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Outdoor Burning
The #1 Human Cause of Wildfires
Burning
responsibly is the best way to prevent unwanted wildfires and costly fines.
Escaped debris burns are the number one cause of wildfires in the State
of
Washington
.
This site is full of the information and tips to help you burn safely and
legally. It contains information for
CLARK
,
COWLITZ
, WAHKIAKUM,
LEWIS and
SKAMANIA
Counties
.
|
Step
1: Determine
where you
will be burning
|
A
No Burn
Zone |
If
you are located in a no burn zone, no burning is allowed.
That was easy! Whew!
Aren’t you glad you checked the rules!
Unsure?
Click
Here To Find Out More About No Burn Zones
|
| Unimproved
Land |
If
you will be burning on unimproved land (primarily silvicultural
burning-burning for forestry purposes), your fire will fall under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources.
Click here to find out the rules for burning on unimproved
property.
Unsure?
Click Here To Find Out More About Burning on Unimproved Land
|
| Improved
Land |
If
you are on improved land (such as yards, pastures, etc.) you will need
to determine if your burning is recreational, residential or land
clearing.
Go
to Step 2 |
Frequently
Asked Questions
|
No
Burn Zones
ALWAYS
CALL 1-800-323-BURN BEFORE YOU BURN FOR CURRENT BURN BAN INFORMATION. |
| Wahkiakum |
(360)
795-3301 |
As
of 2004, Wahkiakum
County
does not have any
No
Burn Zones, though some
may
be designated in the future based on population
density.2 |
| Lewis |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
As
of 2001,
Lewis
County
has
one No Burn Zone, and
more
may be designated in
the
future, based on population density.
No
burning is allowed
inside
the city limits of
Centralia
and Chehalis, and
in
their surrounding urban
growth
areas.1
Call
1-800-633-0709 to
find
out more or visit
Southwest
Clean Air to
see a map of the No Burn Zone in
your
area.
|
|
Cowlitz |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
As
of 2002,
Cowlitz
County
has one No Burn Zone, and more may be designated in the future,
based on population density.
No
burning is allowed within the Expanded Longview/Kelso No Burn Zone,
which includes the cities of
Longview
and Kelso; densely populated areas bordering these two cities; and in
their surrounding urban growth areas.1
Call
1-800-633-0709 to find out more or visit
Southwest
Clean Air to
see a map of the No Burn Zone in your area.
|
|
Clark |
(360)
397-2186 |
As
of 2001,
Clark
County
has two No Burn Zones, and more may be designated in the future, based
on population density.
No
burning is allowed within the southern Clark County and Expanded Battle
Ground No Burn Zones, which jointly include the cities of Vancouver,
Camas, Washougal, Battle Ground; densely populated areas bordering these
four cities; and in their surrounding urban growth areas.1
Call
1-800-633-0709 to find out more or visit
Southwest
Clean Air to
see a map of the No Burn Zone in your area.
|
| Skamania |
SWCAA
1-800-633-0709 |
As
of 2004,
Skamania
County
does not have any No Burn Zones, though some may be designated in the
future, based on population density.2 |
| 1:
Except for camp/recreational fires under 3x3x2 feet, all outdoor
burning of yard, forest and land clearing debris is permanently
prohibited.
|
2:
Burning
natural vegetation outdoors is allowed on all non-federal lands in the
county, except during temporary state or local burn bans to reduce the
risk of air pollution or hazardous wildfires.
|
*SWCAA:
Southwest Clean Air Agency
|
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To Top of Page
|
Silvicultural
Burning and Burning
on Unimproved Property
ALWAYS
CALL 1-800-323-BURN BEFORE YOU BURN FOR CURRENT BURN BAN INFORMATION.
|
|
JURISDICTION
OF THE WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
|
|
No
permit is required if the burn meets ALL of the following
criteria:
At
least one person age 16 or older who is capable of putting out the fire
and has a method of calling
9-1-1
must be in attendance at all times.
Only
one pile is burning at a time.
Winds
are calm or light and do not exceed 7 to 10 miles per hour.
A
fire break is clear and is free of flammable material. Rule of thumb is
1.5 times the height of the pile.
Between
July 1 and October 15, the pile is less than 4 feet across OR between
October 16 and June 30, the pile is less than
10 feet across.
|
A
permit is required when any one of the
Conditions
listed cannot be met.
