Cost: $5.00

Fire Permits are available to purchase ONLINE.

If assistance is required to purchase a burn permit, please contact Township staff by phone at 613-259-2398 ext. 242 or in person at our Township Office. 

PLEASE NOTE that the Township of Lanark Highlands will no longer be offering the purchase of Burn Permits at remote locations.

Fire Permits can be renewed annually by visiting the BurnPermits website

Fire Permits are valid for a calendar year (January 1 - December 31)

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, tasteless and odourless gas that is produced when fuels such as propane, gasoline, natural gas, heating oil and wood do not burn completely in fuel-burning appliances and devices, such as: furnaces, fireplaces, hot water heaters, stoves, barbeques, portable heaters, generators and vehicles.

Exposure to CO can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, loss of consciousness and even death.

Residential buildings that have a fuel-fired appliance, a fireplace and/or an attached garage MUST have working carbon monoxide alarms. A CO alarm should also be installed on every floor of your home.

CO alarms should be tested monthly – this is easily done by pushing the TEST button. Batteries should also be replaced at least once per year.

Be sure to check the expiration date of all CO alarms in your residence. It is recommended that CO alarms are replaced every 7-10 years. If there is no expiration date or you are unsure of your alarm’s expiration date, the alarm should be replaced.

As per the Ontario Fire Code, a CO alarm MUST meet one of the following standards:

• CSA-6.19, Residential Carbon Monoxide Alarming Devices
• UL 2034, Single and Multiple Station Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Be sure to read the packaging of the CO alarm to make sure it lists one of these standards. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to correctly install your CO alarm.

For detached homes and townhouses CO alarms must be installed in any hallway immediately outside of bedrooms, and if applicable, in any basement hallway immediately outside of bedrooms.

In apartment and condo buildings CO alarms must be installed in any area or hallway immediately outside of bedrooms if the apartment or unit contains a fuel-fired appliance. If the apartment or unit shares a wall, floor or ceiling with a service room containing a fuel-fired appliance or a parking garage, CO alarms must be installed in any area or hallway immediately outside of bedrooms.

Landlords are responsible for:
• Installing and maintaining CO alarms in their rental units
• Testing CO alarms in rental units in the following situations: annually; when the battery is replaced; when changes are made to the electric circuit; or there is a change of tenancy.

It is against the law for tenants to remove the batteries or tamper with CO alarms in any way.

Safety Tips:
• Remove vehicles from the garage immediately after starting.
• Shovel snow away from exhaust pipes, dryer vents and intakes for fuel burning appliances.
• Use generators or other gas equipment in a well-ventilated location, ideally outdoors away from windows, doors or vent openings.
• Book an annual inspection and cleaning for furnaces, chimneys and fireplaces; gas dryers; stoves; and any other fuel-burning equipment.
• Never use gas appliances such as ranges, ovens or clothes dryers to heat your home.
• Never use a barbecue or portable fuel-burning camping equipment inside.

CO Alarms - It’s the Law Ontario

Ontario CO Alarm Law What You Need to Know

Is Your Wood Stove Safe?

Improperly installed and maintained wood stoves and fireplaces can lead to dangerous conditions that put you, your family, and neighbours at risk.

Follow the rules – When purchasing a new wood stove or fireplace insert, look for the mark of an accredited certification agency that ensures the product has been tested and meets established safety standards.

Check with your local building department and obtain any necessary permits prior to installing a wood stove, fireplace insert, or chimney. Always follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

The Ontario Fire Code requires homeowners to ensure that their home heating appliances and chimneys are safe. This requires periodic inspections and maintenance.

