Jefferson County Burn Permit

• Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Boulder MT
  406-225-4075
• Online Via Montana's Burn Permit portal

Online Burn Permit Application

How do I know whether or not I can burn today?

This is a complicated question:

1. You know your on-site conditions better than anyone! You need know that you can complete your burn project safely. That will depend on what you are burning, how big is the pile, current and projected wind, moisture levels in the burn materials and the surrounding area, adequate spacing around the burn, resources you have available to control the burn, projected weather during the burn and after, and how long you have to babysit the fire. If you aren't comfortable with all the above, don't burn today no matter if the website allows burning today or not.
2. Anytime during the year, when burning is prohibited in the county due to extreme fire conditions county wide, both the website and the automated phone system will prevent you from activating your permit. Both systems will also provide the reasoning as to why burning is prohibited for the day.
3. Between September 1 and November 30th there is a two step process, the burn system must allow you to burn AND you must ALSO call the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Ventilation Hotline at 800-225-6779 prior to burning. You may only burn if both systems allow burning that day.
4. December 1 to March 1, burning is CLOSED unless you have a project specific permit from MDEQ. The county burn system will be active and allowing burning but you must have an approved wintertime burn permit from MDEQ to burn and approval from MDEQ's meteorologist for that day.

How do I get a project specific permit from MDEQ so I can burn between December 1st and March 1st?

If you have a burn project that is ESSENTIAL to burn outside the normal burn season of March 1st to November 30th, call MDEQ at 406-444-3490 and visit with the Air Quality Bureau about your plans. They will tell you up front if your project would qualify and help you get the Montana Wintertime Open Burning Request form to fill out to get the approval process started. Once you get the Montana Wintertime Open Burning Request approved, they will assign you to a MDEQ meteorologist to work with to find day(s) with the right air quality conditions to allow your burn project to be completed.

How do I add a burn location to my burn permit that does not have a valid address as recognized by Jefferson County?
To add a burn location that does not have a valid address as recognized by Jefferson County, you will need to enter the latitude and longitude of your burn location. How to identify the latitude and longitude of a burn location.

How do I activate my burn permit?
You can activate your burn permit online using this website or by calling the automated phone activation system at 1-888-583-6499. 

 

 

How do I edit the start and stop times of my burn or cancel my burn entirely if I decide not to burn?
From the Main Menu of the service, select the "Activate an Existing Burn Permit" option and enter your burn permit number.  All of your active burns for today will be listed and you may select either to "Edit Burn Times" or "Cancel Burn". 

What responsibilities am I assuming when I light my burn?

1. Fires shall not be ignited when weather, wind and other conditions make it hazardous to do so.
2. You must have enough water, hand tools/equipment, and people to keep your fire under control.
3. You are responsible for all suppression costs and damages caused if your burn escapes your control.
4. If you do not activate your permit before burning, the Fire Department may be dispatched to your fire even though it is under control, and you will be cited.
5. Burn permit must be accessible at the burn location.
6. Someone must remain with the fire until it is completely out. (No smoke or hot embers present)
7. Permission to burn may be revoked at anytime, due to weather conditions.
8. That you will abide by all permit requirements.
9. Between September 1 and November 30, by activating your permit you certify you have complied with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Ventilation Hotline (800-225-6779).
10. Between December 1st and March 1st, by activating your permit you certify you have an approved Montana Wintertime Open Burning Request AND permission from the MDEQ meteorologist to burn that specific day.

What can I legally burn?

1. Natural vegetation is the ONLY thing that your burn permit allows you to burn.
2. You are not allowed to burn prohibited materials as outlined in the Montana Department of Environmental Quality's air quality regulations found at ARM 17.8.604.  This includes, but is not limited to buildings, asphalt shingles, campers, garbage, railroad ties, plastic products, paper products, cardboard, manure, dead animals, etc.

What are the consequences of letting my burn get out of control?

• MCA 7-33-2205 & 2206 deal with the fire seasons and permit requirements. Violations under those codes are a misdemeanor with fines possible up to $500 and/or 6 months in jail.
• If a person burns in a manner that is unsafe, damages property belonging to another, or places anyone in danger of injury or death, the Arson laws apply. Negligent arson, MCA 45-6-102, can be either a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the circumstances. Misdemeanor charges can cost up to $500 and/or up to 6 months in jail. Felony charges can cost up to $50,000 and/or up to 10 years in prison.
• In all cases, restitution can be ordered separately from the criminal fine. Restitution may include but are not limited to paying damages to other property owners and paying for the firefighting resources.

How do I notify Jefferson County that I have an HRA and I am going to burn at my project today?

• Since the law specifically exempts you from buying a burn permit, you will purchase a Hazard Reduction Agreement Notification document in order to notify the county of your plans to burn using the Burn Permit and Notification system.
• To obtain access to the Notification system, go to app.egovmt.com/burnpermit website, select Jefferson County, click Continue, select Hazard Reduction Agreements from the Main Menu, select Obtain a Hazard Reduction Agreement Notification Document from the Hazard Reduction Agreement Main Menu, follow the on screen prompts as to location, contact information, etc. and pay the appropriate fee at the end and you will be allowed to print your Hazard Reduction Agreement Notification Document.
• Once you have your Hazard Reduction Agreement Notification Document, you can notify the county by navigating to the Hazard Reduction Agreement Main Menu using the steps above and selecting Notification of a Hazard Reduction Agreement Burn from the menu, entering your assigned Notification Document number and following the on-screen prompts as to time, contact phone numbers, etc. for your burn. If the confirmation information is correct, select Continue and your burn will appear on the burn activity map and the list of active burns at the 911 Center.

I have a HRA and want to burn today but the Burn and Notification system says burning is not allowed, how do I notify Jefferson County of my HRA burn today?

If burning is not allowed by Jefferson County for whatever reason that day, you are not allowed to burn under your HRA that day.

Who can I contact if I have any questions about my burn permit?
You may contact the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 406-225-4075 with questions regarding your burn permit. You may also contact your local fire department with any questions regarding your burn permit or burning within Jefferson County.