Burn Permits
Cal Fire has the responsibility of issuing permits during the fire season, while it is the Air Pollution Control District's responsibility during the non-fire season.
Residential Burning is allowed per your local Fire District or Cal Fire requirements
- The District does not issue residential burn permits for open outdoor burning of allowable combustibles in a pile no larger than 4-ft high by 4-ft square on residential property.
- Residential burning requires permits from Cal Fire during the fire season. Local fire departments and municipalities may also require permits seasonally or year-round. Burn-barrel use is restricted in defined areas, contact the District for details or view the map (58MB pdf) available below.
- Residents, property managers, and home owners may burn more than a 4-ft high by 4-ft square pile of allowable combustibles from the premises on a burn day during burn hours by first obtaining a non-agricultural burn permit.
Agricultural Burning
Agricultural burning requires a permit from the District during the non-fire season and from Cal Fire during the fire season. A request to conduct agricultural burning on a no-burn day may be granted by the Air Pollution Control District provided there will be no adverse impact to a smoke-sensitive area, and the applicant makes a written statement of immediate threat of substantial economic loss if not allowed to burn on that day.
Non-Agricultural Burning
Non-agricultural burning requires a permit from the District during the non-fire season and from Cal Fire during the fire season. Examples of non-agricultural burning include disposal of non-industrial wood waste from property development activity, fire hazard reduction, and weed eradication.
Smoke Management Plans
Private and government land managers continue to develop annual and long-range prescribed burn plans to reduce fuel loading within Siskiyou County and in the surrounding region. These projects have the potential to impact air quality within the District. The District issues burn permits and administers the Smoke Management Plans required of burn projects (excluding agricultural burning) greater than 10 acres or estimated to produce more than 1 ton of particulate matter. Smoke Management Plans regulate and coordinate regional land managers' large burn projects in order to prevent smoke impacts to sensitive receptors and prevent violations of state and federal ambient air quality standards. Please see the Northeast Air Alliance Smoke Management Plan document in Supporting Documents below.