The
permit fee is based on the estimated fuel. At time of printing, the
permit fee for piles up to 100 tons is $25.50. See DNR's
website for a complete fee schedule. Call DNR's Pacific Cascade
Regional Office at (360) 577-2025 to acquire a burn permit. Allow up to
one week for the permit.
|
What
Is Unimproved Land?
Lands
that are not irrigated, mowed, or otherwise maintained including
pastures, brush lands, scrub forests and forest.
|
|
Keep
your fire safe and legal
DNR
investigates and pursues recovery of
all
reasonable expenses for wildfires started through negligence on DNR
protected lands. Follow your permit to stay safe and legal.
|
Return
To Top of Page
|
Residential
Burning
ALWAYS
CALL 1-800-323-BURN BEFORE YOU BURN FOR CURRENT BURN BAN INFORMATION.
|
| Wahkiakum |
(360) 795-3301 |
No
permit is required for piles
smaller than 4x4x3 feet.
Free
written burn permits are required for all residential burning of piles
larger than 4x4x3 feet.
Permits
might be available through your local fire department or town hall. If
not, contact Wahkiakum Public Works Department at (360) 795-3301.
|
| Lewis |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
No
permit is required for piles smaller than 4x4x3 feet.
Burning
is allowed only during daylight hours and in nonurban
areas of
Lewis
County
.
Call Lewis County Community Development at (360) 740-1133 for burn
restrictions.
For
piles between 4x4x3 and 10x10x6 feet outside the urban areas of
Lewis
County
,
a free written permit is required from Southwest Clean Air
Agency
(SWCAA). Permits are available by mail, by calling 1-800-633-0709, or
online at
www.swcleanair.org
For
multiple piles or piles larger than 10x10x6, a land
clearing permit is required. See page 5A.
|
|
Cowlitz |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
No
permit is required for
burn
piles smaller than 4x4x3
feet.
Outside the
Longview
/
Kelso
No-Burn Area, a free
written
permit is required for
piles
between 4x4x3 and
10x10x6
feet. These are
available
from your local fire
department
or town hall. You
may
also obtain one in the mail
by
calling the Southwest
Clean
Air Agency (SWCAA)
at
1-800-633-0709 or visit
www.swcleanair.org to
download
the permit.
All
burns must comply with
local
ordinances and seasonal
restrictions.
Call your local fire
department
or town hall for
specific
requirements.
|
|
Clark |
(360)
397-2186 |
Outside
of the No-Burn
Zones,
a free written permit
is
required for piles smaller
than
10x10x6 feet and
smaller.
Permits usually are
available
from local fire
departments.
If not, call the
Clark
County Fire Marshal’s
Office
at (360) 397-2186 for
permit
locations.
For
residential burning
of
piles greater than
10x10x6
feet a land clearing
permit
will be required.
See
page 5A.
|
| Skamania |
SWCAA
1-800-633-0709 |
All
residential burning of piles
smaller
than 10x10x5 feet
requires
a free small fire permit.
Burning
of piles between
4x4x3
and 10x10x5 feet is
allowed
only between
October
16 and June 30. Piles
of
natural vegetation smaller
than
4x4x3 feet may be burned
year
round, except during
seasonal
burn bans.
Permits
usually may be
obtained
from your local fire
department
or town hall. They
also
may be obtained from
Skamania
County
Public Works
at
(509) 427-9448. For piles
larger
than 10x10x5 feet, see
land
clearing requirements on
page
5A.
|
Return
To Top of Page
|
Land
Clearing Burning
All
counties require permits to burn land clearing debris piles 10 feet or
larger.
Wahkiakum
County requires a permit, free of charge, for any size pile of land
clearing debris.
ALWAYS
CALL 1-800-323-BURN BEFORE YOU BURN FOR CURRENT BURN BAN INFORMATION.
|
| Wahkiakum |
(360) 795-3301 |
A
free written burn permit is required for burning material resulting from
land
clearing
operations.
The
permits are available from
Wahkiakum
County
Public
Works; call
(360)
795-3301.
|
| Lewis |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
A
permit is required to
burn
piles of land clearing
debris
larger than 10x10x6
feet
and outside urban
areas.
Contact
the Southwest
Clean
Air Agency (SWCAA)
at
1-800-633-0709 to
request
a site inspection,
which
likely will take place
within
one week of the
request.
There is a $100 fee for this permit.
|
|
Cowlitz |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
Burn
piles of land
clearing
debris larger than
10x10x6
feet outside the
Longview/Kelso
No-Burn
Area
require
a permit.
