Fire-safety burn bans and air-quality burn bans

Air-quality burn ban status: Check at www.pscleanair.org (external link)

There are different types of burn bans: fire-safety burn bans and air-quality burn bans.

Fire safety burn bans

King County, together with other county and state entities, declares a fire-safety burn ban on outdoor burning when the fire danger reaches a critical level.

When there is a change in status, King County will update the fire-safety burn ban status here and issue a news release.

A fire-safety burn ban that the King County Fire Marshal imposes applies to areas outside the jurisdiction of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (external link). The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is the air quality authority for the greater Puget Sound area and restricts burning in more urban, densely populated areas.

For background and approved fire pit information, see When do we call a fire safety burn ban?

Air-quality burn bans

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency declares a ban on outdoor and/or indoor burning when air quality reaches a critical level. To determine if there is an air-quality burn ban, go to www.pscleanair.org (external link).

For more information about differences in burn bans, see www.pscleanair.org/airq/burnban/difference.aspx (external link).

General information about burn bans and burn permits

To check the latest burn-ban information, call 1-800-323-BURN or go to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Web site (external link). For burn-ban information specific to unincorporated King County, check the Department of Permitting news releases as the Permitting Department will issue a news release when there is a change in burn-ban status.

Burn permits may be applied for when there is no burn ban

Burning in King County, outside the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency boundaries, requires a permit from your local fire district and certain regulations apply.

The King County Fire Marshal does NOT issue burn permits. Contact your local fire district about burn permits. Non-emergency contact information for local fire districts is available on the King County Office of Emergency Management's Web site.

There may be restrictions which prevent a fire district from issuing a burn permit. As a general rule, burn permits cannot be issued in areas designated as urban zones.

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