Open Burning

Acquisition Procedure

The permits are available online only. You only need to submit your information in the form. You do not need a permit in hand to burn. Any day that you want to burn all you need to do is call the Fire Department main number (508) 261-7321 after 9:30 a.m. on the day you wish to burn and you will hear whether burning is allowed or prohibited on that day. 

As per the following burning regulations, burning hours are between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Anyone wishing to request a permit should call no earlier than 9:30 a.m. on the day in which he or she intends to burn or check online the status of burning for the day.

Required Conditions

When burning, the following conditions must be met:

• Burning must be at least 75 feet from all dwellings.
• You must have a hose or water source nearby to extinguish the fire.
• Burning must be carried out between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, and burning must take place on land closest to the source of the material being burned.
• Materials normally associated with the pursuit of agriculture, such as fruit tree pruning, dead raspberry stalks, blueberry patches for pruning purposes, infected beehives for disease control, trees and brush resulting from agricultural land clearing, and fungus-infected Elmwood if no other means of disposal is available. Disease-free brush is not an acceptable starting aid.

Prohibited Burning

Burning of the following is prohibited statewide:

• Brush, trees, cane, and driftwood from commercial and/or institutional land clearing operations
• Burning at landfills or refuse disposal facilities other than approved sites
  • Stacking, placing or storing combustible material such that the Department may presume that it will be burned
• Items such as:
  • Grass
  • Hay
  • Leaves
  • Stumps
  • Tires
  • Construction debris and materials