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Apply for a Burn Permit – Winchester Hills, Utah Fire Department
The Fire Season is Open
For your burn permit to be valid there are four requirements:
- Apply for a burn permit here and get a WH burn permit number.
- Apply for a burn permit with the county (using your WH burn permit number).
Note: The county can stop issuing burn permits for many reasons (wind, humidity, etc). Just because it's calm right now doesn't mean it will be calm in 20 minutes. Generally if they have the burn window closed it's a bad idea / unsafe to burn.
- You call Dispatch at 627-4300 and let them know you're burning weeds so if someone calls 911 and reports smoke at your address the Fire Department doesn't have to come out.
- All of the conditions below are met. This is for your legal protection (having a burn permit doesn't remove your responsibility to burn safely and your legal liability for damages).
Burn permits are required within the unincorporated areas of Washington County which includes all areas served by special service districts within the boundaries of Washington County. Permits must be obtained prior to any open burning by contacting the Fire Chief having jurisdiction over the area in which the burn is to be located.
Note: The period from June 1st through October 31st annually is designated as a closed Fire Season by the State of Utah. Burn permits will be issued during this time only in very limited circumstances such as when considered necessary and safe to mitigate fire threat and risk to life or property.
Permits are issued provided all of the following conditions are met:
- Approved burning allows residents to burn only clippings, bushes, plants, grass, leaves, limbs and other prunings. State Law (R307) prohibits burning of household waste, construction and demolition waste, milled lumber of any kind, cardboard, trash, cloth, rubbish, tires, plastics, chemicals or liquid fuels and petroleum products. Petroleum products may not be used to start fires.
- Materials to be burned must be thoroughly dry.
- State Law (R307-202-5(2)) requires the Utah Clearing Index (CI) be verified which must be above 500 when burning.
Winchester Hills is in Airshed 3. If the CI is below 500 or red you cannot burn.
The current CI for Winchester Hills (Airshed 3) is: 950
The CI for the next few days can be viewed here (under "Clearing Index by Airshed"):
https://www.weather.gov/slc/ClearingIndex
Note: The CI isn't about air quality, but about whether the smoke will stay at ground level and smoke out your neighbors or rise up and clear out.
- State Law (65A-8-9) requires that you notify Washington County dispatch at: (435) 627-4300 prior to any burning and inform them of your intent to burn. Failure to notify of the burning is a class B misdemeanor and you may be liable for Fire response costs.
- Burning shall not be conducted within 50 feet of any structure or combustible material.
- All flammable vegetation shall be cleared within a 10-foot radius of fire.
- Persons burning shall have a garden hose available and connected to a water supply or approved fire extinguishing equipment shall be available during the burning.
- Burning material shall be constantly attended by a responsible adult until the fire has been extinguished.
- There shall be no burning at night.
When authorized to burn, please be considerate of your neighbors. Be aware of smoke drifting towards and into your neighbors' homes. If the Fire Department is asked to respond, and if it is determined that the fire is a nuisance, the Fire Department will extinguish the fire.
The burning permit does not relieve an individual from personal liability due to neglect or incompetence. Any person burning has a responsibility to establish adequate fire breaks and to take whatever other measures are necessary to insure that the fire is properly controlled. If the fire spreads to another person’s property, the person starting the fire shall be responsible for payment of the costs of the suppression action and may also be liable for damages to the other person’s property.
If you have any questions, please call the Winchester Hills Fire Chief at (435) 619-3406.
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