Summary of the points found on this page:
Burn permits are needed to legally burn. They are FREE and help determine if the fire dept needs to respond to a call of smoke in your area. Please note that, even with a burn permit, if the fire gets away from you, you are responsible for all fees involved in fighting the fire. ALL FIRES MUST BE ATTENDED AT ALL TIMES, with material nearby to extinguish fire if needed, such as garden hose, shovel and sand, etc. Spring open burn dates are March 30th to May 30th. Also, burning on the east side of Hwy 38 after May 30th will result in fire dept responding to your location automatically; this area is prohibited by the state. Current callout fee is over 900 dollars; please respect the state regulations and save yourself some money.
Some reasons you may not be issued a burn permit for a particular day are weather, including clearing index, location of intended burn, and the date or day of week (no burning on Sundays).
Box Elder county information here: http://www.boxeldercounty.org/box-elder-county-fire.htm
State of Utah information here: http://ffsl.utah.gov/index.php/fire/fire-code
DEQ information here: http://www.deq.utah.gov/airapp/OpenBurning/index.htm
BURNING IN BARRELS IS BANNED BY THE STATE
For many years burning trash in barrels has been a convenient way to dispose of residential garbage or other trash, such
as yard waste, tree clippings, etc. However, with new environmental regulations, burning in barrels is specifically banned.
Also, environmental regulations prohibit burning oil, tires, plastics, garbage, etc. Open burning is for wood, tree clippings,
yard waste, weeds, etc, not for garbage.
ALL fires must be attended AT ALL TIMES, even with permit. If fire gets away from you, even with permit, you are responsible for all costs involved in fighting the fire.
Burning without a permit, burning prohibited materials, etc will result in a written warning for the first offense.
If fire dept responds to your location you can be fined for some or all of the cost of the callout, please respect the regulations.
2017 Information from the Facebook post from Box Elder County Fire:
The Residential Burn window is now open Please see below, Also the County Fire Marshals Office does not issue permits for the following Incorporated areas , Brigham City, Perry City, Garland or Treamonton Cities
In order to burn there are several things that have to be in place they are.
The Clearing index must be above 500 feet, this means that the smoke will rise to 500 feet above the ground and then spread out.
You must call 435-734-3345 to get a permit, please remember burn permits are issued on Friday for Saturday and there is not any burning on Sundays
Permits are only issued Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
any permits for Saturday must be issued on Friday
These burns must be attended at all times, have a hose nearby and be out by dark.
• Residential burn permits may be issued between March 30 and May 30 and between September 15 and October 30.
• Materials to be burned are thoroughly dry and no trash, rubbish, tires, or oil are included in the material to be burned, used to start fires, or used to keep fires burning.
By state law burn barrels are not allowed for the burning of trash.
Agriculture burning is permitted year round with a clearing index above 500 and a burning permit has been issued from the fire Marshalls office. In order to qualify as an agriculture burn the property must be zoned Agriculture, be in the Green Belt for taxes and actively producing a product for profit or in support of ie: dairy feed, Ranch pasture.
Prohibited open burning. Open burning that will be offensive or objectionable because of smoke or odor emissions when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous shall be prohibited. The fire code official is authorized to order the extinguishment by the permit holder or the fire department of open burning
307.3 Location. The location for open burning shall not be less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from any structure, and provisions shall be made to prevent the fire from spreading to within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of any structure.
Call 435-734-3345 for a burn permit.
(following is from the Box Elder County open burning page)
We are in that time of year when we start getting calls on recreational type fires in backyards. There have been questions regarding what the current requirements are for these recreational fires. The code now addresses portable outdoor fireplaces such as the ones you see in the home improvement stores, Wal-Mart etc. Below are the current code requirements from the International Fire Code 2012 Edition. Please remember any fires that we receive multiple calls on or the smoke in impacting the neighbors can be considered a “Nuisance” and may be required to be extinguished.
307.4 Location.
The location for open burning shall not be less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from any structure, and provisions shall be made to prevent the fire from spreading to within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of any structure.
Exceptions:
- Fires in approved containers that are not less than 15 feet (4572 mm) from a structure.
- The minimum required distance from a structure shall be 25 feet (7620 mm) where the pile size is 3 feet (914 mm) or less in diameter and 2 feet (610 mm) or less in height.
307.4.1 Bonfires.
A bonfire shall not be conducted within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of a structure or combustible material unless the fire is contained in a barbecue pit. Conditions which could cause a fire to spread within 50 feet (15 240 mm) of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition.
307.4.2 Recreational fires.
Recreational fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet (7620 mm) of a structure or combustible material. Conditions which could cause a fire to spread within 25 feet (7620 mm) of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition.
307.4.3 Portable outdoor fireplaces.
Portable outdoor fireplaces shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and shall not be operated within 15 feet (3048 mm) of a structure or combustible material.
Exception: Portable outdoor fireplaces used at one- and two-family dwellings.
307.5 Attendance.
Open burning, bonfires, recreational fires and use of portable outdoor fireplaces shall be constantly attended until the fire is extinguished. A minimum of one portable fire extinguisher complying with Section 906 with a minimum 4-A rating or other approved on-site fire-extinguishing equipment, such as dirt, sand, water barrel, garden hose or water truck, shall be available for immediate utilization.
The residential open burning period is open now, here is some information to help you plan your burns for this year.
R307-202-5. General Requirements.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this rule, no person shall set or use an open outdoor fire for the purpose of disposal or burning of petroleum wastes; demolition or construction debris; residential rubbish; garbage or vegetation; tires; tar; trees; wood waste; other combustible or flammable solid, liquid or gaseous waste; or for metal salvage or burning of motor vehicle bodies.
