An independent, editorial resource helping homeowners burn legally, safely, and responsibly — without having to decipher government PDFs.
BurnPermitGuide was created to fill a genuine gap in the public information landscape: there is no single, homeowner-focused guide to residential open burning permit requirements across the United States. Government agency pages are written for compliance officers. News articles cover specific fire events, not the underlying rules. Reddit threads are full of well-meaning but jurisdiction-specific advice that doesn't apply elsewhere.
We built the resource we wish existed when we were trying to figure out whether we needed a permit to burn a brush pile — and what the process actually looked like.
Every guide on this site is written to be accurate, practical, and genuinely useful to a homeowner — not just comprehensive for its own sake. Where we have uncertainty about specific rules, we say so and direct readers to the authoritative source. We cite state statutes and agency rule numbers where relevant.
We update guides when rules change and note the date of last review at the top of each major state guide. If you find information that appears outdated or incorrect, please contact us.
BurnPermitGuide is produced by a small editorial team focused on regulatory and permit research across U.S. states. Our process for each state guide involves reviewing official state forestry commission publications, agency rule text, and statutory citations, then rewriting that information in plain language for homeowners. Where rules involve numeric thresholds (fines, setback distances, permit windows), we cite the relevant statute or agency rule so you can verify directly.
Guides are periodically reviewed for accuracy. Major state guides display review activity through our site's update history, visible in page metadata. If you notice outdated information, please use our contact form — corrections from readers and agency staff are one of our primary update sources.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Some pages on this site contain links to products on Amazon.com. If you click one of these links and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products that are directly relevant to the topic at hand and that we believe provide genuine value to readers preparing for outdoor burning. Affiliate relationships do not influence our permit and regulatory guidance, which is based solely on state agency sources.
This site is supported by Google AdSense display advertising. Advertisers have no influence over our editorial content. We do not accept sponsored posts, affiliate payments, or paid placements of any kind. All permit agencies and resources linked in our guides are linked because they are the authoritative source — not for any commercial reason.
BurnPermitGuide is not affiliated with any government agency, state forestry commission, or fire department. We are not lawyers and this site is not legal advice. Rules change — always verify current requirements with the relevant agency before burning. We are not responsible for any penalties, damages, or liability arising from reliance on information provided on this site.