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Open Burn Rules

May contain: fire and forest fire

Rules for Open Burning for the East Niceville Fire District

Please contact our fire dispatch center if you meet the burn rules and you wish to burn.
Okaloosa County Fire Dispatch Center (850)-689-5766

Open burning of yard trash must comply with the following rules established by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, Chapter 17-5.

Note: Yard trash means vegetative matter resulting from landscaping and yard maintenance operations and includes materials such as tree and shrub trimmings, grass clippings, palm fronds, trees, and tree stumps.

  1. The burning must be at least 25 feet from any residence on the property where the burning is being conducted.
  2. The open burning must be at least 150 feet from any occupied building other than one owned or leased by the individual doing the burning.
  3. The open burning must be at least 50 feet from any public road.
  4. Burn barrels or pits are no longer required as long as the burn pile is no larger than an 8 foot by 8 foot square pile.
  5. The open burning must be at least 25 feet from any forest, woodlands or brush or combustible structure.
  6. The burning must be done between the hours of 8:00 am. and 1hr before sunset.
  7. The open burning must be attended at all times by someone with adequate fire extinguishing equipment.
  8. Green or wet materials still cannot be burned and the individual is still responsible for control of their fire and management of the smoke it produces.
  9. The open burning of tires, rubber material, bunker C residual oil, asphalt, roofing materials, tar, railroad cross ties, other creosote lumber, plastics, garbage, paint cans, or trash other than yard trash and household paper products is prohibited. 
  10. The open burning must not produce smoke, soot, odors, ect. to such a degree as to create a nuisance.

For More Information on the Burn Rules and Regulations Visit: 

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services