Can You Use a BBQ During a Total Fire Ban?
Published 2026-07-16 · Sources reviewed 2026-07-16
Wood, charcoal and briquettes: no
A Total Fire Ban is aimed exactly at this: fire in the open air. Solid-fuel cooking — campfires, wood-fired BBQs, charcoal kettles, briquette smokers, hibachis — is prohibited during a ban in every Australian jurisdiction, including in built-in fireplaces at campgrounds and picnic areas. There is no “small and contained” exemption for solid fuel on a ban day.
Gas and electric: sometimes, with conditions
This is where states genuinely differ, and where most fines happen. Some states allow gas and electric BBQs during a Total Fire Ban under strict conditions — commonly that the appliance sits on ground cleared of flammable material, an adult is present the whole time, and water is immediately available. Others restrict where they may be used (for example, only at home or in designated areas), and conditions can differ again for commercial appliances.
Because the conditions are state law, not a national rule, verify them on your fire authority's own page — each state's official Total Fire Ban rules are linked in the state list below and on every Fireban rules page.
Where you are matters as much as the appliance
State fire-ban rules are the floor, not the ceiling. On top of them:
- National parks and state forests set their own fire rules, and many prohibit all flame — including gas — during fire bans or high fire danger, whatever the state-level exemption says.
- Campsite operators (caravan parks, private campgrounds, stations) can ban BBQs on their land at any time.
- Councils can have local laws about BBQs in public reserves.
The most restrictive rule that applies to your exact spot wins. Fireban's campsite pages resolve park, tenure and state rules for one specific place, which is the practical way to answer this.
The rules in your state
Every state publishes its own Total Fire Ban rules, including its exact BBQ conditions. Fireban's per-state rules pages summarise them and link the official source beside every claim:
- New South Wales rules · official source: NSW RFS
- Victoria rules · official source: CFA
- Queensland rules · official source: QFD
- Western Australia rules · official source: DFES
- South Australia rules · official source: CFS
- Tasmania rules · official source: TFS
- Australian Capital Territory rules · official source: ACT ESA
- Northern Territory rules · official source: Bushfires NT
Check what applies today
The rules only bite when a ban is actually declared — so the second half of the answer is always live data:
Or search your exact town, park or campsite for today's status and the rules that apply there.
Common questions
- Is a gas BBQ on my balcony affected?
- Fully enclosed indoor cooking isn't what a fire ban targets, but balconies and open verandas can count as “in the open air” in some states' rules. If a ban is declared, check your state's wording before firing it up.
- Do public electric BBQs in parks stay on?
- Councils commonly switch off or tape up public BBQs on ban days even where electric appliances remain legal. Treat an operating public BBQ as a maybe, not a yes — signage on the day wins.
- What about a “No Total Fire Ban” day?
- No ban doesn't mean anything goes. Fire danger period rules, park restrictions and operator rules still apply — that's the subject of fire ban vs permit vs park ban.