Just because you can burn yard waste doesn’t mean you should.
Burning at any time adds to the air pollution levels in your local neighborhood, and residents are encouraged to seek alternatives to burning throughout the year.
The annual Fire Safety Burn Ban was allowed to expire on Oct. 1 as planned, however, the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) still considers Thurston County to be under Moderate fire danger. As such, DNR continues to advise extreme caution when burning to prevent fire spread.
Residential outdoor burning is allowed with a permit after Oct. 1 in unincorporated Thurston County, OUTSIDE designed Urban Growth Area (UGA) boundaries and all city boundaries. Thurston County Residential Burn Permits are available online here.
Residents who are eligible to burn must remember the only material they may legally burn is natural vegetation gathered on site. State law prohibits burning garbage, construction debris – including milled lumber – and other non-vegetation debris. Burn barrels of any kind are also prohibited by state law.
The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) encourages all residents to explore options such as chipping woody debris and composting leaves and grass clippings rather than burning them.
For more information on the outdoor burning rules throughout ORCAA’s jurisdiction, visit www.www.orcaa.org