CITY OF MAUMEE

OPEN BURNING REGULATIONS and STANDARDS

Reference: Toledo Division of Environmental Services or TES (Contractual Agent for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency) and Chapter 1511 of the Maumee Codified Ordinances.

             WHAT IS OPEN BURNING?

Ü    "Open Burning" is the act of burning any material that causes air pollutants from the fire to be sent directly into the air without passing through a stack or chimney.  Open burning includes the outdoor burning of any refuse, trash, garbage, or salvageable material in any container, which does not have required pollution control equipment.  Leaf, trash, construction waste, and crop residue burning are all classified as open burning.  “Open Burning” is only permissible with a permit through the Maumee Fire Division and by TES. 

Ü    The City of Maumee Open Burning Ordinance can be viewed at: http://www.maumee.org/city/codifiedordinances.htm

Ü    Ohio’s open burning regulations can be viewed at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dapc/regs/3745-19/3745_19.html

                                WHAT CAN I BURN IN THE CITY OF MAUMEE?

                        Cooking type and Recreational fires 
                        are permissible with the following criteria:

    þ    Food must be present at the burn site.

þ  The fire must be contained within an approved container, such as a barbeque grill, barrel, etc.. or contained within a fire pit, having the perimeter surrounded by bricks, stones, etc.

þ Wood stacks shall not be larger than 2 feet high x 3 feet wide.

þ    Water must be located at the site. A garden hose or water-filled buckets are acceptable.

þ    Only "seasoned" type wood materials can be burned, or charcoal can be used. Unseasoned landscape waste, domestic rubbish, etc., is not acceptable. The unseasoned wood, such as tree branches, shrubs, etc., can emit too much smoke and/or contaminants into the air.

þ    Flames must not exceed the top opening of the burn container or the pit opening perimeter.

þ    If excessive smoke is a nuisance to neighbors, the fire shall be extinguished.

þ    If the Fire Division responds to an open burning complaint, and the offender refuses to extinguish the fire, the offender can be cited into court. Further repercussions can occur if the TES is notified of the illegal open burning.