Forest fires, barbecues and outdoor fires in Vaud
To verify This page has 3 items that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check them yourself before relying on them:
- Alertswiss app: real-time alerts and warnings: see Alertswiss and civil protection. To verify: whether Vaud fi…
- Ecublens, Saint-Sulpice, Chavannes-près-Renens and the EPFL campus: To verify: no barbecue rule found in the O…
- To verify: cantonal rules and the rule in other communes. Many communes collect green waste instead.
How to check the fire danger before a barbecue or campfire, and the basic rules around Lausanne. Fireworks, the 2026 drought ban and the 10 m forest-edge rule are on Fireworks rules in Vaud.
Key facts
- Five danger levels: from 1 (low) to 5 (very high) on the federal forest-fire danger platform run by the FOEN (OFEV) (waldbrandgefahr.ch).
- Check before you light: vd.ch links to the federal map for each warning region; communes can declare their own fire bans (vd.ch).
- Lausanne: outdoor fires are forbidden, but barbecues are allowed if every precaution against fire is taken (RGP art. 75).
- Garden waste in Lausanne: small amounts of dry natural waste may be burned if neighbours are not disturbed (RGP art. 75).
- Report a fire: call 118.
1. Fire-danger levels and bans
The canton assesses forest-fire danger every week and sends it to the FOEN, which publishes it for all of Switzerland (vd.ch). The federal levels (waldbrandgefahr.ch):
| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Low danger |
| 2 | Limited danger |
| 3 | Marked danger: "lit matches and barbecue sparks can cause a fire" |
| 4 | High danger |
| 5 | Very high danger: a fire can break out at any time |
Measures range from a call for great caution, to a partial ban (fires only at fixed fire places), to an absolute ban on fires in or near forests or outdoors (waldbrandgefahr.ch).
Where to check:
- Vaud: vd.ch Incendies de forêt, which links to the federal map.
- Federal: waldbrandgefahr.ch, current situation (also shown in the MeteoSwiss app, per vd.ch).
- Alertswiss app: real-time alerts and warnings: see Alertswiss and civil protection. To verify: whether Vaud fire bans are pushed through Alertswiss.
2. Rules for a fire in or near the forest (vd.ch)
- Use the fire places set up for it; never leave a fire unattended.
- Do not throw away lit cigarette ends or matches.
- Put the fire and the area around it out completely before you leave.
- Do not light a fire outdoors in wind or gusts.
- Ask your commune about the local danger: communes can impose a general ban.
3. Barbecues in Lausanne and the EPFL area
- Lausanne: "It is forbidden to make a fire in the open air. Barbecues (grillades) are however allowed, provided all precautions have been taken against any fire danger" (RGP art. 75). Lighting a fire with flammable liquids or fast-burning materials is forbidden (art. 77).
- Parks and lakeside in Lausanne: barbecues are allowed only in parks equipped for it and in the lakeside green spaces between the Chamberonne and the Bellerive pool, south of the motorway and Avenue de Rhodanie (Vidy-Bourget area, except sports grounds and the bird reserve). Fires directly on the ground are banned; disposable grills must not damage lawns or be used on or near benches and tables; take or dispose of charcoal in the bins provided (Lausanne green-space rules, DREV, art. 8).
- Ecublens, Saint-Sulpice, Chavannes-près-Renens and the EPFL campus: To verify: no barbecue rule found in the Ouest lausannois police regulation; ask your commune.
4. Burning garden waste
- Lausanne: private individuals may burn small quantities of dry natural waste from forests, fields and gardens, if it causes no nuisance to neighbours (RGP art. 75).
- To verify: cantonal rules and the rule in other communes. Many communes collect green waste instead.
5. Heat and emergencies
- Drought and heat tips: Heat and summer health.
- Fire: 118. Ambulance: 144. See Emergency contacts.
- Camping outside campsites: Wild camping and bivouacs.