Burn Regulations & Permits

For your safety, burning regulations must be followed, even when a permit is NOT required.

  • OPEN All permitted and recreational fires are allowed
  • CLOSED No permitted burns are allowed. Recreational fires may be allowed unless restrictive conditions exist.
  • BURN BAN means no recreational fires, beach fires or outdoor burning allowed.
  • State Parks and San Juan Island National Historical Park may completely suspend all burning to include BBQs, burn pits, and pressurized liquid or gas grills. Such tight restrictions may be announced due to extreme fire danger resulting from weather conditions, specific fire conditions, lack of available firefighting personnel or to protect air quality. This is strictly enforced by state and national Park Rangers.
  • Fireworks of any kind are banned throughout the county all year long.

Recreational Campfires (permits not required)

  • Size: 3 feet or less.
  • Flame height: 3 feet or less.
  • Clear area around the fire: 2 feet or more.
  • Only clean and dry firewood may be burned.
  • RESTRICTED: only propane fueled appliances (e.g. BBQ, outdoor fireplace, patio heaters), and pellet BBQ and smokers are allowed. No charcoal or firewood fires (even in pits), or open-flamed devices (e.g. tiki torches) are allowed.

Residential Burn Pile Permits

  • Purchase Online from the San Juan County Fire Marshal.
  • The cost is $20.00 and is valid through the OPEN burn season.
  • Allows the burning of only natural, unprocessed vegetation.
  • If a charged water hose is onsite, burn piles may be up to 10 feet in diameter and 6 feet in height. Otherwise, two 5 gallon buckets full of water must be onsite and burn piles are limited to 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet in height. In all cases a shovel or comparable hand tool must be onsite.

Commercial Burn Pile Permits

  • An on-site inspection is required prior to issuance. Request an Inspection from the San Juan County Fire Marshal
  • Commercial burn size and clearing requirements to be determined during the on-site inspection.
  • On-site heavy equipment, such as an excavator, is required during the burn.
  • Cost is $250 and permits are valid for 30 days.
  • Allows burning of natural vegetation (only).

Important Notes:

  • The person attending the burn must know, understand, and follow the permit conditions, check the current fire danger rating, and have the permit in hand at the time of the burn.
  • The person named on the permit and/or the property owner agrees to furnish manpower and equipment to suppress the fire if it escapes for ANY cause and to reimburse the local fire agency for all expenses incurred if such suppression is required.

More Burn Information can be found on the Fire Marshal’s website.