Check the Interactive Burn Map to determine if burning is allowed on the property at this time.
The outdoor burning of yard debris is seasonally banned during the summer months from July through September. Dates may vary by county. Sign up for SWCAA Subscription to learn before you burn.
During an Air Stagnation Advisory, it is recommended that citizens voluntarily limit all woodstove use and postpone all outdoor burning until the air quality improves. If air quality does not improve under a voluntary advisory, then a Stage 1 or Stage 2 Air Quality Burn Ban may be called to prevent pollution levels from exceeding federal standards.
An Air Stagnation Advisory is called when an air mass remains over an area for an extended period of time. Due to light winds and lack of precipitation, pollution cannot be cleared from the, air causing a build-up of pollutants such as high levels of PM2.5 If burning is not reduced and levels of PM2.5 continue to climb and reach or exceed the federal standards, a Stage 1 or Stage 2 an Air Quality Burn Ban will be put into place banning all burning and limiting or prohibiting the use of woodstoves until air quality improves.
A Fire Safety Burn Ban is enacted by the local Fire Marshal or Department of Natural Resources (DNR) due to dry conditions and a projected fire danger level.
Stage 1: The outdoor burning of yard debris is banned.
Stage 2: All outdoor burning is banned including
recreational fires.
Air Quality Burn Bans are enacted by SWCAA when stagnant air or temperature inversions cause air quality to rapidly deteriorate.
Stage 1: Outdoor burning is banned, including
recreational fires. The use of uncertified woodstoves is prohibited
unless it is the only adequate source of heat.
A Stage 1 impaired Air Quality Burn Ban is called when it is predicted that the twenty-four hour average of PM levels will reach or exceed thirty-five micrograms per cubic meter within forty-eight hours.
Stage 2: Outdoor burning is banned, including recreational fires. The use of all pellet, wood stoves and fireplaces are prohibited unless it is the only adequate source of heat.
A Stage 2 impaired Air Quality Burn Ban is called when all of the following
conditions exist:
(i) A stage 1 impaired Air Quality Burn Ban is
already in effect and has not reduced the trend of rising PM levels
adequately.
(ii) The twenty-four hour average of PM levels
have already reached or exceeded twenty-five micrograms per cubic meter.
(iii) The Agency expects that PM2.5 levels will
remain above twenty-five micrograms per cubic meter for twenty-four
hours or more from the time PM2.5 levels reached
the trigger in (a)(ii) of this subsection.
The Agency may call a Stage 2 impaired Air Quality Burn Ban without calling a stage 1 burn ban when all of the following conditions exist:
(i)
The twenty-four hour average of PM2.5 levels
have reached or exceeded twenty-five micrograms per cubic meter.
(ii)
PM2.5 levels have risen rapidly.
(iii) The
Agency predicts that the twenty-four hour average of PM2.5 levels
will exceed thirty-five micrograms per cubic meter within twenty-four
hours.
(iv) Weather conditions alone are highly unlikely to help
decrease PM2.5 levels sufficiently.