Wildfire planning for Lake Country, BC acreage

Council adopted a new Official Community Plan, Bylaw 1330, on 23 July 2026. It includes a Wildland Fire Development Permit Area, shown on Map C12, to reduce the risk to life and property from fires where homes meet the forest.

Inside it, a new house, an addition with a new footprint or land alteration can need a development permit before a building permit. The District may ask for a wildfire hazard assessment and mitigation report from a qualified professional.¹

The plan exempts work that needs no building permit, interior alterations, and construction entirely of non-combustible materials.

It also exempts work covered by a section 219 covenant registered on title, in which the owner agrees to follow the guidelines and FireSmart BC principles.²

The District's guidelines measure from the house and any deck. Within 1.5 metres, the ground should be non-combustible, such as soil, pavement, concrete, pavers or rock, with no plants.

From 1.5 to 10 metres: no new conifers or hedges, summer grass kept under 10 centimetres, trees limbed to 2 metres, and an existing mature conifer kept only if its stem is at least 8 metres from the building.

From 10 to 30 metres: no new juniper, cedar or arborvitae, and mature trees at least 3 metres apart, branch tip to branch tip. Where a house sits against a slope steeper than 10 degrees, the first two zones double.²

Yes. FireSmart BC's Wildfire Mitigation Program sends fire professionals to assess a home at no cost and leaves a report of actions for that property. Lake Country owners apply on FireSmart BC's form and choose District of Lake Country as their jurisdiction.

After the work is done and a follow-up inspection passes, the owner receives a FireSmart certificate, which can be shared with participating insurers. FireSmart BC says it does not share assessment details with insurers.

For the yard work, the District placed FireSmart green waste bins at Fire Station 71 in Winfield and Station 81 in Carr's Landing in April 2026, for residential owners' leaves, twigs and branches; no lumber, pallets or construction materials.³

The District restricts outdoor burning from 1 May to 30 September. Open burning permits are valid from 1 October to 30 April, unless otherwise posted, for a property of 1 hectare or more.

Burning is allowed only when the venting index is 65 or greater, so check it before each burn.⁴

The District points residents to the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations email updates and its address map of evacuation alerts and orders.

An alert means be ready to leave on short notice. An order means leave now.⁵