Lebanon Fire District Begins New Agricultural And Slash Burn Permit Process -09/20/23

Lebanon, Ore.

Effective September of 2023, the Lebanon Fire District will begin issuing permits for all agricultural and slash burns within the boundaries of the district. These permits are free and will be issued Monday through Thursday.

“The goal of these permits is to reduce unnecessary responses to controlled burns,” says Fire Marshal Ken Foster. “Last year, we had about a dozen incidents where concerned citizens contacted emergency dispatchers and our crews responded in full force, only to find authorized agricultural burns. By issuing permits, we can work with farmers and dispatchers to identify permitted burns and limit unnecessary fire responses.”

In addition to limiting emergency responses to controlled burns, the permit process will also help with smoke management, hazard mitigation, and containment. 

Agricultural burning is controlled by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Even with a permit issued by the Lebanon Fire District, farmers will be required to call the grower hotline at (503) 986-4755 on the requested day of their burn to make sure it coincides with that day’s restrictions.

Slash is forest debris or woody vegetation left after harvest on timberland. Slash burning (burning debris from logging) is limited to burning on forest lands for forest management and is usually managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry. It is not the clearing of forestland for any other purpose. Slash burning within the district boundaries but outside of ODF protection will require a permit from the Lebanon Fire District. If the slash burn is to occur on land managed by Oregon Department of Forestry, all rules, regulations, and permits will come from ODF and not the Lebanon Fire District. For slash burns outside of ODF protection, LFD will still coordinate with ODF for smoke management purposes. 

The permit process does NOT apply to domestic backyard burning. Domestic backyard burning applies to most homeowners wishing to burn general yard debris. This burning will still be regulated to open burn seasons (October to December and March to June) and will still require homeowners to call (541) 451-1904 for daily restrictions but will not require permits. Permits will not be issued for backyard burning outside of burn season. 

To simplify the permitting process, the Lebanon Fire District has created a web-form where farmers and slash burners can submit all necessary information to the Fire Marshal’s office. Once approved, they will be contacted to pick up their permit and given further burning information. Applications for permits, whether online or by phone, will only be processed Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Anyone wishing to have an agricultural or slash burn on a Friday or weekend will be responsible for submitting their application for permit ahead of time during issuing hours. 

Materials that are always illegal to burn include:

• Rubber products
• Plastic
• Wet garbage
• Food waste
• Petroleum and petroleum treated materials
• Asphalt and asbestos
• Wire insulation
• Automobile parts
• Animal remains
• Any material that produces dense smoke or noxious odors
• Commercial waste

For more information or questions about the permitting process, please contact our Fire & Life Safety Division at (541) 451-1901.

To apply for an agricultural or slash burn permit, visit: https://www.lebanonfire.org/lfd/webform/agricultural-slash-burn-permit-application