Tips for maintaining your wood burning appliance

1. Inspect and Clean your Chimney
   • Check your chimney and clear any obstructions at the start of the heating season, and make sure damper controls work properly to keep smoke and toxic gases from building up inside the home.
   • Check chimneys and flue pipes often for creosote and soot build-up and clean to prevent a chimney fire.
   • Your chimney may have problems you can’t see. If in doubt, consult a WETT (Wood Energy Technical Training) certified chimney sweep.
2. Cap It Off
   • Maintain an appropriate chimney cap on top of your chimney to protect against damage from rain or snow.
   • Spark screens should be inspected regularly to make sure smoke can vent properly.
3. Check Stove Pipes and Connections
   • Ensure all joints in flue pipes are securely fastened with at least 3 screws. Where flue pipes are joined together, the small (crimped) end should point toward the appliance.
4. Protect Floors and Walls from Heat and Sparks
   • Keep combustible materials a safe distance away from wood stoves and fireplaces.
   • Always use a properly fitting screen for your fireplace.
   • Consult a WETT certified chimney sweep if walls get too hot.
5. Burn Dry Wood
   • Burn properly dried well-seasoned wood to reduce the risk of excessive creosote build-up from inefficient burning or smoldering fires.
   • Store wood outdoors, stacked in an open area or shed away from the house or deck to provide good air flow that will assist drying.
6. Remove Ashes Safely
   • Allow ashes to cool fully before cleaning them from your fireplace or wood stove.
   • Use only metal, non-combustible containers to remove ashes from the appliance.
   • Take them outside immediately and store well away from buildings on a non-combustible surface.
7. Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms
   • All homes with fuel-fired appliances should have a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm. Check with your fire department or municipal office regarding Building Code and municipal by-law requirements.

In Ontario, all residences must have a working smoke alarm on every level AND outside every sleeping area.

If your home or residence was built after 2014 you must have a working smoke alarm on every level and IN every sleeping room. The smoke alarms must be interconnected, have a battery backup (that lasts for at minimum 7 days if power is lost) AND have a visible strobe light.

For Rental Units it is the landlord’s responsibility ensure that there are working smoke alarms in each unit. Renters are responsible for testing smoke alarms once monthly and to report any issues to their landlord immediately.

Smoke alarms must be tested monthly – this is easily done by pushing the TEST button. Batteries should be replaced at least once per year.

Be sure to check the expiration date of all smoke alarms in your residence. It is recommended that smoke alarms are replaced every 7-10 years. If there is no expiration date or you are unsure of your alarm’s expiration date, the alarm should be replaced.

For false alarms, use the HUSH button – IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO DISABLE A SMOKE ALARM. If the alarm is beeping, try cleaning the alarm or replacing the battery. Move or replace the alarm if it is too close to a kitchen, bathroom or heat register.
Replace defective smoke alarms as soon as possible

Types of Smoke Alarms:
Ionization – Fastest type to respond to flaming fires.
Photoelectric- Fastest type to respond to a slow smoldering fire and white or gray smoke, less prone to nuisance alarms from cooking, mist or steam from showers.

Quick Tips:
• Smoke alarms must be installed on or near the ceiling, be sure to follow all manufacturers’ instructions.
• Upgrade to interconnected smoke alarms – if one goes off, they all go off, giving warning wherever you are in your home.
• Choose hardwired smoke alarms that require a backup battery or alarms with a 10-year sealed battery.
• Sleep with bedroom doors closed.

Portable fire extinguishers can help to save lives and property by extinguishing or helping to contain small fires until the fire department arrives.

The number one priority in any fire is always for residents to get out safely – Fire can grow and spread quickly – Please call your local fire department immediately for any fire.

When to use a Fire Extinguisher:

• Everyone has safely exited the building.
• When a fire is contained to a small area, such as a wastebasket.
• The fire is not growing.
• The fire department has been called or is being called.
• The room is not filled with smoke.

Types of Fire Extinguishers:

• Class A – Ordinary combustibles (wood, paper)
• Class B – Grease, gasoline and oils
• Class C – Burning electrical wires

Select a multi-purpose extinguisher labeled ABC which can be used on all types of home fires. Purchase an extinguisher that is large enough to put out a small fire, and light enough to easily use. The fire extinguisher should carry the label of an independent testing laboratory (CSA or ULC). Fire extinguishers should be installed near an exit, in a visible and accessible location. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for operating and taking care of a fire extinguisher. The pressure gauge should be checked once monthly.

