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Duxbury Fire Department would like to remind Duxbury residents that open burning season begins January 15th and runs through May 1st. A permit is required to open burn in compliance with Massachusetts law. 

 

Permits:

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• Residents can begin applying for a burn permit today by creating an account via the department’s burn permit portal: duxbury.firepermits.com. As a reminder, if you registered through the Fire Permits portal last year, you do not have to re-register.

• Simply click “Login” and  enter your email address and password from last year and apply for a permit. If you forgot your password, click “Lost Your Password” and you will receive an email to complete a password reset.

• Once you are registered, the cost of the permit is $12.50, and can be paid online through your Unipay account There is an additional fee if utilizing Unipay. A check or money order is also accepted and can be submitted to the Duxbury Fire Department prior to the approval of the burn permit. Checks or money orders should be made out to the Town of Duxbury and dropped off to the Duxbury Fire Department, 668 Tremont Street, Duxbury, MA 02332. Checks can only be accepted during normal business hours M-F 7:30-3:00. If conditions are unsafe for burning, such as high winds or drought, a notification will be posted on the homepage.

• Residents will receive an email notifying them when the permit is approved, following receipt of payment. On any day that a resident plans to burn the permit must be activated by visiting their duxbury.firepermits.com account.

• When a burn is activated the department’s dispatch is able to quickly view any open burning location on a map, assisting in public safety and emergency management.

 

If conditions are unsafe for burning, such as high winds or drought, a notification will be posted on the homepage and the system will prevent an individual from activating a burn permit.

 

Individuals who don’t have access to a computer should call the Duxbury Fire Department at (781) 934-5693 for assistance with their burn permit application.

 

Violations of the permit requirements, open burning law and/or open burning regulations will be grounds for permit revocation. According to Massachusetts law, anyone found burning without a permit may be subject to criminal charges, the punishment for which is a fine of up to $500, plus the cost of suppression, or both.

 

Open Burning: 

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Burning must be done: 

• Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., from Jan. 15 to May 1

• At least 75 feet from all buildings

• As close as possible to the source of the material being burned

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Residents are allowed to burn:

• Brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris (but not from commercial or industrial land clearing)

• Agricultural materials including fruit tree and bush pruning, raspberry stalks, and infected bee hives for disease control

• Trees and brush from agricultural land clearing

• Fungus-infected elm wood, if no other acceptable means of disposal is available

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Residents may not burn:

• Leaves

• Brush, trees, cane, or driftwood from commercial or industrial land clearing

• Grass, hay, leaves, stumps or tires

• Construction materials or demolition debris

• Household trash

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What times are best for open burning?

• You can help prevent wildland fires by burning early in the season. Wet and snowy winter conditions help hinder the rapid spread of fire on or under the ground.

• Changing weather conditions and increased fire danger in spring can lead to many days when open burning is not allowed.

• April is usually the worst month for brush fires. When the snow recedes, but before new growth emerges, last year’s dead grass, leaves, and wood are dangerous tinder. Winds also tend to be strong and unpredictable in April.