Burn Permits
Open Burning Policy Administrative Policy
Azle Fire Department
Section 102.12
Adopted: December 1999
Revised January 2003
Background
City Ordinance number 795.03.01 prohibits open burning within the city limits of Azle without the expressed authorization of the Fire Chief acting under the authority of the City Council. This ordinance is written to protect the property of the citizens of Azle through reckless burning of brush.
References
City of Azle, Municipal Code 795.03.01 Burning of Waste Unlawful.
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality – Chapter 111, Subchapter B - Outdoor Burning.
Definitions
Domestic Trimmings
Grass, leaves, hedge, and branch trimmings from residential or commercial sites.
Land clearing Operation
The uprooting, cutting, or clearing of vegetation in connection with conversion for the construction of buildings, right-of-ways, residential, commercial or industrial development, or the clearing of vegetation to enhance property value, access or production. This does not include the maintenance burning of on-site property wastes such as fallen limbs, branches, leaves, or other wastes form routine property clean-up.
Sunrise / Sunset
Official sunrise / sunset as set forth in the United States Naval Observatory tables from the National Weather Service.
Purpose
This policy will provide guidance for citizens requesting authorization to burn domestic trimmings within the city limits of Azle. Any citizens granted authorization to burn must adhere to these guidelines or may face penalties as set forth in Ordinance 795.03.01 Section 4 of the Azle Municipal Code.
Procedures
- Request shall be made to the Fire Chief in writing or in person no later than one week prior to when the possible burn shall take place
- The Fire Chief shall meet with the applicant and survey the area to be burned before any determination is made granting the burn
- If the burn is granted the applicant will be given a copy of the burn policy and shall sign an acknowledgement that the applicant is familiar with the policy and agrees to its terms
Criterion for Open Burning
- Burning will be limited to land clearing operations only
- Materials shall be limited to domestic trimmings only
- The size of the burn piles shall not exceed 20 feet by 20 feet by 6 feet in size without the expressed consent of the fire chief
- Burning shall not commence prior to sunrise and shall be extinguished prior to sunset
- There shall be no burn ban in effect for the applicable county
- Sustained winds shall be 15 mph or less
- Only one pile at a multi-pile site shall be burned at a time
- There shall be no inhabited structures within 300 feet of the burn
- The burn site shall have a cleared area of at least 100 feet in all directions around it