Can I light a campfire in the forest?
In principle yes — but only at suitable spots, and in drought not at all. Under Art. 22(1) of the Forest Act (WaldG, LR 921.0), fires "may be lit only at suitable spots"; the fire site must be supervised and the fire put out before leaving. The myth: "Open fire in the forest is always banned." Wrong — at an established fire spot it is allowed, as long as no ban is in force. Conversely, many underestimate the prohibitions: under Art. 22(2) the government may issue local and time-limited fire bans, and when the forest-fire danger is high an absolute fire ban applies in and near the forest — then even permanently installed barbecue spots are off-limits. Get it wrong and you risk a fine of up to CHF 50'000. The Forest Act carries the same number 921.0 as the Swiss one, but it is its own law.
📋 The rules
- Art. 22(1) WaldG: fires "may be lit only at suitable spots. The fire site must be supervised and the fire put out before leaving the place." Three duties in one sentence: the right place, supervision, and complete extinguishing.
- Art. 22(2) WaldG: to prevent fire damage the government may issue local and time-limited fire bans. Such bans override the general rule of paragraph 1 — what would otherwise be allowed is then prohibited.
- The absolute fire ban in drought: when forest-fire danger is high (level 4 or 5 of 5) the Office of Civil Protection imposes a fire ban in and near the forest; then even permanently installed barbecue spots may not be used. The current status is on the official forest-fire portal.
- The penalty (Art. 50 WaldG): anyone who lights a fire other than at a suitable spot, fails to supervise the fire site or fails to put it out (lit. k), or breaches a fire ban (lit. l), is fined by the Office of the Environment up to CHF 50'000; half for negligence.
- "Near the forest" counts too: the ban covers not only the forest itself but expressly also the forest vicinity. A fire just outside the tree line can thus meet the same offence as one in the middle of the stand.
🔓 Exceptions
- Established fire and barbecue spots: at a set-up fire spot, grilling is allowed as long as no ban is in force — and only with supervision and complete extinguishing. Yet these very spots are the first to fall away under an absolute fire ban.
- During a fire ban: there is no exception — neither the official barbecue spot nor the disposable grill is allowed. The ban is made precisely for the days on which a single spark is enough.
- Outside the forest and its vicinity: the garden grill at home does not fall under Art. 22 WaldG. But the moment you come into the forest vicinity, the forest-fire ban applies again — the boundary is not the forest edge but the reach of the danger.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The main sanction is the contravention fine of the Office of the Environment of up to CHF 50'000 (Art. 50 WaldG), halved to CHF 25'000 for negligence — and it bites already if you merely leave the fire unsupervised or fail to put it out fully. The truly expensive case lies beyond the administrative fine: if the fire gets out of control and a forest fire results, criminal responsibility for negligently causing a conflagration under the StGB is added — we deliberately do not cite the exact paragraph, because it could not be cleanly verified for Liechtenstein. On top comes civil liability: you bear the fire brigade's extinguishing costs and the damage to the forest, which for mature stands quickly runs into the hundreds of thousands. Not obvious: because the ban also covers the forest vicinity, the thought "but I was not in the forest" will not protect you.
📎 Official sources
- LILEX — Forest Act (WaldG, LR 921.0), Arts. 22 and 50 (register home page) →
- National Administration — Office of Civil Protection and Office of the Environment, fire bans (home page) →
- Waldbrandgefahr — the official fire-danger portal that also applies to Liechtenstein (home page) →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I light a campfire in the forest at all?
Yes, but only at a suitable fire spot, and you must supervise the fire and put it out completely before leaving. That permission holds only as long as no local or time-limited fire ban is in force.
What applies in drought?
When forest-fire danger is high, the Office of Civil Protection imposes an absolute fire ban in and near the forest. Then even permanently installed barbecue spots may not be used, and every breach is punishable.
Can I use the official barbecue spot?
As long as no fire ban applies, yes — but only with supervision and complete extinguishing before you leave. As soon as an absolute fire ban is declared, even the established barbecue spot falls under the ban.
How high is the fine for a prohibited fire?
The Office of the Environment can impose a fine of up to CHF 50'000, and at most half for negligence. If a forest fire results, criminal responsibility and the fire brigade's extinguishing costs are added on top of the fine.
Does a fire just outside the forest still count?
Yes, the ban expressly covers the forest vicinity, not just the forest itself. A fire just outside the tree line can therefore meet the same offence as one in the middle of the stand, so "I was not in the forest" is no defence.
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