Residential Outdoor Burning

Residential burning is the outdoor burning of leaves, clippings, prunings and other yard and gardening refuse originating on lands immediately adjacent and in close proximity to a human dwelling and burned on such lands by the property owner or his or her designee.

Typical Characteristics

  • No heavy equipment is involved.
  • There is already a residence at the burn site (it is not a vacant lot).

Guidelines and Laws

Where burning is allowed, only natural vegetation (leaves, brush, etc.) may be burned.
State law prohibits the burning of the following materials, including, but not limited to, paper or newspaper (except what is necessary to start a fire), cardboard, household garbage, treated, painted or stained wood, plywood, construction debris, paints, tires and other rubber products, plastics, asphalt and building materials, chemicals, petroleum products, metal, and dead animals.
Smoke, odor, or ash which goes beyond your property and impacts a neighbor is illegal. Violations of outdoor burning laws may result in fines up to $14,915 per violation.
Where burning is allowed, follow these guidelines for proper and safe burning:

  • Check permit requirements for your area and obtain a permit, if necessary.
  • Consult with ORCAA or local fire agencies for burning conditions prior to igniting any outdoor fire.
  • Check the weather. Don’t burn during stagnant or high wind conditions.
  • Fires must not contain prohibited materials.
  • Fires must be attended at all times and must be extinguished when burning is complete.
  • Fires must be at least 50 feet away from any building, wooden fence, trees, or other flammable structure.
  • Burn piles must be no larger than four feet in diameter and three feet high.
  • Only one pile may be burned at any given time.
  • Burn small, hot fires. Don’t let them smolder.
  • There must be some means to extinguish the fire onsite and near by.
  • Permission from a landowner, or owner’s designated representative, must be obtained before starting an open fire.

Burn Barrels

State law prohibits burning in outdoor containers (such as steel burn barrels) that do not meet certain construction standards consistent with those in the Uniform Fire Code. Containers used for outdoor burning must be brick or concrete.

Burning Permit Programs in ORCAA’s Jurisdiction

Fire Agency and/or County Pile Size Limitations Fee Charged Comments
Thurston County
See link for contact info		 Permits for fires up to 10′ x 10′ for non land clearing No fee No burning July 15 – October 15.
Thurston County Guidelines for Residential Outdoor Burning
Permit Available here
Jefferson County FD #1 Chimacum-Port Hadlock-Irondale areas
360-732-4533		 Permits for fires up to 10′ x 10′ for residential burns. No fee Annual permit, but no burning June, July, Aug, Sept
Jefferson County FD #3 Port Ludlow area
(360) 437-2899		 Permits for fires up to 6′ x 6′ for residential burns. No fee 30-day limit. No burning June, July, August, Sept.
Jefferson County FD# 4Brinnon
(360) 796-4450		 No permit for fires up to 4′ x 4′ x 3′ for residential burns. No burning June, July, August, Sept.
Jefferson County FD# 5 Discovery Bay/Gardiner
(360) 797-7711		 Permits for fires up to 10′ x 10′ x 5′ for residential burns. No fee No burning in June, July, Aug, Sept
Grays Harbor County FD# 10 Wishkah-E.Hoquiam
(360) 533-5773		 Residential burn permit. Pile size limit is 10′ diameter. No fee Not allowed in No-Burn zone.

The information in the above table was identified as of January 2009.