During the course of my build, I dealt with both the city's Planning and Development department and Ottawa Fire Services. Fire Services, in particular, were great to deal with. I built a Casa 90 oven and forwarded the specs and built instructions to a Fire Services engineer prior to building and also had a final inspection and approval during the first firing. Getting it inspected may help if someone makes an open air fire call on you. I've had one such call since my build, and the firemen that showed up seemed more interested in where to get one and how they work, after I told them their engineers inspected it.
So, this is what I've learned over the past year's build regarding WFO and the city's regulations:
- as far as city Planning and Zoning are concerned, a WFO is the same as a shed; it's an accessory structure. So the same bylaws apply: no permit needed if less than 10 sqft, and it needs to be located at least 2 ft from a property line and 4 ft from the foundation of your house.
- A properly built WFO is not considered an open air fire because it is a contained, airtight unit and has a sealed steel door
- As the FB models are UL certified as a cooking appliance, it is considered a BBQ and not subject to open air burning bylaw in Ottawa
- You will need a spark arrester on your chimney
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