Open Burning
An open burn is a fire started and used intentionally for grassland or forest management, including vegetative, habitat, or fuel management.
Slash Pile
A slash pile is made up of vegetative material that has been concentrated by manual or mechanical means into a pile measuring no more than 6’ wide by 6’ tall.
Broadcast Burns
Often thought of as a “prescribed burn,” broadcast burns are defined as, “the controlled application of fire to wildland fuels in their natural or modified state over a predetermined area.” Broadcast burns are often conducted to reduce wildland fire fuel loads, restore the ecological health of an area, or to clear weeds.
Agricultural Burns
The open burning of ground cover vegetation for the purpose of preparing the soil for crop production and livestock grazing, for the clearing of irrigation ditches and fence lines, and for controlling noxious weeds for “Commercial Agricultural Operations.”
Commercial Agricultural Operations are those operations in which the growing of crops or livestock is a gainful occupation such that the income received from the agricultural operation is greater than $500 per year. The burning of tree trimmings from commercial orchards for disease control is considered an agricultural burn.
Properties that are zoned “Agricultural District” but do not have commercial income in excess of $500 per year are not exempted from the open burning permit process.
Recreational Fires
A fire used for non-commercial cooking of food for human consumption (barbecues, gas stoves, charcoal fires), for instructional or religious purposes (bonfires, sweat lodges) or for recreational purposes (campfires on private lands).
Fireplace
A non-flammable, semi-permanent enclosure for containing fire with a chimney for arresting embers.
Campfire
A single fire no larger than 2 feet in diameter by 3 feet high that is contained by a fireplace or fire pit, which is used for cooking, personal warmth, lighting, ceremonial, or aesthetic purposes that is not within or mounted on any structure. Charcoal grills and gas stoves are considered campfires.
