Print
Share page with AddThis

Allegheny County Open Burn Facts

Posted on: October 2, 2020 - 12:02pm
flyer

ACHD Open Burning RegulationFACT SHEET

  • Open burning may only be conducted in accordance with ACHD Article XXI §2105.50 “Open Burning” (full text:Article-21-Air-Pollution-Control) Municipal ordinancesmay only be equal to or more stringent than ACHDregulations.
  • No person shall conduct, or allow to be conducted, the open burning of any material, except where the Department has issued an open burning permit, or where the open burning is conducted in accordance to Article XXI §2105.50 and is done in a manner which contributes a negligible amount of aircontaminants.
  • No material other than clean wood, propane, or natural gas may be open burned EXCEPTfor:
    • Commercially available fire logs, paraffin logs, or woodpellets;oPaper or commercial smokeless fire starters in order to start afire;
    • Charcoal for the preparation of foodonly.
  • Fires may be no larger than 3’ wide by 3’ long by 2’high.
  • Fires must be at least 15 feet from the nearest neighbor's dwelling or inhabited area, including:
    • Property Line
    • Roadway
    • Sidewalk
    • Public access area
  • Wood burning activities are prohibited on Air Quality Action days, with the exception of burning for the commercial preparation of food
  • Burning may be prohibited or reduced if it is considered a nuisance, based on thefollowing criteria:
    • The severity of the amount of airpollutants;
    • The duration or frequency of openburning;
    • The topography of thesurroundings;
    • The meteorologicalconditions.
  • Open burning permits are available for ceremonies fostering of agriculture, abatement of a public health hazard, and firefighting instruction; however, all permitted open burning is prohibited on Air Quality ActionDays.
    • Contact ACHD at (412) 578‐7963 for more information