With the 2026 fire season officially ending on October 26, Lookingglass Rural Fire District (LRFD) would like to remind residents that the end of fire season does not mean all outdoor burning is automatically legal or safe.

Outdoor burning in Oregon remains regulated by several agencies, including the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM), Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA), and applicable local jurisdictions.

Many local fire districts refer to these agencies' regulations and guidance when addressing outdoor burning within their jurisdictions. Additional local restrictions may also apply.

As residents begin fall and winter property cleanup, LRFD wants to ensure everyone understands what materials may legally be burned, what restrictions remain in effect, and what precautions should be taken to prevent escaped fires.

This announcement outlines applicable Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS), Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR), and Oregon Fire Code (OFC) provisions. Legal requirements and LRFD safety recommendations are identified separately.

What Types of Outdoor Burning Are Permitted?

Residential Backyard Debris Burning

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0170(6), OAR 340-264-0050, OAR 340-264-0060, and OAR 340-264-0070.

Residential debris burning is generally permitted outside incorporated cities in Douglas County when air-quality conditions, fire restrictions, and local regulations allow.

During the current non-fire-season period, DFPA does not require a permit for ordinary residential backyard debris burning outside incorporated cities. However, residents must continue to comply with DEQ requirements and any applicable local regulations.

Materials generally acceptable for residential debris burning include:

• Dry leaves and pine needles.
• Dry grass clippings.
• Brush and small branches.
• Clean, untreated natural woody vegetation.
• Other permissible dry vegetation originating from the property.

OAR 340-264-0050(4): Combustible material must be dried to the extent practicable and arranged to promote efficient combustion while minimizing smoke and smoldering.

Important: Just because something burns does not mean it is legal to burn.

Logging Slash and Land-Clearing Burns

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0170, OAR Chapter 629 Division 48, and applicable Oregon forest protection regulations.

Logging slash burning associated with commercial timber harvesting requires a DFPA burn permit year-round.

Additional authorization or smoke-management requirements may apply to logging, land clearing, industrial operations, and commercial debris burning.

Residents should not assume that permission to burn ordinary backyard vegetation also authorizes large land-clearing piles or logging debris.

Contact DFPA or the appropriate regulatory agency before conducting these types of burns.

Recreational Fires and Campfires

Applicable regulations: Oregon Fire Code Sections 307.4.2 and 307.5, along with applicable DFPA restrictions.

Recreational fires and campfires are treated differently from residential debris disposal fires.

However, they must still comply with applicable fire restrictions, separation distances, supervision requirements, and local regulations.

A recreational fire does not authorize burning garbage, prohibited materials, or other waste.

Calling a fire recreational also does not exempt it from applicable burning restrictions.

What Materials Are Prohibited From Burning?

Applicable regulation: OAR 340-264-0060(3)

Oregon DEQ prohibits open burning of several materials because of the harmful smoke, toxic emissions, and environmental hazards they can produce.

Prohibited materials include:

• Wet garbage and food waste.
• Plastics and plastic products.
• Tires and rubber products.
• Automobile parts.
• Wire insulation.
• Asphalt.
• Asbestos-containing materials.
• Petroleum products and petroleum-treated materials.
• Animal remains.
• Materials that normally produce dense smoke or noxious odors.

Additional regulations: OAR 340-264-0060(2) and OAR 340-264-0170(4)–(5).

Burning that creates a nuisance or public safety hazard is prohibited. Commercial, construction, and demolition debris burning may also be restricted or require specific authorization, including within designated open-burning control areas such as the Umpqua Basin.

LRFD recommendation: Limit ordinary residential debris burning to clean, dry, untreated natural vegetation. Do not use backyard burn piles to dispose of household trash, furniture, painted or treated lumber, roofing materials, or construction debris.

A burn pile is not a substitute for proper garbage disposal.

Before You Burn: Required Precautions and Safety Preparations

Taking the time to prepare your burn area is one of the most effective ways to prevent an escaped fire.

1. Verify That Burning Is Currently Permitted

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0060(4)–(6), OAR 340-264-0070, and Oregon Fire Code Section 307.2.1.

DEQ may restrict outdoor burning because of air quality or weather conditions. DFPA and local jurisdictions may also establish restrictions or permit requirements.

Even though the 2026 fire season has ended, temporary burning restrictions may still apply.

LRFD recommendation: Check DEQ, DFPA, and applicable local requirements before every burn.

2. Evaluate Weather and Fuel Conditions

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0060(2) and OAR 340-264-0070.

Burning that creates a public safety hazard is prohibited, and DEQ may restrict burning during adverse meteorological conditions.

LRFD recommendations:

• Never burn during windy conditions.
• Check the forecast for changing wind speeds and directions.
• Consider humidity and surrounding vegetation.
• Avoid burning when smoke could affect neighboring homes or roadways.
• Remember that vegetation can still support fire spread after several days of rain.

Just because the ground is wet does not mean every combustible material around your property is incapable of burning.

3. Establish a Firebreak Around Your Burn Pile

Applicable requirements: DFPA debris-burning requirements and Oregon Fire Code Section 307.4.

DFPA requires a fire trail cleared of flammable material around piles subject to its debris-burning permit requirements.

The Oregon Fire Code also establishes separation and location requirements to reduce the risk of fire spread.

LRFD recommendation: Clear at least 10 feet around your burn pile down to bare mineral soil.

Additional clearance may be necessary depending on pile size, terrain, wind, and surrounding vegetation.

