Emergency Management and Communications
How do I get a burn permit, and can I burn today?
When Permit once a year, call before every burn
The annual permit covers every property you own or lease. A call to the Communications Center is required before each controlled burn, and the burn must start within an hour.
Resolution 25-26 requires an annual county burn permit, a call to the Communications Center before each burn, and no burning at all on Red Flag days or on no-burn days the fire chiefs declare.
Red Flag status for Mitchell County
The National Weather Service's active alerts for the county appear here. On a Red Flag day every controlled burn is prohibited, and the fire chiefs can declare a no-burn day that only the Communications Center conveys.
Call 785-738-3523 before you light, every time.
Who can call a no-burn day
Fire District Chiefs, or their designees, have the authority to declare no-burn days based on weather conditions and public safety concerns. No-burn days are discussed by the MC FD #1, MC FD #3 and Tipton Fire Chiefs when weather conditions are going to be potentially bad for burning in Mitchell County. Once the decision is made by the chiefs, they shall notify the Mitchell County Communications Center at 785-738-3523, who will convey these restrictions. All controlled burns are prohibited on Red Flag days.
Resolution 25-26, Section II
The three steps
- Read the Resolution, the KDHE open burning regulations (Appendix A), and the burn requirements (Appendix B).
- Contact Emergency Management for the annual registration at least 30 minutes before your first call. Your telephone number is your permit number.
- Call the Communications Center at 785-738-3523 before every burn with your name, the exact location or the nearest road names, and what you are burning.
- Light within one hour of the call, or call back with a new start time. Keep the fire under control until it is out.
The rules, from the Resolution
- An annual Mitchell County Burn Permit is required before any open burning. It covers every property you own or lease, and every property is listed on it.
- Notify the Communications Center before each burn: your permit number (your telephone number), contact details, location, acreage, and what you are burning.
- Burns must begin within 60 minutes of the call, or you call back with a new start time.
- Assess weather, proximity to structures, and hazardous materials before lighting. Non-compliant burns are extinguished.
- Permits do not transfer with a sale; a new owner needs a new permit.
- Wind: no burning when wind speeds are 15 mph or greater for non-agricultural burning, or 20 mph or greater for agricultural burning.
- After dark: no burn may be started within 2 hours before sunset or within 1 hour before sunrise without special permission from the fire chief having jurisdiction.
- Clearance: no burning within 150 feet of any structure, oil tank, or vehicle not owned or operated by the permit holder.
Get the annual permit.
Emergency Management issues the annual permit. Contact David Dohe before your first burn and have every property you own or lease ready to list. Your telephone number becomes your permit number.
Complete the registration with Emergency Management at least 30 minutes before your first call, and once a year after that.
Before every burn, call
The Communications Center will ask for:
- Your name
- The exact burn location, or the nearest road names, such as J Road and 240 Road
- What you are burning
- Anything else the operator asks
Have the annual registration on file at least 30 minutes before you call. You have one hour after the call to begin.
Penalties
| Violation | Under the Resolution |
|---|---|
| Burning without a permit | Up to 500 dollars and possible suspension of burn privileges |
| Not notifying Communications before a burn | Up to 500 dollars |
| Burning on a no-burn day or under a Red Flag Warning | Immediate suspension and up to 500 dollars |
| Losing control of a fire without having called it in | Up to 300 dollars per apparatus and responder, per hour |
Forms and links
