Program Overview
DEQ strives to provide residents every opportunity to burn without endangering public health. Open burning can have serious health effects if released to the atmosphere during times of poor ventilation.
Open Burning is allowed year-round, however, requirements to obtain a dispersion forecast prior to burning vary by season:
- During the spring and summer, no DEQ dispersion forecast is needed.
- During the fall, DEQ issues county-wide restrictions based on the dispersion forecast.
- During the winter, opportunities to burn based on dispersion forecasts are granted on a case-by-case basis.
- DEQ reviews the atmospheric conditions daily across the state and determines where it is safe to burn from an air quality perspective and where burning may cause health impacts.
- Certain counties operate their own open burning programs. These counties must be contacted prior to burning.
- The list of these counties are located in the Outdoor Burning Forms & Contacts Section below.
- Prior to burning you must obtain a permit from your local county fire control authority.
- Most counties have burn permit applications available online at https://app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/.
- To activate your COUNTY burn permit, click on the link above on the day you would like to burn
Open Burning Contacts
Meteorological Services & Smoke Forecasting
(406) 444-0283
Open Burning Permits
(406) 444-1452
Main Line
(406) 444-3490
Dispersion Forecast
Saturday-Monday December 21-23
High pressure will linger into the day on Saturday across much of Western Montana. It will result in poor ventilation in most airsheds thanks to low mixing heights and weak transport winds. A split flow pattern will develop over the region. It will result in mainly light precipitation with the next system arriving Saturday night and Sunday. While many of the lower elevation valleys will continue to deal with inversions and poor ventilation, most higher elevation valleys will start to see better mixing thanks to the active weather pattern. The mountains should see some snowfall from this storm, with the bulk of the precipitation impacting areas along the Montana/Idaho border and in Northwest Montana. Another storm moves into the Treasure State Sunday night and early Monday. It should provide mostly good ventilation for the higher elevation valleys but much of Northwest Montana’s valleys will be stuck under strong inversions, limiting dispersion. An atmospheric river pushes into the Pacific Northwest by Tuesday. It should spread precipitation into the area just in time for holiday travel. Stay tuned!
Remember to look for local fire restrictions, which can be found on this DNRC map. Keep track of hourly particulate concentrations at todaysair.mtdeq.us and burn safely!
Open Burning Seasons
The DEQ operates a year round open burning program as well as issues air quality open burning permits for specific types of open burning.
- The Open Burning and Air Quality flyer has general information related to minor open burning.
- View open burning closures and dispersion forecast information
- For a complete description of the open burning regulations, please refer to the ARM Title 17 Section 8 Subchapter 6.
The following is a list of the types of permits issued by the Air Permitting Program. A DEQ permit must be obtained for these types of burning before burning begins.
Type of Burning Permit
| Type Permit & Instructions |
Fee |
Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Time Open Burning | No Charge | December 1 - February 28. This is done electronically on the website. There are no paper or fillable forms for Winter Burning. |
| Landfill | Collected from solid waste management system license |
This applies to municipal landfills that have a current Solid Waste License. Proof that alternative disposal methods create an extreme economic hardship is required. |
| Trade Waste | $100.00 |
These permits may be issued for wood or wood byproduct trade wastes generated by any business, industry trade, or demolition project. Proof that alternative disposal methods create an extreme economic hardship is required. |
| Firefighter Training | $25.00 | All training exercises held by any fire department must have a permit. |
| Emergency Open Burning | $100.00 | Applicant must contact DEQ for further information before burning. Note: Applicant must demonstrate that the substance to be burned poses an immediate threat to the public health and safety, or plant or animal life, and that no immediate alternative for disposal is reasonably available. |
| Commercial Grower Christmas Tree Waste | $100.00 | Commercial growers disposal of Christmas Tree waste. |
| Commercial Film Production | $100.00 | For open burning conducted during commercial film production. |
| Major Open Burning | Greater of $350.00 and fee calculated on previous years burning | Any source that has the potential to emit 500 tons per calendar year of carbon monoxide or 50 tons per calendar year of any other regulated pollutant. Note: DEQ (in cooperation with several other counties), operates a Major Open Burning Smoke Management Program. Please see the Smoke Management Group website. |
County Burning Contacts for Counties running their own Air Quality Program
Specific counties or impact zones have their own open burning programs and must be contacted directly to receive the proper air quality open burning permit prior to burning. If burning will take place in one of these counties you must first contact the county before any burning takes place.
| County | Telephone |
|---|---|
| Cascade City-County Health Dept. | (406) 454-6950 |
| Flathead City-County Health Dept. | (406) 751-8144 |
| Lincoln County Health Dept. | (406) 283-2443 |
| Missoula City-County Health Dept. Hotline Northern Missoula County Hotline |
(406) 258-4755 (406) 258-4900 (406) 677-2899 |
| Yellowstone Air Pollution Control | (406) 256-6841 |
How To Burn:
-
Obtain a permit from your local county fire control authority
-
On the day of your burn, activate your county permit
-
Be aware of local conditions and burn smart.
