. Barbecue areas need a license in themselves with so many sq. m. of tiled or concreted flooring round the barbie. Campo fires are dreadful things!

Agree completely with ajgt1952 and annfoto.

[Beachcomber]

I agree. We get the licence in order to burn for the remainder of May but, as I said, it is valid for the whole summer which does seem to be rather silly. From 15th October to 15th May no licence is required but the same restrictions apply, i.e. you can only burn from 8am until 2pm and not on Saturdays, Sundays or fiesta days. Well, theoretically at least.

[lulubel]

One of our neighbours (I believe it's a holiday home) turned up late yesterday afternoon and lit a fire in the garden - finally put it out around 10pm. Then they relit it again for about 3 hours this morning. Does this mean we could have reported them? It was really unpleasant and we've had to keep the house sealed up to try and keep the smoke out.

[Beachcomber]

Each municipality has its own regulations so it depends where you live.

It's not really a very difficult offence to detect. All the police have to do is look around and follow the source of the smoke but I have never known them to do so.

[Julie]

It may be a better idea to go and speak to them before going to report them, they may not realise that you find it so bad, and may even apologise

[lulubel]

I totally agree with you, Julie, but after a bad experience (actually several bad experiences!) with a particular neighbour in the past, I've learnt it's always best to know exactly where you stand before you talk to your neighbours about something and get told to "eff" off (or the spanish equivalent).

[Beachcomber]

Why not just go to the town hall and ask what the rules are as though you were enquiring on your own behalf? That way you will find out for sure without mentioning your neighbour.