Even a handful of outdoor fires pollutes whole neighborhoods. State and local agencies receive more than 27,000 citizen complaints about outdoor burning each year regarding health effects, poor air quality, odor and visibility. Under the new rule, land-clearing burning will also be prohibited by the same deadline in any adjacent areas with a population density of 1,000 or more per square mile. If an area has a reasonable alternative to a particular type of outdoor burning, that type of burning will no longer be allowed. Land-clearing burning will be prohibited in all remaining areas with a population density of 1,000 or more per square mile.
Natural vegetation remains the legal fuel for outdoor burning.
The revised rule does not change the existing ban on burning garbage or other materials that produce excessive smoke, obnoxious odors or toxic emissions. The regulation clarifies that construction and demolition debris, including lumber scraps, may not be burned. Tumbleweed burning in most counties and residential burning in the rural parts of less-populated counties will not require a permit. The changes also clarify that the rule does not apply on Indian reservations, except by intergovernmental agreements. 210 or Laura Curley, ext.