Contact
the Southwest
Clean
Air Agency (SWCAA)
at
1-800-633-0709 to
request
a site inspection,
which
will likely take place
within
one week of the
request.
There is a $100 fee
for
this permit.
All
burns must comply with local ordinances and seasonal restrictions. Call
your local fire department or town hall for burn permit locations.
|
|
Clark |
(360)
397-2186 |
A
written permit and site
inspection
is required for
piles
larger than 10x10x6
feet
and for land clearing
operations.
Call
the
Clark
County
Fire
Marshal’s
Office at
(360)
397-2186 to schedule
an
appointment, which
likely
will take place within
one
week of the request.
There
is a fee for the
permit.
|
| Skamania |
SWCAA
1-800-633-0709 |
For
piles larger than
10x10x5
feet, call Southwest
Clean
Air Agency (SWCAA)
at
1-800-633-0709 to
request
an appointment for
a
land clearing permit,
which
will likely take place
within
one week of the
request.
There
is a $100 fee for
this
permit.
|
Return
To Top of Page
|
Recreational
Burning
ALWAYS
CALL 1-800-323-BURN BEFORE YOU BURN FOR CURRENT BURN BAN INFORMATION.
|
| Wahkiakum |
(360) 795-3301 |
No
permit is required if built with charcoal or firewood, and if less than
3x3x2 feet.
Landowner
permission is required.
No
burning is allowed on state land except in designated campgrounds.
For
piles in excess of 3x3x2 feet, call (360) 795-3067.
|
| Lewis |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
No
permit is required if
built
with charcoal or
firewood,
and if less than
3x3x2
feet.
Landowner
permission
is
required.
No
burning is allowed on
state
land except in
designated
campgrounds.
For
piles in excess of
3x3x2
feet, call Southwest
Clean
Air Agency (SWCAA)
at
1-800-633-0709.
|
|
Cowlitz |
SWCAA*
1-800-633-0709 |
No
permit is required if built with charcoal or firewood, and if less than
3x3x2
feet.
Landowner
permission is required.
No
burning is allowed on state land except in designated campgrounds.
Recreational
fires in excess of 3x3x2 feet are not allowed within urban areas.
Outside of urban areas, call your local fire department or town hall for
a free permit.
|
|
Clark |
(360)
397-2186 |
No
permit is required if
built
with charcoal or
firewood,
and if less than
3x3x2
feet.
Landowner
permission
is
required.
No
burning is allowed on state land except in
designated
campgrounds.
Piles
in excess of 3x3x2 feet require a free, written permit that can be
obtained
from your local
fire
department.
|
| Skamania |
SWCAA
1-800-633-0709 |
No
permit is required if
built
with charcoal or
firewood,
and if less than
3x3x2
feet.
For
recreational fires in
excess
of 4x4x3 feet, a small fire permit is required that may be obtained from
your local fire station, town hall or by calling Skamania
County
Public
Works
at
(509)
427-9448.
Landowner
permission
is
required.
No
burning is allowed on
state
land except in
designated
campgrounds.
|
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To Top of Page
|
Frequently
Asked Questions
|
|
What
Can Be Burned?
No
matter what type of fire you're planning, it is legal to burn only
natural vegetation or
firewood.
It is against the law to burn anything else - even paper (except for
the amount
necessary
to start a fire).
|
|
Can
Burn Barrels Be Used?
No,
the use of burn barrels is prohibited statewide.*
|
|
Can
Construction and Demolition Debris Be Burned?
It
is illegal to burn any material resulting from a construction,
renovation or demolition project.
|
|
When
is Burning Allowed?
Burning
is allowed only during daylight hours, unless otherwise permitted.
Check with your
county
for local ordinances. Recreational fires are excluded
from this restriction. Burn only
when
winds are light and do not exceed 7 - 10 MPH. No burning is allowed
during a burn ban.
Call
your local county offices or
1-800-323-BURN
for
current burn ban information.
|
|
When
is Burning Considered a Nuisance?
Smoke,
odor or ash that unreasonably impacts neighboring properties is
illegal.
|
|
*
Washington
banned the use of burn barrels in 2000. Burning garbage has been
illegal since 1967. WAC 173-425 bans the use of a burn barrel and
prohibits the burning of all material, except firewood and natural
vegetation grown on the property. This regulation also prohibits
burning during periods of impaired air quality and prohibits outdoor
burning from becoming a nuisance to surrounding neighbors and
businesses.
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