It is safe to use a Fire Extinguisher if:

• The fire is contained to a small area and is not spreading beyond the area immediately surrounding it.
• There is an unblocked escape that you can use where the fire won’t spread.
• You have read and understand the operating instructions and are confident using the fire extinguisher.

How to use a Fire Extinguisher:

Stand approximately 2.5 metres (8 feet) from the fire and keep your back to a clear exit. If the room begins to fill with smoke, leave immediately staying low until safely outside.

To operate a fire extinguisher, remember the word PASS

• Pull the pin, and hold with the extinguisher nozzle pointing away from you. Give a test squeeze to make sure the extinguisher is working properly before approaching the fire.
• Aim low and point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
• Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
• Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

IF THE FIRE DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY GO OUT, EXIT THE AREA AT ONCE

How to Build a Safe Incinerator

If you burn forest litter or debris often, build and use a good incinerator.

• Select a site at least five metres from anything that could catch on fire, like trees, overhanging branches, or piles of debris. Clear an area two metres around the incinerator down to mineral soil.
• Use a metal barrel in good condition
• A heavy metal mesh must be put on top of the incinerator. Mesh size must be less than five mm. Weight the screen with a rock or brick to stop it from falling off your incinerator. Without a mesh cover, a hot fire can spread burning sparks.
• Material will burn more quickly and cleanly if the incinerator has good air flow. To create this, punch holes about seven centimeters above the bottom of the barrel. Punch a few more holes slightly higher and insert steel rods or pipes to support the material to be burned.
• Keep a shovel, rake and water nearby.
• Monitor any fire burning in the incinerator.

Always follow safe campfire practices to prevent your campfire from starting a forest fire. Remember, you could be held responsible for the cost of putting out the forest fire, and for any property damage.

Choose your site carefully

Select a site with easy access to water, sheltered from prevailing winds. Look for a patch of sand or gravel (mineral soil). An area of bedrock is even better.

Your fire should be at least three metres away from any log, stump or overhanging tree, and 15 metres away from any buildings or forest debris that might catch fire. If you make a circle of rocks around your fire make sure the rocks to not hide hot coals after you leave.

Preparing the site

Start by cleaning a one metre space around your campfire site. Remove all pine needles, grasses, leaves and twigs. Scrape away the surface area, right down to mineral soil.

Keep you fire small. You can always add more fuel as you need it. A smaller fire will keep your cooking tools from blackening and let you get close enough to cook. Remember that the forest is no place for a bonfire, and a small fire is easier to control and put out.

Stay nearby

Never leave your campfire unattended. Every person who starts a fire outdoors must:

• take all reasonable steps to keep the fire under control;
• ensure that responsible person is tending the fire at all times;
• drown the fire before leaving the site of the fire for any period of time whatsoever.

How to put your fire out

Begin by thoroughly drowning your fire with water as soon as possible after use. The ground will cool faster and the hazard to surrounding trees or shrubs will be greatly reduced.

Stir the ashes with a stick to uncover hot coals. This will cool the fire faster and allow water to soak in better. Move the rocks to uncover embers.

Drown it again! Make doubly sure the fire is dead out before you leave the site or retire for the evening.

Each year, hundreds of lives are lost because emergency vehicles could not arrive on scene fast enough. Common causes for this are no PIN numbers, private lanes not adequately marked, and lack of access for emergency vehicles.

Tips to allow emergency responders to find your home or cottage:

• Ensure your PIN Number clearly identifies your home or cottage. If you don’t have a PIN number, contact the Township Municipal Office at 613-259-2398 to arrange for installation.
• Ensure laneways and private drives direct responders to your home. It may be necessary to install a second pin number tree or post directing responders down a lane to find your PIN number. If you believe that emergency responders would benefit from this secondary identification, please call the Township office at 613-259- 2398
• Send help to access points that emergency vehicles will arrive by. Provide directions for responders.
• It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure private laneways are plowed with limbs and trees cleared to a minimum width of 6 metres with overhead clearance of 5 metres. Turns and corners must be wide enough to allow trucks to drive directly to the building.

