LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Beginning on Wednesday, May 1, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, will make residential burn permits available online for residents living within the state responsibility area of Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano, Yolo and Colusa counties.
Cal Fire burn permits are required every year after May 1 to conduct open burning in the State Responsibility Area.
A declared Cal Fire burn suspension voids the permit until conditions are such that the burn
suspension can be lifted.
The Cal Fire permit is required in addition to an air quality permit and any local fire agency permit. For more information contact your local Cal Fire station or your local fire department.
The online application provides a convenient alternative to obtaining a Cal Fire permit for residents within these counties.
Applicants will access the Web site at https://burnpermit.fire.ca.gov/ and watch the mandatory video which reviews burning requirements and safety tips, fill in the required fields, submit the form and a dooryard burn permit will be created. The applicant must then print the permit.
Permits are valid for the calendar year in which they are issued and must be reissued annually on or after January 1st of each year. Contact your local fire department or Cal Fire to determine what permit requirements or burning restrictions apply in your area and always call or check the link listed on your air quality management district permit to ensure burn day status prior to igniting a fire.
Residents must obtain all required permits from their local air quality management district. In Lake County, contact the Lake County Air Quality Management District at 707-263-3121.
For larger burn projects, a different Cal Fire burn permit is required and shall be obtained from Cal Fire. This type of burn permit is not available online and will require a Cal Fire inspection before a permit will be issued.
Residents are urged to take precautions while burning outdoors to prevent sparking a wildfire. A
leading cause of wildfires this time of year is from escaped landscape debris burning.
Anyone who has an escaped debris burn and was not burning under the proper conditions can be criminally or civilly held responsible.
Ensure that piles from landscape debris are no larger than 4 feet in diameter, have a 10-foot clearance down to bare mineral soil around the burn pile and that a responsible adult is in attendance at all times with a water source and a shovel.
For more information on debris burning, visit the Cal Fire Web site at http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Debris-Burning/.
Cal Fire to require burn permits beginning May 1
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On