Media release

Permits to burn closure

Fire and Rescue

The final day for issuing ‘Permits to Burn’ to landholders will be 1 May 2022.

This applies to the below areas within the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) Emergency Response Area (ERA).

  • Litchfield Municipality
  • Batchelor
  • Adelaide River
  • Pine Creek
  • Katherine
  • Mataranka
  • Borroloola
  • Timber Creek
  • Yirrakla
  • Nhulunbuy

All permits to burn within the listed ERAs will expire no later than 8:00am on Tuesday 3 May 2022.

By law, it is an offence to:

  • Not comply with a hazard reduction notice to eliminate or reduce a hazard
  • Light a fire in the open air without a permit unless for the purpose of meal preparation or personal comfort (warmth/living rough)
  • Light any fire in the open on a fire ban day
  • Not try to extinguish an unlawful fire
  • Not report an unlawful fire

People caught lighting fires illegally will be fined more than $600 under the Fire and Emergency Act 2016:

  • Light fire without a permit ($620 + $40 Victims Levy)
  • Fail attempt extinguish unlawful fire  ($620)
  • Fail to report unlawful fire ($620)

Additional information is available from your local NTFRS Station, or by visiting https://pfes.nt.gov.au/permitstoburn