Limited Access May Affect Emergency Response

It is important that a fire truck or ambulance be able to use your laneway when responding to an emergency call at your house or cottage.

The owner of a building in the Township of Lanark Highlands is responsible for the access to the building from the traveled portion of the road to the building.

An access that is not suitable for a large pumper truck or ambulance may affect the effectiveness of emergency personnel responding to an emergency call at that location.

Laneways should be snowplowed and cleared of limbs or trees to a minimum width of 6 metres with a clearance of 5 metres overhead. Any turns or corners must be wide enough to allow the trucks to drive directly to the residence.

Here are some tips offered by the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Township of Lanark Highlands Fire Service on Fireworks Safety to keep you and your family safe:

• Check with your local Fire Department during Fire Bans
• Always follow the label directions
• Never make your own fireworks
• The shooter should always wear protective eye glasses or protection for their hands
• Fireworks are meant for outdoor environments only
• Have an adult present to light them
• Discharge fireworks well away from combustible materials like buildings, trees and dry grass
• Discharge fireworks only if wind conditions do not create a safety hazard
• Always have water handy when lighting fireworks (ie: a garden hose) you can also use sand in a bucket if need be to put them out.
• Only light one at a time. Never attempt to re-light fireworks that have misfired (duds). Wait 30 minutes and then place them in a bucket of water.
• Never throw/point fireworks at other people
• Sparklers burn extremely hot and can ignite clothing, cause blindness and result in severe burns. As the sparkler wire remains hot for some minutes after burnout, it should be immediately soaked in water to avoid injury

Please notify the Township Office immediately if the mailing address for your Property Tax Bills needs changing.

Download, Print and Submit an Change of Address

Failure to receive a tax bill will not invalidate penalty and interest charges.

Municipal Property Assessment Corporation

Every municipality in Ontario is a member of MPAC, a non-share capital, not-for-profit corporation whose main responsibility is to provide its customers - property owners, tenants, municipalities, and government and business stakeholders - with consistent and accurate property assessments.

MPAC administers a uniform, province-wide property assessment system based on current value assessment in accordance with the provisions of the Assessment Act. It provides municipalities with a range of services, including the preparation of annual assessment rolls used by municipalities to calculate property taxes.

Request for Reconsideration

RfRs can be requested for various reasons, including to correct:

• an assessed value that is too high or too low;
• property data, which can include the size of a building or the area of land;
• the effective date for a supplementary or omitted assessment;
• property classification; and
• the portion of assessed value attributable to each class for those properties that have more than one property class.

What cannot be reviewed as part of the RfR process is the amount of property taxes paid to a municipality.

Before filing a Request for Reconsideration, please contact MPAC toll-free at 1 866 296-6722 or TTY 1 877 889-6722. A representative will review the information on file to ensure it is correct and up-to-date.

The RfR deadline is usually March 31 of the applicable taxation year.  However, given the emergency declared by the Province of Ontario, pursuant to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and regulations made thereunder, the RfR deadline for the 2020 taxation year will be 16 days after the emergency is lifted.

School Support

Direction Of School Support

School Support Designation Toolkit

AboutMyProperty™

AboutMyProperty™ is a secure, online service that provides property taxpayers with convenient access to property assessment information. Through AboutMyProperty™, property taxpayers can access property assessment information, site information, lot size and recent sales information on their own property and similar properties - free of charge.

Contact information

In addition to the reports available through AboutMyProperty™, property taxpayers can call MPAC at 1-866-296-MPAC (6722)

To connect to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) to look up your property assessment details visit www.mpac.ca.

