By Sara Price
The burn window opened Monday, September 16 in the state of Utah but with some changes. New state and federal regulations have been put in effect and those that are in compliance require citizens to follow them.
Citizens must obtain a burn permit during the window from the state. These applications can be completed online, over the phone or mailed in. Permits must be completed two days in advance of any burning and are free as long as they are obtained during the burn window.
Burn permits will also be available outside of the window but require a $25 fee and must be signed by the chief of the city’s fire department. The state of Utah and/or a city’s fire chief may terminate a permit at any time.
Burn windows may also shrink in the future to three weeks total. For now, however, the burn window remains the same.
All fires must be attended. Those with burn permits and following all federal and state laws whose fires grow out of control will not be required to pay for responses from local fire departments. Without the burn permits, the fire starter would be fully liable to pay for any and all costs accrued due to an out of control fire. Those who have permits but are not following all laws and regulations, such as not attending their fire at all times, are liable to pay as well.
Those who want to quickly apply for a burn permit can complete their applications online at www.airquality.utah.gov or over the phone at (801) 536-4000. Those who want to apply via mail may do so by sending applications to the Department of Environmental Quality Control. Emailed applications may take up to 14 days to process.