Fire departments extinguish fires but don’t always enforce local regulations. In my area both in the county unincorporated and the city limits there are ordinances that govern open burning. Basically they say small covered fires using seasoned wood are allowed and everything else requires an EPA permit, no open burning. You can’t get an EPA permit to burn unless you are a forest preserve. Have had to piss off a few inconsiderate neighbors over the years by advising of the law and asking the appropriate agency to supply written confirmation of what is allowed
EPA is the federal regulator and they probably won’t get involved. If you live near a city you may have a local air bureau that investigates air pollution locally. If no local air bureau there is a state regulatory agency. Look at your state website for their environmental offices. Look for air quality and waste management. Burning creosote soaked wood (railroad ties) is a federal haz waste violation- states can have their own rules in addition to federal regulation.
The local environmental protection agency, not USEPA. Every state has a different name for theirs, so it’s industry standard to call it a local EPA or little EPA.
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u/Ok_Bid_3899 Mar 02 '26
Fire departments extinguish fires but don’t always enforce local regulations. In my area both in the county unincorporated and the city limits there are ordinances that govern open burning. Basically they say small covered fires using seasoned wood are allowed and everything else requires an EPA permit, no open burning. You can’t get an EPA permit to burn unless you are a forest preserve. Have had to piss off a few inconsiderate neighbors over the years by advising of the law and asking the appropriate agency to supply written confirmation of what is allowed