Burn Permits

Permission to conduct open burning is granted by the Director of the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Ponderosa Fire Department subject to the following
conditions:

TYPES OF MATERIAL YOU ARE ALLOWED/NOT ALLOWED TO BURN:

• • You are permitted to burn only the following material [A.A.C.R18-2-602.,D.3.a]:
  • Pine needles
  • Leaves
  • Branches
  • Clean untreated wood

Types of material you are NOT to burn with the Open Buring Permit [A.A.C.R18-2-602-D.A.13]

TREATED WOOD – Railroad ties, Telephone poles, Pressure treated or painted wood
ALL PLASTIC MATERIALS – Bottles for household chemicals, Grocery and retail bags
WASTE PETROLEUM PRODUCTS – Waste crankcase oil, Transmission or used oil, Oil filters
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL CONTAINERS THAT CONTAINED – Pesticides, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, or Arsenic compounds
HAZARDOUS WASTE PRODUCTS – Paints, stains or varnishes, Pesticides, Cleaners

OTHER TYPES OF MATERIALS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BURN

Tar Paper, Poison Oak, Polyester, Asbestos, Thermal, Insulation, Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac, Tires, Electrical Wire, Insulation, Oleander, Batteries, Aerosol Spray Cans, Flammable Liquids, Antifreeze, Explosives or Ammunition, Asphalt Shingles

When does your burn permit expire?

Your Burn Permit is valid for one (1) year from the date of issue and must be renewed upon expiration.

When can you burn?

[A.A.C.R18-2-602.D.3.c] You are only allowed to burn during the following periods:
APRIL through SEPTEMBER:
Start no earlier than 9 a.m. and have the fire out by 4 p.m.
OCTOBER and MARCH:
Start no earlier than 9 a.m. and have the fire out by 3 p.m.
NOVEMBER through FEBRUARY:
Start no earlier than 10 a.m. and have the fire out by 2 p.m.

The types of Emission Reduction Techniques (ERTs) you will be utilizing to minimize
emissions from the fire? [A.A.C.R18-2-602.A.8]

1. 1. Minimize the material to be burned
   2. Prevent fire from spreading by lining the area where open burn is conducted and application of fire retardant foam, or water
   3. Allow the material to dry before burning
   4. Minimize soil content in slash piles and by constructing piles under dry soil conditions or by using hand piling methods
   5. Burn in piles
   6. Use a back fire (burn in the opposite direction of wind) when grass is burned
   7. Extinguish the smoldering burns
   8. Burn before litter falls
   9. Burn prior to precipitation

How can you burn?

1. Your material to be burned shall be dry, readily combustible, and placed in the following
   arrangement(s) in such quantities that it will be completely consumed within the permitted
   burn hours (refer to condition three above):
   • Piled
   • Collected in a pit
   • Placed in an approved waste burner defined as an incinerator constructed of fire
     resistant material, with a cover or screen which is closed when in use and openings
     in the tops or sides no greater than ½ inch in diameter or heavy wire mesh spacing.
     A 55-gallon drum with the above modifications is acceptable.
   • Ignite in place (field burning)
   • Ditch burning
2.  Your piled, pit-contained material or approved waste burner must have a minimum
   clearance of 50 feet from any structure. [A.A.C.R18-2-602.D.3.k]
3. You may start your burn using items such as matches, flare, or hand-held torches fueled
   by liquefied petroleum gas such as propane or butane. [A.A.C.R18-2-306.A.2]
4. You may not start your fire using items that can cause black smoke. Items known to
   cause black smoke include, but are not limited to: tires, tar paper, oil and liquefied
   petroleum products such as gasoline or diesel. [A.A.C.R18-2-602.D.3.h]

Do you have any additional responsibilities?

1. You must notify the Ponderosa Fire Department prior to each open burning. We may
   prohibit open burning during periods of smoke dispersion, excessive visibility impairment,
   or during periods of extreme fire danger. [A.A.C.R18-2-602.D.3g]
2. You may not open burn when any air stagnation advisory, as issued by the National
   Weather Service, is in effect in the area of the burn or during periods when smoke can be
   expected to accumulate to the extent that it will significantly impair visibility in Class I
   areas. [A.A.C.R18-2-602-d.3.m]
3. You may not open burn when any stage air pollution episode is declared under R182220,
   Air Pollution Emergency Episodes. [A.A.C.R18-2-602-D.3.n]
4. Open burning shall be conducted only during wind conditions which prevent dispersion of smoke into populated areas, do not cause visibility impairment on traveled roads orairports to the extent that a safety hazard results, do not create a public nuisance, and do not cause uncontrollable spreading of the fire. [A.A.C.R18-2-602-D.3.d]
5. You may be required by the Director or the Director’s assignee to extinguish or abstain from open burning during periods of inadequate smoke dispersion, excessive visibility impairment or at other times when public health or safety could be adversely affected. [A.A.C.R18-2-602-D.3.o]
6. Do not set a fire and leave. You must be present at all times when conducting open burning until the fire is completely extinguished. You may be responsible for any damages caused by a fire started by your open burning. You may be subject to civil penalties from damages caused by fires started by your open burning. [A.A.C.R18-2-602-D.3.i]
7. You must have available any necessary equipment (i.e. water supply, water hose, shovel, sand, etc.) to control the burn and to put out the fire if the need arises. [A.A.C.R18-2-602-D.3.j]
8. You must have a copy of this permit on-site during open burning to show that you have authorization to conduct open burning. [A.A.C.R18-2-602-D.3.l]
9. This permit shall not be construed to relieve you from liability from resulting damages or the obligation to comply with other applicable laws, regulations, or ordinances. You are responsible to comply with federal, state, county and/or local fire restrictions in place for the area where the burn will be conducted.
10. You must also comply with requirements of Arizona Revised Statues (A.R.S. § 13.1706) as listed below:
    A.R.S. § 13.1706 Burning of wildlands; exceptions; classification
    • It is unlawful for any person, without lawful authority, to intentionally, knowingly,
      recklessly or with criminal negligence to set or cause to be set on fire any wildland
      other than the person’s own or to permit a fire that was set or caused to be set by
      the person to pass from the person’s own grounds to the grounds of another person.
    • This section does not apply to any of the following:
      • Open burning that is lawfully conducted in the course of agricultural operations
      • Fire management operations that are conducted by a political subdivision
      • Prescribed or controlled burns that are conducted with written authority from the
        state forester
      • Lawful activities that are conducted pursuant to any rule, regulation or policy
        that is adopted by a state, tribal or federal agency
      • In absence of a fire ban or other burn restrictions to a person on public lands,
        setting a fire for purposes of cooking or warming that does not spread
        sufficiently from its source to require action by a fire control agency.
    • person who violates this section is guilty of an offense as follows:
      • If done with criminal negligence, the offense is a class 2 misdemeanor
      • If done recklessly, the offense is a class 1 misdemeanor
      • If done intentionally or knowingly and the person knows or reasonably should
        know that the person’s conduct violates any order or rule that is issued by a
        governmental entity and that prohibits, bans, restricts or otherwise regulates
        fires during periods of extreme fire hazard, the offense is a class 6 felony
      • If done intentionally and the person’s conduct places another person in danger
        of death or serious bodily injury or places any building or occupied structure of
        another person in danger of damage, the offense is a class 3 felony