The items listed below are for Permanent No Burn Areas. Click to hide
Prior to January 1, 2007, land clearing burning is only allowed outside the
Longview/Kelso no burn area. As of January 1, 2007 land clearing burning will also be banned within the urban growth areas of Castle
Rock and Woodland, and all other high density areas.
Outside the no burn areas, burn piles larger than 10'x10'x6' require a land clearing burn permit from SWCAA. 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.
. Click to hide
As of January 1, 2007 residential burning will no longer be allowed in the urban growth
areas of Castle Rock and Woodland. Residential burning is already banned within the Longview/Kelso No Burn Area. Outside of these areas,
single piles under 4'x4'x3' do not need a permit to burn during daylight hours (natural vegetation only). For a list of general requirements
or to determine if you are outside of the no burn areas, call SWCAA at 1-800-633-0709.
Piles larger than 4'x4'x3' but smaller than 10'x10'x6' outside the no burn areas need a written permit. These free permits can be picked up at
local fire stations, mailed to you by calling SWCAA at 1-800-633-0709, or you can download a copy here in Adobe PDF format. Click to hide
Recreational fires under 3'x3'x2' are still allowed in all of Cowlitz County without a permit. Only
charcoal or seasoned firewood (no 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 and may be subject to seasonal fire safety burn bans. Click to hide
To qualify for agricultural burning inside the no-burn boundaries 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 for detailed information, forms and possible fees. Click to hide
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. Click to hide
Cowlitz
County - Outdoor Burning Information
Current
Level =
Effective: September 30, 2011 - All burning is permanently banned within the expanded Longview/Kelso no burn area and in the city limits and urban growth areas of Castle Rock and Woodland.
Burning is limited to natural vegetation only in the remainder of Cowlitz County. A free permit is necessary for all fires up to 10 x 10 x 6 and can be printed from our website at www.swcleanair.org, or obtained from your local fire station. Piles larger than 10 x 10 x 6 requires a written permit from the Southwest Clean Air Agency.
For silvicultural or forest questions contact Dept of Natural Resources at 360-577-2025. For more information you can contact the Southwest Clean Air Agency at 360-574-3058 or 1-800-633-0709 during normal business hours.
For an explanation of the Fire Danger Rating System click here.
WAC 173-425 bans the use of a burn
barrel and prohibits the burning of all material, except
natural vegetation grown on the property and firewood (defined as bare,
untreated wood, not dimensional lumber). This regulation also prohibits
burning during periods of impaired air quality and prohibits outdoor burning
from becoming a nuisance to surrounding neighbors and businesses. Fire
safety burn-bans may also be called by county or local fire protection
authorities.
