How Do I Get A Permit for Open Burning Season?

The Massachusetts open burning season begins Jan. 15 and continues until May 1, and the Wayland Fire Department is currently offering permits online.

There is no cost to obtain an open burning permit, but residents must obtain one annually in order to legally burn.

According to a press release from the fire department, residents are encouraged to apply for their permits online via the Town of Wayland website. Traditional walk-in registration will remain available at the Public Safety Building for individuals who do not have computer access.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection regulates open burning and it is enforced by local fire departments. Burning is regulated through a two-step process that involves residents applying for and obtaining a permit annually and then applying for permission to burn each day they wish to exercise the permit. As weather permits, burning will be permitted from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.

Atmospheric conditions determine whether burning will be allowed on any given day, and Wayland Fire Chief Vinnie Smith reserves the right to deny open burning on any day due to environmental conditions.

When applying for a permit online, have the following information available:

• Email address
• First name, middle initial and last name
• Full Address
• Up to three phone numbers where you can be reached (tell us your main phone number and also how to reach you while you are monitoring your fire).

A confirmation email will contain a permit number. Each day a person wishes to burn, they should return to the same website and enter their permit number for approval to burn on that day, contingent on weather conditions.

Wayland's full open burning regulations are below:

Requirements:

• Burning during the open burning season may be conducted only after obtaining a seasonal permit from the fire department.
• Open burning season is from January 15 through May 1 each year and burning may be conducted only between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Fires must be completely extinguished by 4:00 PM.  Fires should be started early enough so that they can be completely extinguished by 4:00 P.M.
• Open burning must be conducted at least 75’ away from all buildings.
• Open burning must take place on your own property and on the land closest to the source of the material to be burned.
• Burning is allowed only during periods of good atmospheric ventilation.
• Complaints about smoke, soot, or ash deposits occurring in neighboring property are grounds for permit revocation.

Burning of the following material is allowed:

• Brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris from non-commercial and non-industrial land clearing operations.
• Materials normally associated with the pursuit or agriculture such as fruit tree prunings, dead raspberry stalks, blueberry patches for pruning purposes, and infected bee hives for disease control.
• Trees and brush resulting from agricultural land clearing.
• Fungus infected elm wood, if no other acceptable means of disposal is available.

Burning of the following material is prohibited statewide:

• Tress, logs, or limbs larger than 4 inches in diameter are not considered brush, and therefore, may not be burned.
• Brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris from commercial or industrial land clearing operations.
• Grass, hay, leaves, stumps, and tires.
• Construction material and debris.

Igniting and supervising the fire:

• Use paper and kindling to start the fire and add progressively larger pieces of wood.  Flammable liquids are prohibited!
• An adult should always be present.
• Children and pets should be kept a safe distance away.
• A water source capable of controlling the fire should be available at all times.
• Small piles of materials and constant supervision will help prevent brush fires from getting out of control.
• Wind can quickly change a safe fire into an out of control, dangerous fire. Use extreme caution if wind could be a factor.

Emergency notifications:

• When you apply for your seasonal permit, please list the phone numbers where you can be reached during the burning hours.
• If the fire gets out of control, call 911 immediately and tell the dispatcher what has happened, the address, and the best access for fire trucks to reach the fire.