Burn Permit Application
Please Read the Following Carefully!
Open Burning During a "Red Flag" Warning Period is not Permitted.
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A permit is required to be issued to any person wishing to engage in open burning on their property anywhere on the road system within the City and Borough of Juneau. The holder of this permit agrees to read, understand, and follow the provisions of this permit. Persons having questions regarding the provisions of this permit should contact the fire department administrative office at 586-5322, Monday through Friday 8:00 to 4:30. Permit holders are responsible for all consequences that result from their open burning.
Open burning is allowed within the City and Borough of Juneau pursuant to Section 36.40.060 of the CBJ Municipal Code. Open burning means the burning of a material which results in the products of combustion being emitted directly into the ambient air whithout passing through a stack or flue. Use of a burn barrel is considered open burning and requires a permit. Camp fires are not regulated by CBJ.
Open burning is generally allowed throughout the CBJ from April 1 through October 31. Open burning is prohibited in Lemon Creek and Mendenhall Valley smoke hazard areas from November 1 through March 31. The smoke hazard areas stretch from Mountainside Estates to the center of the Mendenhall Peninsula and include the airport and Industrial Boulevard areas.
Open burning by commercial businesses is not allowed. Commercial businesses would include retail stores, wholesalers, warehouses, offices, equipment yards, restaurants, and any similar use. Commercial businesses may burn land-clearing debris on the property, as well as burn the debris from an annual spring cleanup of the property. If a person resides on a commercial property, they can burn only material from the residence. No material generated by the commercial business may be burned.
Demolition and construction debris may be burned, provided that none of the items prohibited by this permit are burned. Burn piles larger than 10 x 10 or commercial land clearing require a site inspection from the fire department prior to burning.
No person may cause or allow the
open burning of the following items:
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A person may engage in open burning only if the fire is tended at all times; the fire is not within 50 feet of any building; the prevailing wind direction is away from any structure or roadway; and the open burn is conducted during a period of adequate air movement. A garden hose connected to a water supply or other fire extinguishing equipment shall be readily available for use.
When burning land-clearing debris, slash piles must be loosely stacked to promote maximum combustion efficiency. Noncombustible material must be minimized so as not to cause dense smoke.
Residential open burning should not be done after dark. Open burning of land- clearing debris may be done around the clock as long as the fire is tended.
Open burning which creates an unsafe condition is not allowed. Open burning which creates a danger to public health or safety is not allowed. Open burning which creates a public or private nuisance is not allowed. The CBJ Municipal Code defines a nuisance as an act which causes or creates anything which shall be injurious to public health, or which prevents or obstructs the free and comfortable enjoyment of life and property, or is dangerous to surrounding property. Any open burning which produces obnoxious odor, or smoke or debris that impinges on surrounding structures, or causes discomfort to nearby residents, may be considered a nuisance and should be extinguished.
When complaints regarding open burning are received by a public safety dispatcher, the fire department is sent to investigate the complaint. Upon investigation, the fire department may ask that the fire be extinguished if the fire is creating a nuisance and there appears to be no way of abating the effects of the fire.
If the fire department investigates a complaint and finds that an open burn is in violation of the CBJ code, such as an unattended fire or the burning of prohibited items, the fire department will extinguish the fire. In addition, the fire department may call a police officer to issue a citation to the person responsible for the open burning offense. The fine schedule for open burning offenses is $50 first offense, $300 second offense, and mandatory court appearance for the third and subsequent offenses.
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