Rules and common sense needed to avoid burning permit violations

WILLMAR -- Having a burning permit that lasts until the end of the year doesn't give landowners a carte blanche to burn whatever, whenever or wherever.

There are rules that go along with the permit, said Jim Steffen, DNR conservation officer for Kandiyohi County. A dose of common sense when it comes to burning also helps, he said.

A person is required to have their permit with them while they conduct a burn. If a permit is lost during the course of the year, a new one is needed before burning can begin, said Steffen.

Each permit is site specific.

If a landowner obtains a permit to burn brush at their residence, that same permit cannot be used to burn brush at a different site on their property a couple miles away.

The permits include information about what can and cannot be burned.

Piled material fires can only include brush, vegetative matter, leaves and untreated wood.

Old furniture, plastic containers and most construction debris is not legal to burn, said Steffen, because it can release "caustic chemical" into the air that can be harmful to people and the environment.

He said people don't accept sewage or chemicals being dumped into waterways. Eventually the same attitude will pertain to smoke from illegal fires.

There is a cost to violating laws in Kandiyohi County. Failure to obtain a permit is $127; burning a small amount of illegal materials is $187; failure to comply with permit conditions, like burning when it's too windy, is $107.

Because the goal is to educate the public about conducting safe burns, Steffen said there is a good deal of leniency applied to first-time violators. "We're not out there with a big stick," he said.

Second-time offenders, or those who are caught burning large amounts of illegal materials, like an entire building with asphalt shingles, could face a misdemeanor and a fine of $700.

Steffen said it's not easy telling people they can't do something on their own property.

"People tend to blame the person in uniform," he said. "But this is the job I'm paid to do."

Steffen said he hopes that education combined with enforcement will help people "come into compliance" with the burning regulations.