Burn permits required starting May 1

CalFire is once again requiring burn permits for any outdoor open burning in local state responsibility areas. Burn permits are available to residents in Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Yolo and Colusa counties and are required beginning May 1.
A map of state responsibility areas can be found here — the responsibility areas generally include areas where CalFire is the primary emergency response agency responsible for fire suppression. Incorporated cities, for example, are not in the state responsibility area.
Permits can be accessed at burnpermit.fire.ca.gov and are valid for the calendar year in which they’re issued. Additionally, residents must also retain all of the required permits from their local Air Quality Management District. For Sonoma County, the permit would come from the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District.
“For larger burn projects, a different CalFire burn permit is required and shall be obtained from CalFire,” said CalFire public information officer Will Powers in a statement. “This type of burn permit is not available online and will require a CalFire inspection before a permit will be issued. Please call your local CalFire station for information on obtaining and setting up an inspection.”
In order to safely burn landscape debris, CalFire outlined the following:
●      Landscape debris piles must be in small four feet by four feet piles
●      Maximum pile size is four feet in diameter
●      Clear all flammable material and vegetation within 10 feet of the outer edge of pile
●      Keep a water supply and shovel close to the burning site
●      A responsible adult is required by law to be in attendance until the fire is out
●      No burning shall be undertaken unless weather conditions (particularly wind) are such that burning can be considered safe
For additional resources surrounding burning debris, visit CalFire’s Ready for Wildfire website here.