Burning Permits

MCFPA members want to prevent unwanted fire and its more destructive effects. One way to do this is to regulate the use of fire through a burning permit system. Local fire officials, cooperating with the Missoula City-County Health Department, have been issuing burning permits since the early 1990's. The result has been a reduction in the number of fire escapes and 911 calls leading to non-critical dispatch.
Last updated on 07/01/08

Restrictions: As of Wednesday July 2nd outdoor burning is closed throughout Missoula County for the season due to fire danger. This is includes Airsheds 2, 3B, and 3A including impact zone M.

Missoula County Outdoor Burning Program:

burning seasons

burning permits

airsheds

Remember, after obtaining your free burning permit, you must check for restrictions in fire danger and/or air quality by visiting this website or calling the Outdoor Burning Hotline after 9 am the morning of your burn.

Outdoor Burning Hotlines:
Seeley Lake, Clearwater or Swan Drainages north of Clearwater Junction
(406) 677-2899

The Rest of Missoula County
(406) 258-4900

Burning Seasons:

Outdoor Burning in Missoula County is based on two factors: fire danger and air quality. The spring is the best time for the general public to burn because fire danger is relatively low and air quality is good. Other seasons pose greater risks to health, life and property.

Fire Danger:
Missoula County wildland fire agencies collect a variety of data each day that will help them determine the level of fire danger on the landscape. When this data (i.e., amount of rain, direction of wind, temperature and humidity) is combined with fuel models which predict fire behavior, fire professionals have a good idea how quickly a small fire can become a big one.

Air Quality:
Missoula County fire professionals recognize that wildland fire has long-term benefits for forests, but they also understand that its short-term impacts on people can be harmful. To minimize the impacts of smoke on the public, Missoula County has adopted the following burning seasons:


   General                      March 1 - August 31

   Essential Agriculture        March 1 - October 31

   Wildland                     March 1 - November 30

Although these seasons include the summer months, burning permits are usually suspended in July, August and September due to high fire danger. This effectively limits the General Outdoor Burning Season to the springtime (March, April, May and June) and puts the Essential Agriculture and Wildland burning categories on summer hiatus.

General
According to the Missoula City-County Health Department, during the General Outdoor Burning Season ONLY natural vegetation* and untreated dimensional lumber that is generated on your property can be burned through the permit process. Burning prohibited materials can produce harmful smoke or even cause explosions. --General Outdoor Burning is prohibited in the fall due to the impacts of smoke on air quality.

*If you live within the Air Stagnation Zone, roughly 4 1/2 miles from the Missoula City limits, you cannot burn piles of leaves or grass clippings due to smoke concerns. For more information on what you can't burn, see the Burning Permits Section below.

Essential Agriculture
Essential Agriculture burning is almost always "broadcast" by nature, meaning the flames will not be contained to a few piles. This type of burning must be conducted on a farm or a ranch, i.e. to eliminate excess vegetation from ditches or cultivated fields or to improve range conditions or wildlife habitat. --Some agricultural burning is conducted in the fall, when fire danger allows, because it cannot be done at any other time or by any other means.

Wildland
Wildlands have been burning in Montana since time immemorial: either through lightning strikes or the actions of humans. Today, there are many reasons land managers plan the use of fire in forests or relatively undeveloped range land:

improving wildlife habitat or range conditions
promoting forest regeneration
reducing fire hazards resulting from forestry practices
controlling forest pests and diseases
promoting any other accepted silvicultural practices

--Like Essential Agriculture Burning, Wildland burning is often done in the fall because it cannot be implemented at any other time or its purposes accomplished by any other means. This burning is also conducted in the higher elevations, where fire dangers are minimal and smoke dispersion (away from population centers) is maximum.

For more information on Fall Burning in Missoula County, you will soon be able to download the Fall Burning Brochure (PDF), which was produced by the Missoula-City County Health Department and the MCFPA.

