• The fire must contain only natural vegetation.
• A person capable of extinguishing the fire must be in attendance at all times and the fire shall be completely extinguished prior to leaving it.
• Fire are not to be within 50 feet of any structure, public roadway, or property line.
• Only one pile may be burned at a time.
• All fires to be started during daylight hours and must be extinguished prior to sunset.
• All fires shall be on bare soil or green grass or other ground conditions free of combustible material for a distance of 20 feet to prevent the escape of the fire.
• An adequate water supply capable of extinguishing the fire and the means to adequately apply the water to the fire in order to achieve extinguishment (EX: a garden hose attached to a good working faucet / spigot and be capable of reaching all sides of the fire pile with 10 feet of reserve slack) and at least one shovel shall be in attendance and immediately available at the fire at all times.
• Burning must be done in periods of calm to very light winds only.
• The permission to burn by an individual, property owner or others may be revoked, cancelled or suspended without notice by any of the following agencies: North County Regional Fire Authority, Snohomish County Fire Marshal Office, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Department of Ecology, Department of Natural Resources, or by any Federal, State, County or Regional agency having statutory authority and Jurisdiction without reason at any time without prior notification.
• If any emission from the fire is detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of any person or it causes damage to property or business, or it causes a nuisance, or a burning ban is imposed, the fire must be extinguished immediately.
• All persons who are authorized to burn shall call the Fire Station at 360-629-2184 or the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency at 800-595-4341. This must be done prior to lighting any fires to ascertain any burn ban information.

Fines for illegal fires typically start at $2,000 plus the cost to reimburse the fire department for their response efforts.

• It's always illegal to:
  • Burn trash
  • Use a burn barrel
  • Smoke out your neighbor

Taking a match to your yard waste may seem like an easy and efficient way to dispose of your clippings and trimmings, but burning yard waste is illegal and unhealthy. Smoke from these fires contains pollutants like fine particles and toxics which can harm your health.

Consider these planet and people-friendly alternatives.

Chip it

A chipper or shredder converts your branches and yard waste into useful mulch or the perfect compost pile.

Compost it

You can convert dead leaves and grass clippings into healthy food for your plants and yard rather than polluting the air. Composting is a convenient and affordable way to manage yard waste. Kitsap County has some great information about getting started on composting.

Curb it or Drop it Off

Curbside pick-up of yard waste is convenient, affordable and increasingly available alterative to burning. If curbside services are not in your area, consider dropping off your debris to a recycling center in your community.