Burn Barrel Use Prohibited The use of a burn barrel was banned
in the State of Washington effective April 13, 2000. Burning garbage
has been illegal in the State of Washington since 1967.
Recreational Fires Recreational fires under 4'x4'x3' are still allowed
in all of Skamania County without a permit. Only charcoal or seasoned
firewood (not lumber) may be used as fuel for a recreational fire. Recreational
fires must be used solely for recreational purposes and may not be used
for disposal of yard debris or any other material. Recreational fires
may not cause a smoke or odor nuisance to surrounding properties. For
recreational fires in excess of 4'x4'x3' a small fire permit is required.
These permits can be picked up at your local fire station or town hall
and are free. If your area does not provide these permits contact the
Skamania County Fire Marshal at 509-427-3920.
Debris Burning All debris burning (natural vegetation only)
under 10'x10'x5' requires a small fire permit.
Piles of natural vegetation larger than 4'x4'x3' but smaller than 10'x10'x5'
are only allowed October 1 through June 30. Piles of natural vegetation
under 4'x4'x3' are allowed year round except during a fire danger burn
ban.
These permits are currently available
at your local fire station or town hall and are generally free. If your
area does not provide these permits contact the Skamania County Fire Marshal at 509-427-3920.
Land Clearing Burning For piles larger than 10'x10'x5' and land clearing
operations, call the Southwest Clean Air Agency at 1-800-633-0709 for
a land clearing burning permit application. The burn permit application
can be downloaded in PDF,
printed out and then mailed, faxed or hand-delivered to SWCAA. A site
visit is no longer required so a permit can be issued same day with a
visit to SWCAA's office in Vancouver. The permit fee of $100 must be paid
to SWCAA prior to issuance of the permit.
Agricultural Burning To qualify for agricultural burning you must have filed a "Schedule F" with your federal
income tax. Orchard prunings alone do not qualify for an agricultural burn and other restrictions apply (WAC 173-430). Call SWCAA
at 360-574-3058 for detailed
information, forms and possible fees.
Silvicultural Burning For all silvicultural/forest practice burning call
the Pacific Cascades Region of the Department of Natural Resources at
360-577-2025. There is a permit fee.
Areas Where
Burning is Not Allowed
WAC 173-425 prohibits outdoor burning
in cities with a population of greater than 10,000 and their urban growth
areas. Prohibitions also apply to adjacent areas with a population density
of one thousand or more persons per square mile and areas with a reasonable
alternative to burning.
Currently there are no areas in Skamania
County that meet any of these criteria.
