Request a Commercial Open Burning Permit

Step 1.Why Do I Need A Permit?

This type of fire does require a burning permit from the City of Topeka as well as an approval letter from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The approved permit and KDHE approval letter shall be in possession of person doing burning or available for immediate inspection.

Commercial permits are required for any business or non-private entity wishing to conduct open burning on private or commercial grounds within the City of Topeka. This permit requires an application through the Inspection unit, onsite inspection and approval from KDHE.

The approved permit shall be in possession of person doing burning or available for immediate inspection.

An operational permit is required for the kindling or maintaining of an open fire or a fire on any public street, alley, road, or other public or private ground.

Step 2.How Do I Apply For A Permit?

This permit requires an application through the Inspection unit, onsite inspection and approval from KDHE. As with any open burning only approved items are allowed to be burned.

Step 3.What Is Not Allowed To Burn?

The following is a list of items which ARE NOT allowed to be burned within the city limits or within Shawnee County. The list includes, but is not limited to:

• Leaves
• Grass Clippings
• Paper
• Pallets
• Shingles
• Vinyl siding
• Masonite siding
• Wood paneling
• Primed or Painted wood
• Plywood
• Varnished or finished wood
• Housewrap (tyvek)
• Paint cans, rollers, brushes, trays
• Carpet and padding
• Linoleum
• Oriented-strand board (OSB)
• Wafer and Particle boards
• Caulking tubes
• Electrical wires
• Conduit pipe
• Junction boxes
• PVC pipe
• Plastics
• Insulation, fiberglass, foam, styrofoam
• Trash (residential or commercial)
• Treated Lumber (CCA)
• Railroad ties
• Telephone poles
• Wet or green timber
• Household furnishings
• Household hazardous wastes
• Asbestos material
• Petroleum products
• Dead animals
• Metals
• Tires
• Oil
• Aerosol cans

Step 4.Condition Required For Burning

Each open burning operation for which the department issues approval shall be subject to the following conditions, except as provided [K.A.R. 28-19-647(e)]:

1. The person conducting the burning shall stockpile the material to be burned, dry it to the extent possible before it is burned, and assure that it is free of matter that will inhibit good combustion.
2. A person shall not burn heavy smoke-producing material including heavy oils, tires, and tarpaper.
3. A person shall not initiate burning during the nighttime, which for the purposes of this regulation is defined as the period from two hours before sunset until one hour after sunrise. A person shall not add material to a fire after two hours before sunset.
4. A person shall not burn during inclement or foggy conditions or on very cloudy days, which are defined as days with more than 0.7 cloud cover and with a ceiling of less than 2,000 feet.
5. A person shall not burn during periods when surface wind speed is less than 5 mph or more than 15 mph.
6. A person shall not burn within 1,000 feet of any occupied dwelling, unless the occupant of that dwelling has been notified before the burn.
7. A person shall not conduct a burn that creates a traffic or other safety hazard. If burning is to take place within 1,000 feet of a roadway, the person conducting the burn shall notify the highway patrol, sheriff’s office, or other appropriate state or local traffic authority before the burning begins. If burning is to take place within one mile of an airport, the person conducting the burn shall notify the airport authority before the burning begins.
8. The person conducting the burn shall insure that the burning is supervised until the fire is extinguished.
9. The Department may revoke any approval upon 30 day notice.

    

Step 5.Obey Rules

As with any open burning within the City of Topeka, the Fire Department reserves the right to extinguish any fire that is causing a nuisance or emitting large amounts of smoke.

The responding Company Officer has the authority, as a designee of the Fire Chief, to extinguish any fire deemed to be a nuisance or emitting large amounts of smoke.

Violations of City of the Topeka Open Burning Regulation can cause suspension or revocation of the, open burning permit or result in a Municipal Court Citation. If a responding company officer determines that violations of the City of Topeka Open Burning policies have occurred, an Investigator should be called to the scene to determine if a Municipal Court Citation will be issued. 

Step 6.Apply For Commercial Burn Permit

Request Permit

Thank You

thank you for submitting a request. The Fire Department will be in contact with you.