(ii) The county or municipal fire authority may issue a permit between March 30 and May 30 for such burning to occur when the clearing index is 500 or greater. The county or municipal fire authority may issue a permit between September 15 and October 30 for such burning to occur when the state forester has approved the burning window under Section 65A-8-211 and the clearing index is 500 or greater.
(v) No trash, rubbish, tires, or oil are included in the material to be burned, used to start fires, or used to keep fires burning.
DAQ rules governing open burning can be found in the Utah Administrative Code (UAC) R307-202. This rule allows open burning of clippings, bushes, plants, and pruning’s from trees incident to property and residential clean-up activities.
Here are the things that we can issue Burning Permits for
(10) Types of open burning for which a permit may be granted are:
(a) Except in nonattainment and maintenance areas, open burning of tree cuttings and slash in forest areas where the cuttings accrue from pulping, lumbering, and similar operations, but excluding waste from sawmill operations such as sawdust and scrap lumber.
(b) Open burning of trees and brush within railroad rights-of-way provided that dirt is removed from stumps before burning, and that tires, oil more dense than #2 fuel oil, tar, or other materials which can cause severe air pollution are not present in the materials to be burned, and are not used to start fires or to keep fires burning.
(c) Open burning of a fire hazard that a county or municipal fire authority determines cannot be abated by any other viable option.
(d) Open burning of highly explosive materials when a county or municipal fire authority, law enforcement agency or governmental agency having jurisdiction determines that onsite burning or detonation in place is the only reasonably available method for safely disposing of the material.
(e) Open burning for the disposal of contraband in the possession of public law enforcement personnel provided they demonstrate to the county or municipal fire authority that open burning is the only reasonably available method for safely disposing of the material.
(f) Open burning of clippings, bushes, plants and prunings from trees incident to property clean-up activities, including residential cleanup, provided that the following conditions have been met:
County Ordinance No. 385 highlights
1) No burning shall be started before 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m.
a. on occasion where special circumstances and weather patterns are favorable for an earlier start time and on-site weather monitoring is in place, a burn may be given advanced permission to burn before 8:00 a.m.
2) No burning shall occur on any Sunday.
3) All burning shall be completely extinguished one (1) hour before sunset.
a. During the spring, orchard growers may get a long term permit for the purpose of burning tree prunings, this will allow a grower to continually burn pruinings until Saturday night at midnight or a day with a clearing index below 500 is reached. The grower is responsible to check the clearing index every day and voluntarily cease burning if the index falls below 500.
4) The burn permit number must be present at the site of the burning during all times that supervision of the fire is required by this ordinance.
5) No burning shall occur during the week of Box Elder County Fair from Monday through and including Saturday of the Fair
(5) Types of open burning for which a permit may be granted are:
(a) Except in nonattainment and maintenance areas, open burning of tree cuttings and slash in forest areas where the cuttings accrue from pulping, lumbering, and similar operations, but excluding waste from sawmill operations such as sawdust and scrap lumber.
(b) Open burning of trees and brush within railroad rights-of-way provided that dirt is removed from stumps before burning, and that tires, oil more dense than #2 fuel oil, tar, or other materials which can cause severe air pollution are not present in the materials to be burned, and are not used to start fires or to keep fires burning.
(c) Open burning of a fire hazard that the county or municipal fire authority determines cannot be abated by any other viable option.
(d) Open burning of highly explosive materials when a county or municipal fire authority, law enforcement agency or governmental agency having jurisdiction determines that onsite burning or detonation in place is the only reasonably available method for safely disposing of the material.
(e) Open burning for the disposal of contraband in the possession of public law enforcement personnel provided they demonstrate to the county or municipal fire authority that open burning is the only reasonably available method for safely disposing of the material.
(f) Open burning of clippings, bushes, plants and prunings from trees incident to property clean- up activities, including residential cleanup.
Please remember to plan your burns this year during the spring and fall burn windows
Every year there are two open burning windows for residents to burn yard debris ie: leaves, branches weeds and such, this does not include garbage, tires, construction materials, cardboard and other trash.
There are several factors that regulate open burning in our County some apply only to residential burning and some apply to both agricultural and residential burning, they are listed below.
1. During the year the State Forester puts a ban on any open burning for those areas East of Highway 89 and Highway 38 on the entire Wasatch Front, this ban goes from June 1 to October 31
2. Clearing Index:
The Clearing Index is an Air Quality/Smoke Dispersal Index used to regulate open burning and as input for other air quality decisions throughout Utah. The Clearing Index is defined as the Mixing Depth (depth of the mixed layer in 100s of feet above ground level) multiplied by the Transport Wind (average wind in the mixed layer in knots). Clearing Index values below 500 are considered poor ventilation and open burning is restricted under these conditions. Any Clearing Index values above 1000 are considered excellent ventilation and are referred to as 1000+. Data for the Clearing Index on these web pages are derived from the Eta and AVN operational atmospheric computer models. The data will be reviewed and may be edited by NWS meteorologists before dissemination.
An example calculation of the Clearing Index for Salt Lake City:
Mixed Layer Depth = 10000 feet
Transport Wind = 8 knots
Clearing index = (10000/100 feet) X 8 knots = 800
Note: Clearing Index is 1000+ if measurable precipitation or cold front passage occurs.
Click on the following shortcut to see a three day forecast of the clearing index. Utah Air Shed We are Air Shed 4 East of Snowville and Air Shed 1 West of Snowville (approx) I hope this helps in planning future burns.
3. Open burn periods set by the state for residential March 30th to May 30th. Please Remember Sundays
and Mondays in the fall are No Burn Days in all of Box Elder County and all open burns must have permit.