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- Burn Permits
Burn Permits
The City of Huntsville, by city ordinance, allows outdoor burning within the city limits. In order to burn in the city limits a burning permit is required. The burn permits are issued by the fire department, not the permit division of the city.
Burning permits are issued during business hours of the fire department. However, the department is understanding that not everyone is able to stop by during business hours, and the hours for issuing permits have been extended to 07:30 AM to 05:30 PM.
To obtain a permit, a citizen must stop by one of three fire stations. Fire stations number 1, 2, and 4 are the only stations that are able to issue permits. Unfortunately, permits by phone are not available at this time. Check out our fire station page for the locations.
Keep in mind that during an emergency, the staff may be unavailable to issue permits.
Burning within the city is illegal without a permit.
Burning in the City of Huntsville, and the State of Texas, is highly regulated by statutes and ordinances set forth by local council, state legislature, U.S. legislature, and federal regulating agencies.
Burning permits issued locally by the fire department contain the rules and regulations of the City of Huntsville.
Some of these rules are as follows. Please refer to an actual permit for a complete list.
- No Burning At Night: The City of Huntsville does not allow outdoor burning after daylight hours within the city limits.
- No Burning of Household Garbage: The City of Huntsville does not allow for the burning of household garbage. By statute, the burning of household garbage is not allowed if garbage pickup is offered by the governing body of the area in question.
- Residential Burning Only: The permits to burn within the city limits allows for small, residential, burning only.
- Small Burn Piles Only: In the interest of safety, only small burn piles are permitted. Typically, a 4' x 4' pile is a good rule of thumb. Although the size of the pile is not regulated by ordinance, the safety and well being of all property, and persons, will be considered by the fire department.
- Agreement by Permit Holder to Extinguish: By obtaining a permit to burn you must agree to the terms and conditions. A condition of the permit is that if a complaint is received by you, the permit holder, or the fire department, that you agree to extinguish the fire in question.
- Right to Revoke: The fire department, under the authority of the Fire Chief/Fire Marshal, reserves the right to revoke a permit to burn. If this is done a new permit must be issued prior to any additional burning can be conducted. Typically, a representative of the administrative staff will conduct a site evaluation prior to a new permit being issued.
As a citizen you have the right to report suspicious and/or possible illegal outdoor fires. If you feel that a fire is questionable, there are two ways to report this.
- Call the fire station. Personnel are available to answer your questions, and respond if needed.
- Call the non-emergency number for the Walker County Emergency Communications Center. This will connect you to a dispatcher who can send the appropriate fire units.
Please, DO NOT attempt to confront a person who you believe is burning illegally. The fire department, and dispatch center, will keep your identity confidential if a complaint is received. The fire department will respond to investigate, and will enforce code under the direction of the Fire Marshal, if needed. The fire department is supported, and works closely with the Huntsville Police Department, and other local law enforcement, who will respond and assist if a need arises.