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Open Air Burning Permits

Obtain Your Burn Permit

  1. PAY YOUR PERMIT FEE: Before you can apply for a burning permit you first must pay the permit fee. At the end of the online payment process you will be issued a confirmation number that you will need in order to apply for your burn permit. Click HERE to pay your permit fee and get your confirmation number. (Checkout as a Guest, Write it down)
  2. APPLY FOR YOUR PERMIT ONLINE: Click HERE to apply for a burn permit. Make sure you have your payment confirmation number ready to enter. It is important to note that your phone number will be used as a reference to your burn permit and once you create an account on the system you can use it every year to renew online. A new account is not required every season.
  3. ACTIVATE YOUR PERMIT ON DAYS YOU WISH TO BURN: If you have a valid permit, call (774) 261-9752 to activate your permit on the day you wish to burn.

Burning Regulations

The state requires that all open burning take place from January 15th to May 1st. In order to burn brush you must first obtain a burn permit from the West Boylston Fire Department. Burn permits are valid all season but must be activated by telephone prior to burning to ensure burning is permitted that day. The station can be reached through the Regional Dispatch Center at 508-210-5646. Outside burning is only permitted:

  • On the day you wish to burn you must activate your permit between 8AM and 10AM by calling (774) 261-9752, provided that burning is being allowed that day.
  • Once your permit is activated you can start your fire any time after 10am, but before 12 noon, and it must be completely extinguished by 4pm.
  • Burning must be conducted at the location where the trees or brush grew.
  • The fire must always remain under control and remain small enough so that it can be easily extinguished at all times.
  • Fires must be at least 75 feet from any building and a means to extinguish the fire must be readily available.
  • Only brush smaller than four inches in diameter, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris may be burned. Items such as building materials, grass, hay, leaves, stumps, tires, and rubbish may NOT be burned.
  • Ignition using flammable fluids is prohibited. It is advisable to have a garden hose or other means of extinguishment close by.

Visit the DEP outside burn website for more details.

Additional Information

The Department of Environmental Protection and the West Boylston Fire Department regulate burning for health and safety reasons. Air quality and fire safety are considered when deciding if burning is to be allowed on any given day. Outdoor burning pollutes the air and can aggravate health issue of nearby residents. Only on days where the Mass DEP determines the air quality to be "good" is burning allowed. More information on air quality can be found at this link and a daily air quality forecast can be found here. When conditions are abnormally dry or high winds are present, a burning ban may also be enacted to prevent the fire from becoming out of control.