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The goal is to prevent wildfires and protect communities when conditions are conducive to wildfires in spring.
The DEC’s annual residential brush burning ban starts Thursday, March 16, and runs through May 14.
Small cooking fires are allowed, along with backyard fire pits and small campfires. Only charcoal or dry, clean, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned. Burning garbage or leaves is prohibited year-round.
DEC will post the Fire Danger Map for the 2022 fire season on DEC’s website once there is a moderate risk anywhere in New York.
New York first enacted strict restrictions on open burning in 2009 to help prevent wildfires and reduce air pollution. The regulations allow residential brush fires in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents during most of the year, but prohibit such burning in spring when most wildfires occur.
For more information about fire safety and prevention, go to DEC’s FIREWISE New York website.
Forest Rangers, DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs), and local authorities enforce the burn ban. Violators of the State’s open burning regulation are subject to criminal and civil enforcement actions, with a minimum fine of $500 for a first offense. To report environmental law violations, call 1-833-RANGERS, or report online on DEC’s website.
