SCFD #1 | Burn Permits

Burn Permit Online Application

Open burning is a convenient way to get rid of certain waste materials and is an aid in crop management. However, the smoke and debris from these fires reduces air quality and is the trigger for many respiratory conditions in residents of Shawnee County. It is also a safety hazard to property and an expense to residents when the fire departments respond to illegal, non-permitted or out-of-control open burning operations. Follow these simple Do's and Don'ts and the experience will be much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Do's:
-Call the fire department each day that you want to burn for conditions and permission.

-Burn only dried clean wood and organic wastes, such as wild grasses and agricultural fields. Clean wood waste includes only dry trees, brush, and dimensional, non-treated lumber (2x4's, 2x6's, etc.). That means you can't burn plywood, pressboard, or any other composite wood products made with volatile glues or adhesives.

-Consider alternatives to open burning, such as recycling and composting.
-Use only enough diesel fuel to start the fire, not keep it going. If the wood's not dry enough, don't burn it.
-Stay with the fire while it is burning. If you have to leave, put the fire out.
-Burn only when the wind is above 5 miles per hour and below 15 miles per hour. Call your fire district for the information.
-Create a firebreak (mowed, tilled, or plowed) for at least 15 feet on all sides of the area to be burned.
-Notify your neighbors within 1000 feet of the burn site of your intentions.
-Notify your local police or highway patrol if you plan on burning within 1000 feet of a roadway.

Don'ts:
-Do not add any materials to the fire 2 hours before sunset.

-Do not burn until one hour after sunrise.

-Do not burn in a closed container (barrel, pit, etc.).

-Do not burn any of the following: tarpaper, composite roofing, any asbestos-containing material, including siding, composite wood products, paint cans, railroad ties, landscape timbers, garbage, plastic, foams, old furniture, cloth, petroleum products, hazardous materials, household cleaners, household trash, metals, aerosol cans, tires, or non-dried heavy smoke-producing wet or green brush or trees.