Burn permits required starting Friday

COEUR d'ALENE — Starting Friday, Idahoans must obtain a fire safety burn permit from the Idaho Department of Lands before starting certain controlled burn activities.

The permits can be obtained online at burnpermits.idaho.gov or in person at the IDL office at 3284 W. Industrial Loop in Coeur d'Alene.

The burn permit is free and good for 10 days after it is issued. Permits issued through the self-service website are available seven days a week, issued immediately, and valid immediately.

Idaho law requires any person living outside city limits anywhere in Idaho who plans to burn anything — including crop residue burning and excluding recreational campfires during closed fire season — to obtain a fire safety burn permit. Closed fire season begins Friday and extends through Oct. 20 every year.

Residents also are encouraged to contact their local city or rural fire department before burning because some incorporated cities and towns may require their own burn permit.

IDL will not issue burn permits within districts where local burn bans are in effect. Additionally, residents should contact the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for burn restriction information for air quality by calling 800-633-6247 or visiting http://deq.idaho.gov/air-quality.aspx.

If there are other burning restrictions in effect or additional or alternate permits required, the burn permit website will provide instructions for Idahoans on how to contact those entities.

The burn permit system helps inform fire managers where burning activities are occurring, reducing the number of false runs to fires and saving firefighting resources for instances in which they are truly needed. It also enables fire managers to respond more quickly to fires that escape, potentially reducing the liability of the burner if their fire escapes.

For more information, contact IDL at 208-769-1577.

— Brian Walker