The St. Johns County Administration and the Board of County Commissioners are aware of concerns and issues within the community regarding the removal of burnt debris at major development sites. The county does not have the legal authority or regulatory authority to manage or control burns related to residential development, large clearing, agriculture or forestry. Florida law authorizes the Florida Forest Service to regulate this type of site removal to remove debris burns. In addition, St. Johns County does not have the ability to regulate prescribed burns in forest areas or on public lands conducted by state or federal agencies. For more information about state-regulated site debris burns or prescribed burns, please visit www.sjcfl.us/FirePrevention/OpenBurning.aspx or www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Wildland-Fire/Burn-Authorizations or call the Florida Forest Service at 386.585.6150. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection regulates air quality and can also be contacted at 904.256.1553. St. Johns County has the legal authority to regulate the burning of residential areas, including allowing campfires, banning beach fires or open burning of certain materials, and allowing campfires and burning of garden waste or household paper products. For more information about local house fires, see below or call 904.209.0624. DPP emergency orders and emergency permits can be found at: floridadep.gov/hurricane Recreational burning of plant debris and untreated wood in a campfire, ceremonial campfire, outdoor fireplace or other closed outdoor heater or cooking appliance is permitted under subsections 62-256.700 (10) and 5I-2.006 (11), F.A.C., provided that the fire is treated and completely extinguished at all times before the site is left unattended. is on the left.
No DEP or FFS permit is required for open burning during recreation. Garden waste or household paper products – Although regulations in Florida currently allow open incineration of certain types of garden waste (such as leaves, limbs, and plant pruning), St. Johns County Fire Rescue does not recommend it. In many areas, it is impossible to meet the requirements of open combustion due to the small size of batches and the distances to be maintained. To reduce the risk of wildfires, improve air quality in our community and reduce your potential liability, we recommend that you take advantage of the (free) collection of roadside garden waste. Check with your local provider for more information about the pickup day in your area. You will not be charged extra for your garden waste to be picked up. Garden waste collected in this way is usually recycled into mulch and therefore does not occupy a limited landfill space. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), Florida Forest Service (FFS), regulates the vast majority of open burning in Florida, most of which involves mandatory agricultural, forestry, clearing and fire operations. All open burning under the supervision of FFS requires an FFS permit prior to the commencement of an open burning activity.
FfS only allows the incineration of vegetative debris created on the open burning site. FFS will not allow the incineration of vegetative debris transported to an off-site incineration area, with the exception of storm-generated debris, as required by Section 403.7071, Florida Statutes (F.S.). Only the following permitted open burning activities require the submission of an open burning notice form: Small garden waste should be placed in plastic garbage cans or garbage bags. The county`s solid waste department asks you to respect the weekly limit of 5 cubic meters (about 20 bags). Branches should not be cut more than 6 feet in length and should not exceed 6 inches in diameter. Stack them parallel to each other, they do not need to be in bags or cans. For more information, see the Solid Waste www.recyclestjohns.com. Please contact the appropriate DEP district air permit program in your area to obtain opening of fire permits on industrial, commercial, institutional or government properties. Campfire – A campfire used solely for recreational purposes or for the non-commercial preparation of food in the open air or, in cold weather, to warm up field workers, is generally permitted without a permit. The fire must not produce excessive visible emissions (which usually means that the wood used must be dry so that it does not produce excessive smoke). The combustion of prohibited materials such as garbage, plastics or rubber is not allowed.
You can`t burn garden waste or household paper products after dark or fill it without other restrictions by calling it a campfire. Note: In the event of a drought emergency, almost all open burns may be prohibited, including those listed below. In Broward County, open burning is governed by Chapter 27 of the Broward County Ordinance Code, Article IX, and the Florida Administrative Code. The Department of Environmental Protection and Growth Management (EPGMD), Department of Environmental Engineering and Permits (EEPD), requires notification before performing approved open combustion for certain activities. The REPORTING REQUIREMENTS of the EPGMD do not exempt anyone from obtaining additional permits to conduct open burns from the Florida Forest Division, local fire safety authorities or other relevant regulatory authorities. The requirements of the EGMDS should not be construed as permitting open burning that violates any other law, rule, regulation or regulation. Local governments (counties and municipalities) may also have open burning regulations. County and municipal ordinances may include stricter requirements for open burning or prohibit open burning altogether. Open burning of storm-related debris (consisting only of vegetative debris and untreated wood) by local or county governments responsible for post-storm cleanup is permitted under subsection 62-256 700(8), F.A.C., provided that: The following categories identify open burning permitted by state rules. The open incineration of biological waste, hazardous waste, asbestos-containing materials, mercury-containing equipment, pharmaceuticals, tires, rubber, residual oil, waste oil, asphalt, roofing materials, tar, treated wood, plastics, garbage or garbage is strictly prohibited. In accordance with Section 62-296.320(3), F.A.C., open burning in industrial, commercial, institutional or governmental operations may only be permitted if the DEP expressly authorizes it if: In addition to the above regulations that permit open burning, the DEP may also issue emergency orders after major storms authorizing owners to carry on this activity under certain conditions and requirements. Note: Although state regulations may allow open burning, counties and municipalities may prohibit this type of open carpentry.
Please check with your local government to inquire about local ordinances or prohibitions before burning openly.