- All reasonable effort shall be made to minimize
the amount of material burned, with the number and size of the debris
piles approved by the fire official or designee (i.e., Fire Marshal,
etc.).
- The material to be burned shall consist of brush,
stumps and similar debris waste and shall not include demolition
material.
- The burning shall be at least 500 feet from any
occupied building unless otherwise approved by the fire official or
designee (i.e., Fire Marshal, etc.), other than a building located on
the property on which the burning is conducted.
- The burning shall be conducted at the greatest
distance practicable from highways and airfields.
- The burning shall be attended at all times and
conducted to ensure the best possible combustion with a minimum of smoke
being produced.
- The burning shall not be allowed to smolder
beyond the minimum period of time necessary for the destruction of the
materials.
- The burning shall be conducted only when the
prevailing winds are away from any city, town or built-up area.
-
When open burning of debris waste is to occur
within the County, the person responsible for the burning shall
obtain a
permit
from the fire
official prior to the burning. Such a permit may be granted only
after confirmation from the fire official or designee (i.e., Fire
Marshal, etc.) that the burning can and will comply with the
provisions of the York County Fire Prevention Code and any other
conditions which are deemed necessary to ensure that the burning
will not endanger the public health or welfare or to ensure
compliance with any applicable provisions of the State Air Pollution
Control Board’s Regulations for the Control and Abatement of Air
Pollution. The permit may be issued for each occasion of burning or
for a specific period of time deemed appropriate by the fire
official.
An
application for a permit shall be accompanied by a processing fee of $50
per permit and an additional $25 for each required site visit after an
initial two visits.
Permit open
burning may be prohibited as necessary on Saturdays/Sundays/local, state and
federal legal holidays and at other times when deemed necessary by the fire
official or designee (i.e., Fire Marshal, etc.).
Permit open burning is prohibited by State
Air Pollution Control Board regulations from May1 until October 1.
State forestry laws prohibit open burning
before 4:00 pm between February 15 and April 30 (any authorized permit
burning during this specific period may occur only between 4:00 and
midnight)
When notified
that a burning operation will begin, check the Open Burning Permit List to
make sure its been approved and then notify the fire marshal, or fire
inspector in his absence.
Permits
are also required for bonfires – for information on the requirements,
contact the Prevention and Life Safety Division at 890-3600, weekdays from
8:15 - 5PM.