During the fall season, burning is regulated by county in the western burn zone. Each day, county restrictions are posted on the Burn Restrictions map and on the ventilation hotline 800-225-6779.
Prior to burning you must obtain a permit from your local county fire control authority.
- Most counties have burn permit applications available online at https://app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/.
After you have obtained a county burn permit:
- Ensure that there are no burning restrictions due to fire safety concerns.
- Montana fire restrictions are posted on this Montana DNRC map.
- Check with your county government for local burning restrictions.
- Determine if you are in the western or eastern burn zone.
- If you are in the western burn zone:
- Check the Burn Restriction map linked above or call the Ventilation Hotline at 800-225-6779 for any air quality restrictions the day of the burn.
- If there are no restrictions for either fire danger or air quality be aware of local conditions and burn smart.
- If you are in the eastern burn zone, be aware of local conditions and burn smart.
- If you are in the western burn zone:
Please call 406-444-3490 if you have any questions.
From the beginning of December through the end of February, open burning requires:
- A permit from your local fire control authority (https://app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/ )
- Approval from the Montana DEQ to burn.
If you live in the following counties, please contact the county directly for winter burning:
- Missoula, Cascade, Yellowstone, Flathead, and Lincoln (inside the air pollution control district).
How to Submit a Winter Burn Request
Note: For burns in the upcoming weekend, please have your submissions in prior to 3PM Friday.
Step 1: Submit Request
Click the button below to submit a new Winter Burn Request Form.
Submit Winter Burning Request
Step 2: Receive Approval
Please wait until you receive approval from Montana DEQ before you conduct your burn.
Step 3: Conduct Burn
Once approved, conduct your burn within the guidelines specified in your approval notification.
If you did not complete your burn, please let us know by responding to the survey in your approval notification.
If you have questions or issues with submitting your burn request, please contact us at DEQMTSmoke@mt.gov or call 406-444-3490.
Resources:
Agencies and companies that conduct prescribed burns on large amounts of land are considered Major Open Burners in Montana. Examples include federal and state agencies and large lumber companies.
Major burners typically treat over 5,000 acres of land every year with prescribed fire. More coordination with DEQ’s Air Quality Bureau is required to accomplish large-scale burning with minimal air quality impacts. These sources are regulated under the Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM), Chapter 17.8.6 – Open Burning.
Each year, the Air Quality Bureau issues a Major Open Burn Permit to those entities that meet the definition in ARM 17.8.601.
For Major Open Burn decisions and locations, visit the Montana/Idaho Airshed Group page.
United States Department of Agriculture – Forest ServiceUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service| PERMIT NUMBER | PERMITTEE | DETERMINATION DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Name | Date |
| SM-0002 | Department of Natural Resources | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0003 | SPP Montana | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0004 | US Department of Agriculture - US Forest Service | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0005 | National Park Service - Fire Management | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0006 | Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0007 | The Nature Conservancy | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0008 | US Fish and Wildlife Service | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0009 | Bureau of Land Management | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0010 | Sun Mountain Lumber | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0030 | Stimson Lumber Co | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0013 | Flathead Ridge Ranch | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0014 | Green Diamond Resource Company | December 2, 2024 |
| SM-0015 | Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks | December 2, 2024 |
The following material may not be disposed of by open burning (see ARM 17.8.604):
- Any waste which is moved from the premises where it was generated unless approval is granted by the department on a case-by-case basis
- Food wastes
- Styrofoam and other plastics
- Wastes generating noxious odors
- Wood and wood byproducts that have been coated, painted, stained, treated, or contaminated by a foreign material
- Poultry litter
- Animal droppings
- Dead animals or dead animal parts
- Tires
- Rubber materials
- Asphalt shingles
- Tar paper
- Automobile or aircraft bodies and interiors
- Insulated wire
- Oil or petroleum products
- Treated lumber and timbers
- Pathogenic wastes
- Hazardous wastes
- Trade wastes
- Any materials resulting from a salvage operation
- Chemicals
- Christmas tree waste
- Asbestos or asbestos-containing materials
- Standing or demolished structures containing prohibited material
- Paint