Lanark Highlands operates a network of transfer stations and landfills for its residents. Landfills are the final resting place for non-recyclable garbage; they require a frequent cover of soil to prevent garbage from attracting wildlife or blowing around as litter. Since cover material fills valuable space, the Township operates one landfill at a time in order to preserve capacity. The McDonalds Corners Waste Site is currently the Township’s active landfill site.

LARGE LOADS MUST BE SORTED!

Loads of construction & demolition waste MUST be sorted prior to delivery to the landfill. Scrap metal must be separated for deposit into designated areas at the waste site. Load separation increases the Municipality's ability to divert materials from the landfill and recycling increases revenues to pay for waste management. Load separation extends the life of our landfills and reduces your tipping fees.

Questions?

If you have any questions about waste disposal, please contact the Lanark Highlands Township Office at 613-259-2398 ext. 242.

What IS Acceptable in your Blue Box?

• Open and empty/clean paint cans (no plastic with metal tops and/or bottoms or handles)
• Tin cans, aluminum cans, pie plates, trays and foil wrap (no foil with paper or plastic laminate)
• Clear and coloured glass food and beverage bottles and jars scraped and rinsed clean
• Plastic food and beverage containers
• Milk and juice cartons, ice cream containers rinsed and clean
• Newspaper, magazines, catalogues, flyers and junk mail
• Boxboard: cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes, “paper” egg cartons, toilet paper/paper towel rolls
• Office paper
• Cardboard – flattened and bundled
• Hard & soft cover books

What is NOT Acceptable in your Blue Box?

• Car tires and car parts
• Dirty flower pots
• Pots and pans
• Zippered plastic bags, solar blankets and fiberglass feed bags
• Styrofoam, sponge foam and foam sheeting
• Bubble wrap
• Small or large appliances, electronics
• Plastic or metal strapping, window pane glass & construction material
• Picture frames
• Hangers
• Oil containers
• Compost
• Glass or ceramic dishes, Tupperware and Rubbermaid
• Plastic toys
• Diapers
• #4 Film Plastic: grocery and shopping bags, outer wrap from cases of water and toilet paper/paper towel packages

Lanark Highlands will be working with Miller Waste for the curbside collection of residential recyclables effective January 1^st, 2025. Our current waste collection contractor, Emterra Environmental will be responsible for all Lanark Village curbside waste collection as well as the collection of all business and institutional recyclables.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call or e-mail the Public Works Department at the contacts below.  

Kathryn Maton, Manager of Public Works

613-259-2398 ext. 239

Lindsay Hutchings, Public Works Administrative Assistant 

613-259-2398 ext. 242

For residential recycling concerns please contact:

Miller Waste

1-888-852-2374

Residents of Lanark Village who currently receive curbside pickup will continue to do so without the need of a bag tag.

Curbside Pickup Day: Fridays with garbage and blue boxes at the curb by 7:00 a.m. 

Curbside WASTE Pick-up limits:

• Residential – 2 bags per week 
• Multi-residential & apartment units - 2 bags per residential unit per week
• Commercial & Industrial Establishments - 5 bags per week

Additional bags in excess of these limits and uncollectible waste can be taken to any waste site during normal operating hours for disposal without incurring any additional charge or needing a bag tag.   
A bag or container used for waste disposal shall not exceed 45 pounds when full. 

Uncollectible Waste

The following items are considered ‘uncollectible waste’ and will not be collected curbside:

• articles more than 1.5 metres long,
• construction or manufacturing waste,
• demolition debris,
• yard waste,
• iron or steel,
• tires,
• electronics,
• appliances,
• household hazardous waste (including paint),
• or the carcass of any animal.

Any uncollectable waste will be left at the curb with a courtesy tag explaining why it was not picked up. 

