JACKSON, Wyo. — If outdoor spring cleanup is on the agenda, make sure to know the rules for burning yard waste before lighting the match.
Open burns within the town of Jackson are only permitted during Burn Week, which happens twice a year, in May and November. This year’s May Burn Week has already passed, so no more open burns are allowed within town limits.
According to the burn rules for Teton County, an open burn is considered a pile larger than three feet wide and two feet high. If the pile exceeds 10 by 10 feet wide and 10 feet high, or 1000 cubic feet, a permit is required from the Department of Environmental Quality’s Air Quality Division in Lander. All open burns may only contain clean wood, branches and leaves. The rules prohibit waste matter, treated wood or any manufactured products from being burned.
The following are the rules set forth by Teton County for conducting an open burn outside the town of Jackson:
- Dispatch must be called and notified every day the fire will be burning. The phone number is 307-733-2331.
- The burn pile must be at least 50 feet from any structure or combustibles, including cars and vegetation.
- A responsible person must be present and attending the fire at all times. Dispatch requests a cell phone contact number for that person.
- There must be a method to extinguish the fire at the burn site. That can be a garden hose connected to a water supply, one large or multiple fire extinguishers, or equipment to move dirt, sand or snow.
- All open burns must be conducted during daylight hours, and mornings are suggested because wind typically picks up during the afternoon.
- If the wind is blowing, do not burn. Fires must be put out if wind is blowing more than 10 mph.
The Fire Department will order a fire to be completely extinguished if it was not called in to Dispatch, if it exceeds the permitted size or if it contains prohibited material.
Be a good neighbor and follow these rules to keep a burn pile from becoming something worse. Visit the Teton County website to learn more.
