Outdoor & residential burning

If you live outside an urban growth area, you may have limited burning. 

Allowed burning includes:

• Barbecues. Burn only briquettes, propane, or dry, seasoned firewood.
• Campfires. Size limit 3 x 3 x 2 feet. Burn only dry, seasoned firewood.
• Dry yard and garden waste. Size limit is  4x 4 x 3 feet. Burn only natural unprocessed vegetation.

You must:

• Get permission from your local fire district before you burn.
• Keep the fire 50 feet away from any structure.
• Attend the fire at all times.
• ​Have a source to extinguish the fire nearby.
• Ensure your smoke doesn't affect your neighbors.

If you live in an urban growth area, all burning other than recreational and tumbleweed burning is illegal.

Allowed burning includes:

• Barbecues. Burn only briquettes, propane, or dry, seasoned firewood.
• Campfires. Size limit 3 x 3 x 2 feet. Burn only dry, seasoned firewood.
• ​Burning tumbleweed. In communities over 250,000 a permit may be required, check with your local clean air agency.
• Permitted agriculture burning.

Obtain agricultural burn permits and learn about agricultural burning requirements at Agricultural burning & permitting.

Use this application if you want to burn a structure for a fire training exercise.

• Application
• You must also send an asbestos notification form to your local clean air agency. The form must be received at least 10 working days before work starts.

This application is for burning trees, stumps, shrubs, or other natural vegetation from land clearing projects. Burning the debris from land clearing is not allowed in some areas, such as urban growth areas. Examples of land clearing include:

• Removal of trees to build a house.
• Tearing out an orchard or clearing rangeland for development.
• Application

Burning household yard waste (such as leaves, grass, brush, and other yard trimmings) is illegal in all urban growth areas. For more information, contact the local clean air agency for your county. Find out what you can do instead of burning.

Pertains to burning forest land, which is regulated by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
 

Use this application if your burning request does not qualify as either agricultural burning or land clearing. Even some residential burning can require a special permit.

• Application