On October 12, 2017, the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency’s Board of Directors voted unanimously (8-0) to approve most revisions to LRAPA’s Title 47: Open (Outdoor) Burning rules effective immediately.
Outdoor burning, also known as open or backyard burning, allows some Lane County residents to burn dry woody yard debris that was generated on their own residential property. Rules concerning outdoor burning differ throughout the county, with some cities (Eugene and Florence) banning burning within city limits all together. The exemptions related to recreational and cooking fires remain in place throughout the latest revisions.
The Lane County Fire Defense Board declared that the fall outdoor burning season opens tomorrow, October 14, 2017 after a two week delay due to dry conditions and high fire danger. Daily outdoor burning advisories are issued by LRAPA at www.lrapa.org and the advisory line: 541-726-3976.
Many of the revisions called for clarifying the existing terminology, in addition to updating boundaries, requirements, and districts to match existing local ordinances. Burning in barrels is now prohibited county-wide. Fees for outdoor burning letter permits rose from a minimum of $4 to $10 per cubic yard, with the minimum fee amount also rising from $50 to $100. These letter permits are required for slash burning not covered by Department of Forestry and for construction, demolition, commercial, industrial outdoor burning or bonfires.
For a full list of accepted revisions, see the list below and visit:
http://www.lrapa.org/271/Adopted-Rules#OUTDOORBURNING
For the full Title 47 rules, see:
http://or-lanerapa.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/275
The accepted revisions are as follows:
- Change the term “Open Burning” to “Outdoor Burning” throughout Title 47
- Clarify terminology pertaining to size and materials of “religious ceremonial fires” and
“bonfires” - Clarify terminology relative to outdoor burning during the LRAPA “Home Wood Heating Season”
- Require residents within the Oakridge Urban Growth Boundary to be subject to outdoor burning prohibitions and exemptions during the Oakridge “Home Wood Heating Season”
- Identify the Eugene and Springfield Urban Growth Boundaries as separate
- Identify cardboard, clothing and grass clippings as “prohibited materials”
- Prohibit outdoor burning in barrels
- Include in LRAPA rules Oakridge and Florence outdoor burning ordinances requirements
- Limit outdoor burning to woody yard trimmings within the city limits of Junction City, Coburg, Cottage Grove, Creswell, Lowell, Westfir, Dunes City and Veneta and further clarify relative to affected areas (burning piled leaves prohibited)
- Update names of Fire Districts
- Update “Forest Slash Outdoor Burning” requirements in areas not covered by Department of Forestry Smoke Management Plan
- Increase fee for prescribed burning of standing vegetation permits (species or wetland conversion) from $100 to $1,000 and include caveat relative to Director discretion in fee adjustment
- Increase fee for permits required for forest slash open burning in areas not covered by the Department of Forestry Smoke Management Plan and for construction, demolition, commercial or industrial open burning from $4 per cubic yard to $10 per cubic yard and minimum fee from $50 to $100
For more information, please visit www.lrapa.org or call us at 541-736-1056. Information is also available on our Facebook and Twitter pages (@LaneRegionalAir).