New Carlisle Fire Dept.

• The application is NOT a permit. Applications must be submitted no less than SEVEN (7) days prior to planned burn date. Once you have returned the completed application to us, a representative of New Carlisle Fire Dept. will visit and inspect the proposed burn site. Upon approval of the site, we will forward the application to the St. Joseph County Health Department for approval.Upon their approval, they will then mail the APPROVED application to you, through the U.S. Mail.
• Burning is NOT allowed until you receive the approved and signed permit from St. Joseph County Health Department.
• Permits are only valid for the two-week period you indicated on the application.
• All burning must take place between dawn and dusk.
• You must call the fire station before burning on the days you intend to burn at 574-654-8801 and select the option for the on-duty shift commander.
• If a health-related complaint is received, the fire must be extinguished. A permit does not guarantee you the right to burn.
• All burn piles must be no larger than three (3) feet high and five (5) feet in diameter. If your pile(s) are larger, you must feed one small fire from the larger pile(s Burning must be at least twenty-five (25) feet away from other combustibles such as bushes, wood piles, and buildings.
• Burn site MUST always be attended by a competent adult.
• Stumps, grass clippings, finished lumber and other construction materials are NOT allowed to be burned.
• NO burning of leaves shall be permitted in the county under any circumstances. (per St. Joseph County ordinance 91.02)
• Burn permits are intended for post-storm and seasonal clean-up, not clearing land for construction.

For questions not answered above, please contact New Carlisle Fire Dept. at (574) 654-8801 or the Environmental Division of the St Joseph County Health Department at (574) 235-9721.

From the Saint Joseph County Health Dept. website

Only natural vegetation derived from the property from which it is to be burned may be burned. Processed lumber, paper, and all other products may not be burned. The applicable county codes governing open burning are Volume IX, General Regulations, Chapter 91, Air Pollution Control, and Chapter 92, Fire Protection and Prevention. This process does not apply to the burning of leaves. County Code Volume X, Chapter 92, Section 91.03 shall apply to the burning of leaves.

An application to burn shall be made on a form issued by the Department of Health. The form must be completed in its entirety, or it will be rejected. The application shall be submitted to the Fire Department of jurisdiction. It will normally take 5 working days to process the application.

The Fire Department and Department of Health may place any reasonable and necessary conditions upon the application by placing them on or attaching them to the application. The Fire Department and Department of Health may deny an application where illegal burning has occurred by the applicant or on the property listed in the application. The County Sheriff may be called to ticket a person who is burning illegally. The Fire Department or Department of Health may order a fire to be immediately extinguished if it presents an unreasonable threat of uncontrolled fire or a threat to public health. A complaint by a nearby resident that they are experiencing breathing problems due to the smoke is an unreasonable threat to public health and sufficient reason to order the fire be extinguished.

The Fire Department may choose to inspect the proposed fire site and materials prior to approving a permit. If the Fire Department denies the application, they shall inform the applicant, and the permit will be denied. Upon determining that the site and materials comply with applicable fire prevention requirements and observing no disallowed material in a burn pile, the Fire Department shall approve the application and sign it.

The Fire Department shall submit the permit application to the Department of Health by fax (235-9497) or by email envirohd@sjcindiana.com

The Department of Health may choose to inspect the proposed fire site and materials prior to approving the permit. If the Fire Department did not inspect the site prior to signing the application, the Department of Health must inspect the site prior to issuing the permit. Upon determining that the application does not present a threat to human health, the Department of Health shall approve the application. The Department of Health shall fax or e-mail the application to the Fire Department depending on how it was received. The Department of Health will transmit a copy of the approved application to the applicant in the manner specified on the application (fax, e-mail or regular mail)

Application For Open Burning Permit

Procedure

1.Complete this form and sign it at the bottom

2.Obtain Fire Department approval

3.Bring or send this application for open burning to the Department of Health

 

Conditions for burning

1.Immediately advise the Fire Department on the day burning is to begin to avoid false alarms.

2.Weather at least partially clear, low wind and in approved direction.

3.Material must be dried internally, as well as from outside moisture.

4.Burn between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Use smaller piles to burn out quickly. NOTE: In future operations, plan to bury, compost, chip up and/or trash haul as much material as possible to avoid burning.

5.Source of material must be from the premises. Agricultural materials must be natural, not man-made or fabricated materials; and do not include home grounds or lot clean up.

6.Light with natural kindling materials; do not use fuel oils, rubber tires, etc. to light or support fire.

7.Residential burning where the residence contains four (4) or fewer units: burning shall be in a noncombustible container sufficiently vented to induce adequate primary combustion air with enclosed sides, a bottom and a mesh covering with openings no larger than one-fourth (1/4) square inch. Burning is prohibited in apartment complexes and mobile home parks.