Burn Information

Call before you burn, (503) 982-0011

For more information contact Woodburn Fire District’s burn line at (503) 982-0011, or the DEQ’s Western Region-Salem office toll free at 1-800-349-7677.

It is against the law to conduct any open burning that-

  • Is not attended by a responsible person
  • Unreasonably interferes with the enjoyment of life or property
  • Creates a public nuisance
  • Is a hazard to public safety
A couple of people setting up a campfire with twigs
Assorted trash with mostly plastic and paper cups

DEQ regulations prohibit open burning any time, anywhere in Oregon of the following materials-

  • Rubber products, including tires
  • Plastic
  • Wet garbage and food waste
  • Petroleum and petroleum-treated materials
  • Asphalt and asbestos
  • Wire insulation
  • Automobile parts
  • Animal remains
  • Any material that produces dense smoke or noxious odors.

DEQ regulations prohibit open building of commercial waste in the Willamette Valley. Examples of commercial waste are materials from-

  • Offices
  • Wholesale and retail yards and outlets
  • Warehouses
  • Restaurants
  • Mobile home parks
  • Domestic waste removed from the property of origin
  • Waste from dwellings that contain four or more living units
OREGON OPEN BURN LAWS PROTECT AIR QUALITY/PUBLIC HEALTH

Pollution from outdoor burning can pose a threat to public health and the environment and can be a public nuisance. Using fire to dispose of debris is a major source of complaints to fire departments and environmental agencies.

“Open burning” includes any burning conducted outdoors. A fire in a burn barrel is open burning, as is burning debris in an outdoor fireplace or backyard incinerator. Other examples include burning piles of yard debris, stumps, construction debris or the remains of demolished structures.

Burning FAQ’s

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When is open burning allowed?

Open burning is allowed on approved burn days. Call the Woodburn Fire District burn line at (503) 982-0011 for information regarding burn days and times. Inside Special Control Areas burning is usually allowed March 1 through June 15, and Oct. 1 through Dec. 15. Local burning ordinances may be more restrictive than DEQ rules. Outside Special Control Areas burning may occur on any approved burn day.

Where are the Woodburn Fire District special control areas?
  1. Within the Woodburn city limits and surrounding areas up to 3 miles from the city limits.
  2. Within the Gervais city limits and surrounding areas up to 3 miles from the city limits.
What can you burn?
Inside a special control area: Yard debris only.

Outside a special control area: Construction waste, demolition waste, yard debris, residential waste.

What is considered yard debris?

Materials from trees, shrubs or plants that grow in your landscaped yard, for example:

  • Grass clippings
  • Tree leaves and needles
  • Small branches
  • Rosebush clippings
What is domestic waste?
  • Household waste generated in or around the house, such as:
  • Paper
  • Cardboard
  • Clothing
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What is demolition waste?
  • Material from a complete or partial destruction of any man-made structure
  • Clearing any site for land improvement or cleanup
What is construction waste?

Material from a building or construction project, such as:

  • Lumber and other building material
  • Crating and packing material
What is agricultural waste?
Agricultural waste is material generated by an agricultural operation that uses or intends to use, land primarily for the purpose of obtaining a profit in money by raising, harvesting and selling crops or raising and selling animals (including poultry), or the products of animal husbandry. Prohibited materials can’t be burned, even in an agricultural setting.

Agricultural activities may include clearing land but does not include the construction and use of dwellings. The burning of materials associated with a dwelling is not considered part of the farming operation.

DEQ does not have the authority to regulate agricultural burning. However, some fire departments require agricultural burning permits. Contact the Woodburn Fire District for more information.

Agricultural field burning is the burning of residue left from the harvest of grass seed or cereal grain crops and is regulated in the Willamette Valley under a separate program operated by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

What is slash burning?
Slash burning (burning of debris from logging) is limited to burning on forestlands for forest management and is usually managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry. It is not the clearing of forest land for any other purpose. Contact your local Department of Forestry office for more information.
What are other alternatives to open burning?
Donate unwanted clothing, furniture, and toys to friends, relatives or charities. Give unwanted magazines and books to hospitals or nursing homes.

Separate the recyclable items from other waste and prepare them for collection or drop-off at a local recycling station. Chip wood waste and use it as mulch. Compost organic material and use as soil amendment.

Arrange for your non-recyclable waste to be picked up, or take it to a transfer station or landfill.