Your farm is an agricultural operation if you used the most recent year’s IRS Schedule F, or its corporate equivalent, for commercial agriculture. Read the agricultural burning rule for more information.
Most agricultural burning requires a permit. If the field you want to burn is in a county with a local clean air agency, contact that agency about an agricultural burn permit.
Don't allow smoke to impact others. Before starting a fire, contact your local fire department to check if there is a local burn ban.
No agricultural burn permit needed |
Agricultural burn permit needed |
- Fence rows
- Ditch banks
- Irrigation canals
- Annual orchard prunings
- Windblown tumbleweeds
|
- Post-harvest field and crop residue
- Vineyard and orchard tree tear-outs
- Cereal grain stubble
- Small spots in fields
- Bales
- Orchard and field flaming
|
Best Management Practices (BMPs) are one of the ways to show why a burn is needed. To apply for a burn, you must use Best Management Practices as part of your application.
- In the table below, find the county where you plan to burn.
- Contact the office in the county where you plan to burn.
Depending on where you plan to burn, the burn permit may be issued by:
- Ecology
- online option (see "how to get an agricultural burn permit online" below)
- walk-in option
- Local clean air agency
- Conservation district
- online option (see "how to get an agricultural burn permit online" below)
- walk-in option
- Tribal government, with technical help from EPA
Agricultural burn permit applications and instructions are listed under "agricultural burn permit applications" (next section below). Application forms can be delivered to an office listed below, emailed to our Eastern or Central Regional Office, or mailed to the address listed on the application. Application forms are also available at each office.
Get started
To register in the online burn permit application system:
- Use the step-by-step burn permit application user guide.
- Sign up for a Secure Access Washington (SAW) account. SAW is a platform used by Washington state agencies for information security.
Skip this step if you already have a business account in SAW.
- Log in to your SAW account, using Chrome or Firefox or Edge.
- Add the Air Quality Application portal to your list of services in SAW.
- Create a profile in the Air Quality Application portal.
- Add the Burn Permit Application to your list of applications in the Air Quality Application portal.
- Open the Burn Permit Application through the Air Quality Application portal to submit your burn permit application.
A burn permit will not be issued immediately. Before a burn permit is issued, the permitting agency must review the application. A decision is usually made within 7 business days after payment or submittal of a free burn permit application.
For help:
- in Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat, or Okanogan counties, email agburnteamcro@ecy.wa.gov
- in Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla Walla, or Whitman counties, email agburnteamero@ecy.wa.gov