Open Burning Season Starts Jan. 15 in Massachusetts

WILMINGTON, MA - Open burning season will start on Jan. 15 in Massachusetts’ communities where open burning is allowed, including Wilmington.

Open burning in Massachusetts is regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and enforced by local fire department. Open burning season runs from Jan 15 to May 1.

Where burning is allowed, a permit is required from the local fire warden or fire chief. The fire chief reserves the right to deny open burning on any day due to weather or environmental conditions.

“Weather conditions can change rapidly, especially in the spring, and fire wardens will determine on a daily basis when it is safe to conduct open burning,” according to DEP officials. “If winds kick up or other atmospheric conditions change suddenly, making it unsafe to burn, permits can be rescinded (cancelled).”

On its site, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection lists 22 communities that do not allow open burning at all. They are: Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Medford, New Bedford, Newton, Somerville, Springfield, Waltham, Watertown, West Springfield and Worcester.

Find out more provisions and laws surrounding open burning, including materials that can (or cannot) be burned. For instance, did you know raspberry stalks and infected beehives can be burned, but grass, hay and leaves are strictly prohibited. And as if we had to tell you, you can’t burn a tire, either.

Learn lots more on safety, as well as burning alternatives and how to obtain a permit, on the DEP website.