House Bill 567 changes winter open-burning window; Wasatch County Fire proposes local policy limits

Battalion Chief Troy Morgan briefed the Wasatch County Fire Protection Special Service District board on House Bill 567 and a draft local winter burn policy at the Sept. 10 meeting.

"Any open burning is gonna be allowed from November 1 to... March 31," Morgan said, summarizing the statutory change that shifts the winter burning window and reduces required clearing in winter from 500 feet to 250 feet. Morgan said the change increases flexibility for winter burns in areas not subject to stricter air-quality county designations.

Morgan outlined the district’s proposed operational rules to align with that change: burn piles limited to 10 by 10 by 5 feet; fires must be suppressed by dark; a minimum separation of about 50 feet from hazards is required; the person burning must stay with the fire and have water or tools available; the district will require notification (typically to the sheriff’s office) and photos of the burn site, and staff will not permit burning of hay, wet leaves, construction material or piles that include dirt that cause heavy smoke. Agricultural and recreational fires remain subject to separate rules.

Morgan said complaints in recent years were primarily about unattended or overnight burns and that most issues have been resolved through education; only a small number of repeat offenders required citations. He also said the district will share the policy with local cities for coordination but that the fire board did not need to adopt the policy at this meeting.

District staff said the proposed local rule is intended to minimize neighborhood nuisance and protect air quality while enabling residents to conduct defensible winter burns where allowable under the new state rule.