Open Burning Permits
The month of March brings thoughts of windy weather and cleaning up of winter blowdown of twigs and branches and trees. In the Town of Suffield any open burning during the year must be done by PERMIT ONLY. Permits are issued by the Local Burning Official and can be obtained from the Company #1 Fire Station located at 73 Mountain Road. (860 668-3888). Note: The permit DOES NOT relieve the permittee of any legal liability, which may be incurred as a result of the fire.
General Permit Conditions:
- Open burning is limited to the burning of brush only, on residential property upon which the permittee resides. Only brush (defined as shrubs, vegetation or prunings, the diameter of which is not greater than three inches at the widest point) may be burned. Burning on property not zoned or classified as residential is prohibited.
- Burning must cease if so directed by any member of the Town Fire Marshal’s Office, any officer of the fire department, any designated municipal official responsible for enforcing the open burning laws and ordinances, or any official of the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
- During the burn, all reasonable measures to assure complete combustion and reduce excessive smoke are to be taken.
- At no time during the burn should the fire be left unattended.
- At the completion of the burn period, all embers and coal must be extinguished and wetted, so as to prevent smoldering and fugitive ash emissions.
- All reasonable safety precautions are to be taken, including the clearing of grass and trees in the burn area, wetting down of the surrounding area, and placement of fire extinguishers and hose lines.
- The permit must be immediately available on site during the burn.
- Burning may only be conducted between the hours of 10:00AM and 5:00PM on a sunny or partly sunny day with the wind speed between five and fifteen miles per hour. The burn pile must be completely extinguished by 5:00 P.M. and all embers and coals must be extinguished and wetted.
- Burning may not create a nuisance to nearby properties.
Please call the Company #1 Fire Station, (860) 668-3888, with any questions you may have concerning open burning.
Never use flammable liquids, such as gasoline or other volatile liquids to light or enhance a fire!