What Are the Regulations for Outside Burning?
Open burning under poor atmospheric conditions can create a smoke nuisance or aggravate health and respiratory conditions. If not done properly and controlled, it can also endanger life, real property, and woodlands. For these reasons, open burning is closely regulated in Massachusetts by multiple regulatory organizations.

To do any type of legal burning in the Town of Plainville, the individual MUST obtain a permit from the Fire Department at 157 South Street. There is a five dollar ($5.00) permit fee payable by cash, check or money order. "Checks" or "Money Orders" are to be made out to the "Town of Plainville", not the Fire Department. This permit/payment is only for the current season which runs from January 15th until April 30th.

Once a permit is issued, you MUST call the Fire Department at (508) 695-3156 on each day of burning to find out if burning is being allowed that particular day. This may be done before 10 a.m. or prior to your burning that particular day. Failure to call is grounds for revocation of the permit.

The hours of burning are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., no fire shall be started after 2:00 p.m..All fires MUST be fully extinguished by 4 p.m..

Any and all burning MUST be conducted at a location no less than 75 feet from any dwelling on land closest to the source of materials to be burned.

When burning you MUST attend to the fire at all times and have a means of controlling the fire, such as a garden hose, a pressurized water pump can, shovels and rakes, or sufficient help.

DO NOT burn piles of leaves or EVER attempt to start a fire with an accelerant like gasoline or other flammable liquid.

The Fire Chief maintains the right to revoke any permits or to cancel any permits due to high forest fire danger or to deny a permit to any person who he believes will not follow the Open Burning Requirements and Responsibilities or to any person who has violated these requirements in the past.

Whoever violates any provision of 527 CMR 10.22 shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 plus the cost of suppression or by imprisonment for not more than one month.

For more information regarding requirements and regulations see "Open Burning Regulations" on the previous page.