Montana Department of Environmental Quality About Us Permitting & Operator Assistance Public Participation

Open Burning 

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, rules vary by season:

  • During the spring and summer, open burning is regulated by counties.
  • During the fall, DEQ issues county-wide restrictions based on the dispersion forecast.
    • DEQ maintains a ventilation hotline and a map with restrictions during the fall.
    • This information is linked in the dropdown menu below from September - November.
  • 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.
    • A request must be submitted via our online portal, which will be linked below during Winter Burn Season.
  • Certain counties operate their own open burning programs. These counties must be contacted prior to burning.
  • 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

Why Can’t I Burn Brochure

 

Open Burning Contacts

Meteorological Services & Smoke Forecasting
(406) 444-0283

Open Burning Permits
(406) 444-1452

Main Line
(406) 444-3490

Permitting and Operator Assistance
Resources

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.  

Type of Burning Permit

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.

Types of permits issued by the Air Permitting Program
Permit Type and 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 Program contacts
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.

(406) 258-4755

Missoula City-County Hotline

(406) 258-4900

Northern Missoula County Hotline

(406) 677-2899
Yellowstone Air Pollution Control (406) 256-6841

How To Burn:

  1. Obtain a permit from your local county fire control authority

  2. On the day of your burn, activate your county permit

  3. 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.

After you have obtained a county burn permit:

  1. 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.
  2. Determine if you are in the western or eastern burn zone.
    1. If you are in the western burn zone:
      1. 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.
      2. If there are no restrictions for either fire danger or air quality be aware of local conditions and burn smart.
    2. If you are in the eastern burn zone, be aware of local conditions and burn smart.

Please call 406-444-3490 if you have any questions.

From the beginning of December through the end of February, open burning requires:​

  1. A permit from your local fire control authority (https://app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/ )​​
  1. 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 Service​United States Fish and Wildlife Service​

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.

Permitted Major Open Burners
Permit Number Permittee Final Date
SM-0002 Department of Natural Resources January 5, 2026
SM-0003 SPP Montana January 5, 2026
SM-0004 US Department of Agriculture - US Forest Service January 5, 2026
SM-0005 National Park Service - Fire Management January 5, 2026
SM-0007 The Nature Conservancy January 5, 2026
SM-0008 US Fish and Wildlife Service January 5, 2026
SM-0009 Bureau of Land Management January 5, 2026
SM-0010 Sun Mountain Lumber January 5, 2026
SM-0011 RY Timber January 5, 2026
SM-0012 F.H. Stoltze January 5, 2026
SM-0013 Flathead Ridge Ranch January 5, 2026
SM-0014 Green Diamond Resource Company January 5, 2026
SM-0015 Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks January 5, 2026
SM-0030 Stimson Lumber Co January 5, 2026

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

Contact Us

DEQ Headquarters
2401 Colonial Dr. | Helena, MT 59601
Map to Office Location

Questions?
Call: 406-444-2544
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