Open Burning – meaning any burning, including, but not limited to, the burning of fields, stubble, trash, debris, vegetation, leaves, brush, or other matter or materials.

• The person must ensure that materials to be burned are properly stockpiled and dried as much as possible and are free of substances that inhibit good combustion; must not burn heavy smoke-producing materials such as heavy oils, tires, tar paper, or anything containing hazardous or toxic chemicals (though reasonable use of fuels like kerosene or diesel as accelerants is allowed); must not ignite burns at night or add material within two hours before sunset; must avoid burning during inclement, foggy, or very cloudy conditions (defined as more than 0.7 cloud cover with a ceiling below 2,000 feet); must not burn when surface wind speeds are below 5 mph or above 15 mph; must take precautions to confine and control the intensity of the burn; must maintain adequate clearance from combustible materials not intended to burn, keeping fires at least 100 feet from structures and 10 feet from property lines; must not burn within 1,000 feet of an occupied dwelling without prior notification to the occupant; must ensure the burn does not create traffic or safety hazards and notify appropriate authorities if within 1,000 feet of a roadway or within one mile of an airport; must have appropriate fire extinguishment equipment available throughout the burn; must obtain permission from the property owner or responsible party; must have a valid burn permit in possession during the burn; must not burn when burning privileges are suspended; must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws; and for the purposes of these rules, “nighttime” is defined as the period from two hours before sunset until one hour after sunrise.

Controlled Burning & Burning of Household Trash – means any open burn that is associated with agricultural activities, as well as solid waste, trash, organic yard waste, or other debris
nom1ally associated with the conduct of a household but does not include heavy oils, tires, tarpaper, railroad ties, structures, pallets, plastics, construction materials, furniture, metal debris, petroleum products, or anything containing or treated with
a hazardous or toxic chemical.

• Any person initiating, participating in, allowing, or conducting a controlled burn must comply with the following: they must not burn heavy smoke-producing materials such as heavy oils, tires, tar paper, railroad ties, plastics, construction materials, furniture, or anything containing hazardous or toxic chemicals (though reasonable use of kerosene or diesel as accelerants is allowed); must not burn during inclement, foggy, or very cloudy conditions (defined as more than 0.7 cloud cover with a ceiling below 2,000 feet); must not burn when surface wind speeds are below 5 mph or above 15 mph; must establish a fire break at least 50 feet wide around the burn area; must maintain proper clearance from combustibles not intended to burn, keeping fires at least 100 feet from structures and 10 feet from property lines; must not burn within 1,000 feet of an occupied dwelling without notifying the occupant; must ensure the burn does not create traffic or safety hazards and notify appropriate authorities if within 1,000 feet of a roadway or within one mile of an airport; must not ignite or continue a burn near an active emergency fire scene and must comply with any direction from fire personnel to extinguish all or part of the fire; must have adequate fire extinguishment equipment available and ensure the burn is continuously supervised by a capable person with sufficient help; must obtain permission from the property owner or responsible party; must have a valid burn permit in possession; must not burn when burning privileges are suspended; and must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Additionally, recreational fires may be conducted without a permit but must not occur during very high or extreme fire danger or Red Flag Warnings, must be constantly attended, and must have extinguishment equipment available; and open burning of household trash is allowed without a permit only if conducted in an approved metal container on a non-combustible surface with a 10-foot clearance, is constantly supervised, has proper extinguishment equipment available, is not conducted during very high or extreme fire danger or Red Flag Warnings, and complies with all applicable laws.

Safety Tips

1. Mow a fire break.
2. Have a water source.
3. Check the weather.
4. Attend the burn at all times.
5. Call 911 early.

Additional Resources

• Kansas Forest Service – Prescribed Burning
• Topeka NWS – Fire Weather Information
• KSFS – Fire Risk Map