The CFS has set the 2026/27 fire danger season for the Riverland and the Murraylands: 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027. The Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, Gawler and Adelaide’s northern suburbs sit in the CFS Mount Lofty Ranges fire ban district, and the Adelaide Metropolitan district covers the city. When we checked on 19 October 2026, the CFS still listed the 2026/27 dates for those two districts as to be announced (last season both ran from 1 December 2025 to 30 April 2026), so check the CFS Fire Danger Season dates page before you plan any burning. The work around the house is the same every year: clear the gutters, cut long grass back, prune low branches and close the gaps embers can get into.
Which fire ban district are you in?
The CFS lists these council areas in the Mount Lofty Ranges fire ban district: Adelaide Hills, Alexandrina, Barossa, Burnside, Campbelltown, Gawler, Mitcham, Mount Barker, Onkaparinga, Playford, Salisbury, Tea Tree Gully, Victor Harbor and Yankalilla. So Mount Barker, Hahndorf, Stirling, Tanunda, Nuriootpa, Angaston, Gawler, Elizabeth and Salisbury are all covered by the same season dates and the same fire bans.
2026/27 season dates from the CFS (checked 19 October 2026):
- Riverland: 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027.
- Murraylands: 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027.
- Mount Lofty Ranges: to be announced. Last season ran from 1 December 2025 to 30 April 2026.
- Adelaide Metropolitan: to be announced. Last season ran from 1 December 2025 to 30 April 2026.
The CFS sets the dates each year and can move them when conditions are dry. Riverland and Murraylands homes have the earlier start, so the jobs around the house there need doing before 1 November.
Other districts already set for 2026/27 include the West Coast, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Flinders and the two pastoral districts (from 15 October 2026), the Upper and Lower South East (from 1 November 2026) and Lower Eyre Peninsula (from 15 November 2026). The CFS Chief Officer declares each district’s dates and they are published in the Government Gazette before they start, so the Mount Lofty Ranges and Adelaide Metropolitan dates will show on the CFS page once they are set.
Fire danger season or a Total Fire Ban?
Fire danger season is the stretch of months when the CFS restricts lighting fires in the open. Some outdoor cooking is allowed if it meets strict conditions, while above-ground fires such as chimineas and fire drums need a permit, usually assessed by your local council. A Total Fire Ban is different: it is declared for a fire ban district on a day of dangerous fire weather, and stricter rules apply for that day. Check the CFS “What can I do?” list on a Total Fire Ban day, and check your council’s rules before you burn garden waste at any time of year.
The CFS checklist for your home and yard
The CFS guide to preparing your home and property sets out what to do. The main points:
- Gutters. Remove leaves from gutters. It appears in the CFS winter, spring and summer lists.
- Long grass. Reduce, remove and manage vegetation such as long grass within 20 metres of your home and within 5 metres of sheds and garages. In summer, keep a defendable space of up to 20 metres (more on a slope).
- Branches. Prune tree limbs lower than two metres above the ground or overhanging the house, and clear dead branches, leaves and undergrowth, especially under trees.
- Mulch and woodpiles. Move bark, heavy mulch and woodpiles away from the house, and keep the underfloor area clear of timber and firewood over summer.
- Ember gaps. Seal gaps along the ridge cap, gutter line and fascia, close in openings in the eaves and under the floor, and fit metal fly wire mesh or solid screens to windows, doors, vents and skylights.
- Water. Make sure hoses reach all the way around the house, and use metal fittings because plastic ones melt.
The CFS also asks every household to have a Bushfire Survival Plan and to practise it. Its before a fire section walks you through one.
Spring is the time to get it done
The CFS spring list covers the jobs that take the longest: slashing or mowing long grass and taking the cut material away, pulling weeds, cutting back overhanging trees, picking up fallen branches and cleaning the gutters. Leave it until the first hot weekend and you’re racing the season, and any burning of the pile may be restricted once the season starts. Check your council’s rules before burning anything.
Where Lindsay can help
Several of the CFS jobs are on Lindsay’s regular list:
- Gutter cleaning: leaves, moss and built-up debris cleared out
- Garden and yard clean-ups, lawn mowing and whipper snipping, with the green waste taken away
- Rubbish removal, for old timber and junk piled against the house or under the floor
- Window and flyscreen repairs
Big trees, roof repairs and anything electrical are jobs for an arborist, a roofer or an electrician. Lindsay will say so when he quotes. He covers the Barossa Valley, Gawler and the Riverland. For a free quote, use the quote form or call 0481 195 152.