{"id":336,"date":"2026-03-10T16:10:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/routt\/?post_type=resource-cpt&p=336"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:27:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T13:27:34","slug":"open-burning-management-plan-notification","status":"publish","type":"resource-cpt","link":"https:\/\/extension.colostate.edu\/routt\/resource\/open-burning-management-plan-notification\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Burning Management Plan & Notification"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Why a \u201cManagement Plan\u201d? It turns out that planned fires (as opposed to wildfires) are a rather complicated issue. For example, the city of Steamboat Springs allows no open burning within its borders while other towns in the county, which operate with a different fire code, mostly adhere to this management plan, as do all the unincorporated areas. However, Steamboat Springs and its surrounding airshed (roughly to Forest Service property in the East and North, to Steamboat II in the West, and almost to Stagecoach Reservoir in the South) are in violation of Federal Clean Air Standards for particulate matter. Breathing air with particles of road dust or wood smoke in it makes life more difficult for people with already compromised respiratory systems, for the very young, or for the elderly. Therefore, the State of Colorado has delegated open burning permit authority to the Routt County Department of Environmental Health<\/a>. Since open burning touches so many aspects of rural living, the Fire Protection Districts, the Steamboat Springs Fire Department, the Emergency Management Department, and the Routt County Department of Environmental Health jointly developed this management plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Routt County, the Open Burning Management Plan<\/a> explains what types of fires require a permit and how to obtain a permit. If you don\u2019t have a plan in hand, this section will describe the process from its  simplest form to its most complex. If you have questions about what you read here, call your local fire   district representative for information. Best of all, most open burning permits are FREE; you can\u2019t even get lunch for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Burning Bans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The simplest form of the plan is to permit no burning whatsoever. This happens during hot, dry, windy periods in the summer. When the fire danger becomes extreme either the Governor or the County Commissioners may impose an open burning ban that supersedes anything else you\u2019ll read in this section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permit Exemptions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Almost as simple as no burning are the permit exemptions, those fires that require no permit at all. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n