Muirburn licensing
https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/licensing/muirburn-licensing
A new licence for all muirburn will be introduced in Autumn 2026.
In 2024, new legislation for muirburn was introduced by the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act.
The Scottish Government has delayed the introduction of the new muirburn licence to Autumn 2026. From this point onwards, a licence will be required to carry out muirburn on any land in Scotland. It will be an offence to carry out muirburn without a licence.
How to prepare
Although we are not currently accepting applications, there are steps you can take to prepare.
This video provides a summary for applicants:
When applying for the new muirburn licence, you will need to provide:
- details of the area(s) you wish to burn
- training evidence
- confirmation you will comply with the Muirburn Code
- peat depth survey data (optional, depending on the area and licensable purpose)
What applicants can do now
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Consider why you need to muirburn
Muirburn can only be licensed for specific reasons. Consider why you need to muirburn on your land before you start the application.
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Complete the training course
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Check if you need to do a survey
Check if you need to do a survey using our interactive map.
Surveys can be started now using the recording template provided.
Muirburn Code
The Muirburn Code outlines how to carry out muirburn safely and responsibly.
A revised version of the Code will be published in line with the new legislation.
An updated consultation draft has been prepared in collaboration with stakeholders (the Muirburn Code Working Group). This consultation closed on 5 May 2025, and we are currently reviewing responses.
We will update this page when the revised version is published.
Licensable purposes
There are 10 licensable purposes, 6 on non-peatland and 4 on peatland:
- managing the habitats of moorland game or wildlife (non-peatland only)
- improving the grazing potential of moorland for livestock (non-peatland only)
- conserving, restoring, enhancing or managing the natural environment (non-peatland only)
- restoring the natural environment (peatland only)
- preventing, or reducing the risk of, wildfires causing damage to habitats (non-peatland / peatland)
- preventing, or reducing the risk of, wildfires causing harm to people or damage to property (non-peatland / peatland)
- research (non-peatland / peatland)
You can apply for both peatland and non-peatland purposes in the same application.
The Act defines peatland as land with peat layers of 40cm or more.
We can only grant a licence on peatland if muirburn is necessary for the specified purpose.
Burning out of season is not permitted for the management of moorland game or to improve grazing for livestock.
Training evidence
All those who intend to make muirburn must complete the Muirburn Practitioner Foundation Course.
The training course is split into an online module and a practical module. Both the online and practical element will be required from 15 September 2026.
You can now register for the online module.
You must provide training evidence for 1 person when applying for a licence.
This course will be updated once the revised Muirburn Code has been published.
Peat depth surveys
Use our interactive map to check if you need to do a peat depth survey.
This map checks for non-peatland, peatland and uncertain areas (where peat depth is not known).
If where you wish to burn covers uncertain areas, the map will give you survey co-ordinates. Use this data to carry out your survey. You do not need to survey every point if you accept that area cannot be licensed for a non-peatland purpose.
Survey requirements
You only need to provide data for areas you wish to license for a non-peatland purpose.
We have provided a summary below. We recommend you read our survey guidance in full before starting any fieldwork.
If you are applying for a non-peatland purpose
You must:
- survey any ‘uncertain’ areas in a 100m grid
- carry out a walkover survey of any non-peatland areas to confirm the absence of peat
If you are applying for a peatland purpose
You do not need to carry out a survey.
You only need to survey peatland areas if you disagree with the classification (in the interactive map) and want to license that area under a non-peatland purpose.
Those areas should be surveyed in a 100m grid.
Carrying out your survey
Our interactive map will provide you with co-ordinates (.gpx) and a survey template (.xls) for the area you have specified. You can use this data to carry out your survey.
You must type your survey results in the template provided. We cannot accept other formats.
We understand it may take time to carry out peat depth surveys. Licence holders can add survey results over time by requesting a licence update. This means you can apply for a smaller area in the first year and submit more data later.
If you have already carried out a survey
We will accept existing peat depth data you have, provided the survey was carried out in line with our guidance. This means that - for uncertain areas - the measurements must have been taken at 100m intervals or less.
You must add any existing data to our blank survey template. We cannot accept other formats.
Mapping
We are in the process of designing an online application form that will allow you to submit your area(s) of land with the rest of your information.
There is no need to prepare maps in advance.
What to expect
In the application, you must submit the area(s) of land you wish to muirburn over the course of the licence.
You can do this by:
- drawing areas in the digital map
- opening a Shapefile (.zip)
- selecting an existing area of land using a location code or field ID (LPID)
How the map relates to the licensed area
During licence assessment, we will combine the following data:
- the Muirburn Peatland Map 2025
- survey results provided with the application
We will use this data to produce a map which defines the areas licensed for peatland and/or non-peatland purposes.
Muirburn season
The current (2025/26) muirburn season will end on 15 April 2026.
From 2026 onwards, we expect that the muirburn season will change to 15 September – 31 March.
Out-of-season muirburn
In exceptional cases, we may license out-of-season muirburn for a specific purpose that couldn’t be achieved by burning in season.
Find out more
Contacts
If you already have a licence number, include it in the subject line of your email, or have it to hand when you call.
You should receive an automatic confirmation email from us if you send an email. If you do not receive this, please phone us on the number below:
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