San Andreas, CA…Effective Thursday, November 16, 2017 at 8:00 AM the burn permit suspension in Tuolumne, Calaveras, eastern Stanislaus and eastern San Joaquin counties will be lifted. CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit Chief Josh White is formally cancelling the burn permit suspension and advises that those possessing current and valid agriculture and residential burn permits can now resume burning on permissible burn days. Agriculture burns must be inspected by CAL FIRE prior to burning until the end of the peak fire season. Inspections may be required for burns other than agriculture burns. This can be verified by contacting your local Air Quality Management District.

CAL FIRE burn permits will be required until the end of fire season. Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and winter weather have helped to diminish the threat of wildfire. Property owners and residents are asked to use caution while conducting debris or agriculture burns, follow all guidelines provided, and maintain control of the fire at all times. Individuals can be held civilly and/or criminally liable for allowing a fire to escape their control and/or burn onto neighboring property.

The Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit is implementing new elevation based burning requirements. New burn permits will reflect Zone 1 (Below 3,500’) and Zone 2 (Above 3,500’). Previously issued burn permits are still valid, please verify your elevation and zone prior to burning. The burn information lines for Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties will state if it is a permissive burn day in Zone 1 and/or Zone 2. The goal of this program is to allow property owners at the higher elevations to utilize door yard burning to remove waste generated while creating and maintaining defensible space for a longer period of time, while minimizing the potential of escaped control debris burns at the lower elevations.

Residents wishing to burn MUST verify it is a permissive burn day for their zone prior to burning.
Calaveras County: (209) 754-6600

Tuolumne County: (209) 533-5598

San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties: (877) 429-2876

Pile Burning Requirements

Only dry, natural vegetative material such as leaves, pine needles and tree trimmings may be burned.

The burning of trash, painted wood or other debris is not allowed.
Do NOT burn on windy days.

Piles may be no larger than four feet in diameter and in height. You can add to the pile as it burns down.

Clear a 10 foot diameter down to bare soil around your piles.
Have a shovel and a water source nearby.

An adult is required to be in attendance of the fire at all times.
Safe residential pile burning of forest residue by landowners is a crucial tool in reducing fire hazards. State, Federal and Local land management and fire agencies will also be utilizing this same window of opportunity to conduct prescribed burns aimed at improving forest health on private and public lands.

For more information on burning, visit the CAL FIRE website at www.fire.ca.gov or www.readyforwildfire.org.

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