Muirburn licensing begins in Scotland on 15 September

Scotland’s muirburn season opens on Tuesday 15 September under a licensing scheme for the first time, and from that date carrying out muirburn anywhere in the country without a NatureScot licence becomes a criminal offence. The change, made by the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024, reaches every moor, whatever is burned for and whoever holds the match.

What does the muirburn licence require?

The licence holder must be the landowner or occupier, with the legal right to muirburn for the duration of the licence, though an agent can apply on their behalf. It is a condition of every licence that burning has regard to the revised Muirburn Code, which has been rewritten with stakeholders to reflect the new law.

Training is compulsory. Everyone involved in planning, supervising or controlling a burn must have completed the Muirburn Practitioner Foundation Course, delivered through Lantra, and from 15 September the practical module is required alongside the online element. Licence holders must also keep records of every burn and submit an annual return by 31 May.

Twelve purposes, and a peat test

There are 12 licensable purposes. On non-peatland they include managing the habitats of moorland game or wildlife, improving grazing, conserving the natural environment and reducing wildfire risk. On peatland, defined in the Act as land with peat deeper than 40cm, burning can be licensed only for restoring the natural environment, wildfire prevention, research or training.

Applicants must state whether the ground is peatland, using NatureScot’s interactive map. Where the map shows an area as uncertain, a peat depth survey on a 100m grid is needed before it can be licensed for a non-peatland purpose, with results recorded on NatureScot’s template. Licences can be amended later as survey data is added, so an applicant can start with a smaller area in the first year.

How are keepers preparing?

Applications have been open for some weeks and NatureScot has published guidance setting out how it will assess them, together with templates for the wildfire risk plans that must accompany wildfire-purpose applications.

What happens next

The standard season runs from 15 September to 31 March. Land managers intending to burn this season should apply through NatureScot’s online licensing service, confirm training evidence for at least one named person, and complete any peat surveys their ground requires. Out-of-season muirburn will be licensed only in exceptional cases. Annual returns for 2026/27 are due by 31 May 2027.