Procedures and restrictions for obtaining an open burning permit

  • An application for an open burning permit must be submitted 7 days prior to date of burn.  Once you have emailed the completed form to us, a fire department representative will visit the proposed burn site. The application is then forwarded to the St. Joseph County Health Department for their approval. The total process from application to approval will take at least two days (not including mail delivery time, if applicable).

  • Burning is not allowed until you receive your permit in the mail from the Health Department.

  • The permit is good for the time period you listed on the application (not to exceed two weeks).

  • All burning must take place between dawn and dusk.

  • Even though a permit has been issued, the fire must be extinguished if a health-related complaint is received.

  • Burn piles must not be any larger than three feet high and five feet in diameter, and must be at least 25 feet away from other combustibles such as bushes, wood piles, or buildings. The burning site must be attended at all times.

  • The permit does not allow for burning of stumps, grass clippings, leaves, finished lumber or other construction materials.

  • The open burning permits were designed for storm clean-up, not clearing a lot for construction.

 

If you have any questions not answered above, please contact Southwest Central Fire Territory at 291-1677 or the St. Joseph County Health Department's Environmental Division at 235-9721.

Application download instructions

1) Download the permit application here.

(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document. If you don't have it already, you can download it for free here.

 

2) Once you open the document and fill it out, press the "Save Application" button at the bottom of the form.

 

3) Save the document using your street address as the filename (ex. 60070 Main Street).

 

4) Attach the completed application to an email and send to admin@swcft.com. (If your email system allows it, you can click on this link to open up a new email.)

 

If you have any questions, please call our Kern Road station at 291-1677 or our Fillmore Road station at 288-5956.