Burn permits are required for all burning

• Backyard (Open) Burn Season is open from March 1st 2024 - June 15th 2024
• Recreational Fire permits are available year round.  
• Agricultural Burning is by Permit from the Department of Agriculture and not covered here.  Only grass seed operations fall under Ag Burning, otherwise it is considered Backyard (Open) Burning (including operations on a farm, Christmas Trees, etc. - per ODA).
• Slash Burning is managed and permitted by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and not covered here.

There is no cost for a burn permit which can be submitted using the link below.   Please carefully review the information below and complete a burn permit prior to starting any burning.

Backyard (open) burning is only permitted from end of fire season, generally October 1st, through December 15th and March 1st through June 15th, or the start of fire season, whichever happens first.

In addition, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issues the start and stop times that backyard burns can take place. Some days, burning cannot take place at all due to barometric inversions, high winds, low humidity, etc. The burn times are updated each day during burn season and can be checked from the Daily Burn Announcement.

For all burning situations:

• The property owner is responsible for any fire, smoke or odors created from open burning and for any damage that results from that fire.
• A responsible person must constantly attend any open burning. This person must be capable of and have the equipment for extinguishing the fire.
• The fire must be completely extinguished before leaving it.
• The fire cannot create a nuisance or a hazard to public safety.

These materials may never be open burned (including and especially in fireplaces, burn barrels, etc.):

• Garbage
• Plastic
• Asbestos
• Wire insulation
• Automobile parts
• Asphalt
• Petroleum treated materials
• Painted wood and wood treated with creosote or pentachlorophenol
• Rubber products including tires
• Animal remains
• Animal or vegetable matter resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking or service of food
• Any other material that emits dense smoke or noxious odors

Smoke complaints are handled by the Department of Environmental Quality.  Their hotline is 1-888-997-7888.  If you have a complaint about smoke, please call the DEQ hotline.  It is left to individuals and their neighbors to work out any issues.  People should seek out legal advice in the cases where a nuisance is created, or through their landlord in the case of community property.  The Fire Department does not get involved in local legal matters or neighbor complaints.  9-1-1 should only be called in cases of an emergency:  fire spread, people burned or injured – in other words, an imminent danger to life and property.