Curbside RECYCLING:

Acceptable Blue Box Items

• Open and empty/clean paint cans (no plastic with metal tops and/or bottoms or handles)
• Tin cans, aluminum cans, pie plates, trays and foil wrap (no foil with paper or plastic laminate)
• Clear and coloured glass food and beverage bottles and jars scraped and rinsed clean
• Plastic food and beverage containers
• Milk and juice cartons, ice cream containers rinsed and clean
• Newspaper, magazines, catalogues, flyers and junk mail
• Boxboard: cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes, “paper” egg cartons, toilet paper/paper towel rolls
• Office paper
• Cardboard – flattened and bundled
• Hard & soft cover books

Uncollectable Recycling

The following materials are uncollectable in the Lanark Village Curbside program:

• broken window glass & ceramic dishes,
• motor oil or transmission oil containers,
• full or partially full paint cans,
• newspapers wrapped in plastic,
• chip and candy wrappers,
• diapers,
• cat litter and animal feces. 
• #4 Film Plastic: grocery and shopping bags, outer wrap from cases of water and toilet paper/paper towel packages

It is also recommended that cans and bottles be the original with labels and that they are placed in a cardboard box to make for easier disposal. 

The following items are not accepted:

• Containers over 25 litres (not considered Household)
• Freon tanks
• Light Ballasts
• Flares / Fireworks
• Explosives

Household Hazardous Waste Information Pamphlet

Thank you and we look forward to another great season! 

E-Waste is made up of electrical and electronic products that are no longer wanted by their owners. 90% of Ontarians have unwanted electronic devices to dispose of. 

Lanark Highlands collects E-Waste at all waste sites so it can be sorted and processed at approved facilities in Ontario and Quebec. In 2010 residents of Lanark Highlands recycled 13.4 tonnes of E-Waste through municipal waste sites; in 2013 E-Waste recycling increased by over 180% to 37.8 tonnes! 

When you recycle E-Waste you support the development of Green Industry in Canada while reclaiming valuable resources and preserving local landfill space. 

The following E-Waste is accepted at all waste sites. No tipping fees apply.

• Desktop computers
• Portable computers
• Computer peripherals including modems
• Monitors
• Televisions
• Printing devices including copiers, scanners, typewriters
• Telephones (physical and accessories)
• Cellular phones
• PDA’s and pagers
• Audio and video players
• Cameras
• Equalizers, (pre)amplifiers
• Radios
• Receivers
• Speakers
• Tuners
• Turntables
• Video players/projectors
• Video recorders
• Personal hand held computers

For more information and a detailed list of accepted materials go towww.recyclemyelectronics.ca.

MCDONALD'S CORNERS REUSE CENTRE

Hours of operation for the Reuse Centre remain the same as the landfill; Summer Hours (May 15 - Sept 14) Thursday 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm and Sunday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Winter Hours (Sept 15 - May 14) Thursday 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm and Sunday 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm. 

The Reuse Centre is a community-based volunteer organization that partners with the Township to divert reusable goods from the landfill and redistribute them free-of-charge to people who can use them.

Books, clothing, house wares, craft materials, furniture, electronics, small appliances, sports & garden equipment, reusable windows and doors are all accepted at the Reuse Centre from Lanark Highlands' residents. (Due to limited storage capacity and volunteer labour, donations from outside of the Township are discouraged.)

The Reuse Centre is located at the McDonald's Corners Waste Site: 800 Con. 10, Dalhousie at County Road 12, and is open during regular waste site hours.

'The ReUsers', a volunteer group dedicated to maximum diversion from the landfill, staff the Reuse Centre. In October 2009 the ReUsers, with support from the municipality, local businesses and volunteer carpenters opened a new facility to accept, sort, and distribute reusable goods. Diversion from the landfill increased with the new and improved facility from an estimated 16 tonnes of material in 2009 to 37 tonnes in 2010 – a 130% increase in diversion! As of 2023, it is estimated that over 100 tonnes of materials are diverted annually. 

To CONTACT the ReUsers (to offer your volunteer labour or to get information to assist in establishing a Reuse Centre in another community) phone Lynne Parks at 613-278-2739, Chris Anstead at (613) 278-1428, or email