There are four simple steps to Firewise burning in Missoula County:

Getting a Burning Permit
Calling the Burning Hotline
Thinking Firewise
Putting the Fire Out by 4 PM

Getting a Burning Permit
With the exception of small, cooking or recreational fires, every fire that is ignited in Missoula County requires a burning permit. This includes the fires started on public lands for resource management purposes.

Individual permits are FREE but donations are gladly accepted to help fund the program. Use the directory at this website to locate your nearest department, but remember many of the rural fire districts in western Montana are staffed by volunteers who work in the community during the day and only respond to emergency calls, so there may be no one at the station when you call or stop by. Don't give up! Leave a message and you'll soon be on your way to a bit of Firewise burning.

Read your permit carefully for important fire safety and air quality requirements and information.

Calling the Burning Hotline
Once you have your permit, call your Outdoor Burning Hotline after 9 am on the day that you want to burn. In the spring, the Hotline number is updated as conditions change: so fire ignition opportunities are affected by air quality and/or fire danger. In the fall, the Hotline is updated daily based on airshed and elevational conditions.

Outdoor Burning Hotlines:
Seeley Lake, Clearwater or Swan Drainages north of Clearwater Junction
(406) 677-2899

The Rest of Missoula Valley
(406) 258-4900

Thinking Firewise
Knowing what and how to burn is just as important as getting a permit and verifying burning conditions through the Burning Hotline. Remember: If your fire does get out of control, you'll be liable for fire suppression costs as well as any damage the fire causes to the surrounding community.

WHAT you can burn:
ONLY burn natural vegetation and untreated dimensional lumber that is generated on your property. Burning prohibited materials can produce harmful smoke or even cause explosions and you can be charged with illegal burning.

WHAT you can't burn:

Wastes generated by a business.
Material moved from other locations to your property.
If you live within the Air Stagnation Zone, which includes the City of Missoula and an area roughly 4 1/2 miles around it, you cannot burn piles of leaves or grass clippings. They simply produce too much smoke.

Examples of prohibited materials include household garbage, dead animals, animal droppings, treated wood, chemicals or synthetics, such as rubber and plastics.

WHEN you can burn:
Once you have your permit, choose a calm day for your burn. Do not light your fire when wind or other weather conditions make it hazardous to burn. The Fire Information page of this website offers a link to the National Weather Service.

PRECAUTIONS when burning:
To prevent your fire from spreading to surrounding vegetation and structures, think like a firefighter and take every precaution:

Build your debris piles in vegetation openings, away from overhead branches and wires, structures and other burnable materials.
Scrape debris and any other burnable material away from your piles, so they are surrounded by several feet of bare soil.
Once you ignite your debris, attend your fire continuously.
When you think your fire is out, check the ashes for glowing embers. With a new introduction of oxygen (generated by your stirring of the ashes), even a few live coals will shortly produce smoke. Make sure your fire is dead out!
Keep water and tools ready in case of unexpected changes in the fire or weather.
Always have sufficient help, tools and equipment at the burn site to control the fire.

Equipment for Burning:
If you garden or do much lawn maintenance, you probably won't have to buy any special equipment to conduct a safe outdoor burn. The following items are recommended by MCFPA:

a reliable water source
a good sturdy shovel
some heavy gloves

Fire Out by 4 PM
All General Outdoor Burns must begin after 9 am and be fully extinguished by 4 pm, unless an extension has been granted by your local fire department. Reasons for this time limit are these:

Overnight air inversions are common in the Missoula Valley. However, in the spring and summer, they tend to break up by 9 am. So waiting to ignite your fire until after 9 am lets the smoke disperse better.
Afternoon winds are typical. So for safety reasons, it is important that your fire be completely dead out--no smoke at all--by 4 pm.
Smoke dispersion is poor after sunset, so letting a fire smolder overnight can cause smoke to build up and bother your neighbors. It also adds to the Valley's total pollution level.

Airshed Maps:
The topography of Missoula County creates three different airsheds. In addition, special impact zones have been created to maintain air quality standards in the Missoula Valley. Maps of these areas will soon be included here. Until then, contact the Missoula City County Health Department at 523-4755 or check with your local fire department.

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