Online burning permits available in much of state

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is expanding a program that allows people to purchase a burning permit online.

Available for Douglas County residents, the online burning permit, which costs $5, allows people to burn piled vegetative material or conduct a running fire of less than one acre during evening hours. The permit is valid for the calendar year in which it is purchased, but must be activated each day burning occurs by calling a toll-free number.

Daily activation of burning permits allows local public safety departments to keep track of where authorized burning is occurring to distinguish authorized burning from reports of possible wildfires. It also allows for daily updates to any burning restrictions that may be called for due to weather conditions or air quality alerts.

The online burning permit system was launched in a handful of Minnesota counties in 2007. Each year since, more counties have been added to the system.

For those who prefer not to use the Internet, burning permits may still be obtained from local fire wardens or from a DNR forestry office. For unusual fires or large running fires more than one acre, a burning permit must be obtained form a DNR forestry office.

While DNR issues statewide open burning regulations, some local jurisdictions may have additional requirements that need to be followed.

Tags: news, burning, permits