4. Maintain Safe Distances From Structures

Applicable regulation: Oregon Fire Code Section 307.4

The general open-burning separation requirement is at least 50 feet from structures.

Certain code exceptions allow reduced distances, including:

• At least 25 feet for qualifying piles no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height.
• At least 15 feet for fires within qualifying approved containers.
• Generally at least 25 feet for recreational fires under Oregon Fire Code Section 307.4.2.

These distances are subject to applicable code provisions, exceptions, and local requirements.

LRFD recommendation: Maintain additional clearance whenever practical, particularly near wooden fences, vehicles, outbuildings, trees, and other combustible materials.

5. Have an Operational Water Supply Ready

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0050(2) and Oregon Fire Code Section 307.5.

A responsible person must have equipment necessary to extinguish the fire. The Oregon Fire Code requires approved fire-extinguishing equipment to be immediately available.

LRFD recommendation: Have a garden hose connected to an operational water source, charged with water, and capable of reaching the entire burn area.

A hose that is still coiled up, disconnected, or located 50 feet away is not going to provide immediate assistance when a fire begins spreading.

Test your water supply before lighting the pile.

6. Have Firefighting Tools Immediately Available

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0050(2) and Oregon Fire Code Section 307.5.

Appropriate fire-extinguishing equipment must be available.

LRFD recommends having:

• Shovels.
• Rakes or hoes.
• Pulaskis.
• Additional water containers.
• A suitable fire extinguisher.

These tools should be positioned where they can be accessed immediately.

Do not wait until a fire begins spreading to start gathering equipment.

7. Never Leave Your Fire Unattended

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0050(2) and Oregon Fire Code Section 307.5.

This is a legal requirement, not simply a safety recommendation.

Open burning must be continuously attended by a responsible person or authorized agent capable of extinguishing the fire.

That person must have the necessary equipment available and ensure the fire is completely extinguished before leaving.

LRFD recommendation: Have a capable adult remain at the burn location throughout the entire burning operation.

If you cannot remain with the fire until it is completely extinguished, do not start burning.

While Burning: Your Responsibilities

Once a fire is started, the person conducting the burn is responsible for maintaining control and complying with applicable regulations.

Maintain Continuous Supervision

OAR 340-264-0050(2); Oregon Fire Code Section 307.5

Your fire must remain continuously attended until it is completely extinguished.

Burn Only Authorized Materials

OAR 340-264-0060(3); OAR 340-264-0170

Prohibited materials remain prohibited regardless of whether fire season is active.

Minimize Smoke and Smoldering

OAR 340-264-0050(4); OAR 340-264-0060(2)

Arrange and manage combustible materials to promote efficient burning and minimize smoke.

Burning that creates a nuisance or public safety hazard is prohibited.

Follow Authorized Burning Hours

OAR 340-264-0070(3); OAR 340-264-0060(6)

Regulated open burning is generally limited to daylight hours unless applicable provisions establish different conditions.

Additional local restrictions or permit conditions may apply.

LRFD recommendation: Begin burning early enough to safely complete the operation and fully extinguish the fire before the authorized burning period ends.

Maintain Control of the Fire

OAR 340-264-0050(2)–(3); OAR 340-264-0060(2); Oregon Fire Code Section 307.3

Fire officials may order a fire extinguished when it creates a hazardous condition or violates applicable requirements.

LRFD recommends:

• Keeping piles small and manageable.
• Adding combustible material gradually.
• Watching for flying embers.
• Monitoring wind conditions throughout the burn.
• Maintaining the cleared firebreak.
• Keeping children and pets away from the burning area.
• Never using gasoline or other flammable liquids to accelerate a fire.

When You Are Finished: Cold Means Cold

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0050(2) and OAR 340-264-0050(4)(c).

The responsible person must completely extinguish the fire before leaving. Burning must also be managed to prevent smoldering.

One of the dangers associated with debris burning is the amount of heat that can remain beneath a pile of ashes.

Even when visible flames have disappeared, hot material can remain buried within the pile for an extended period.

Wind can expose these hot spots and carry embers into surrounding vegetation.

LRFD recommends the following extinguishment procedure:

1. Thoroughly soak the remaining material with water.
2. Stir and separate the ashes to expose buried hot spots.
3. Apply additional water.
4. Check for remaining heat.
5. Continue until the entire pile is completely extinguished and cold.

If your burn pile is still smoking or smoldering, it is not completely extinguished.

Never leave a smoldering burn pile unattended.

What Happens if Your Fire Escapes?

Applicable regulations: OAR 340-264-0050(6), OAR 340-264-0060, and applicable Oregon fire protection and civil liability laws.

The person responsible for an escaped fire may face financial or legal consequences depending on the circumstances.

Potential consequences may include fire suppression costs, property damage, civil penalties, and other applicable enforcement actions.

A small debris fire can quickly become a natural cover fire, threaten nearby structures, or develop into a larger wildfire.

If Your Fire Escapes, Call 911 Immediately

Do not wait until the fire spreads beyond your property or becomes too large to control.

At Lookingglass Rural Fire District, we would much rather have our volunteers dispatched and responding toward your property, only to be canceled because you successfully extinguished the fire, than have you delay calling 911 because you believe you can get it under control yourself.

Those few minutes of hesitation can make the difference between a small, manageable incident and a rapidly spreading fire threatening homes, property, and lives.

Calling 911 when your fire escapes is the responsible action.

If you safely extinguish the fire after calling, notify dispatch so responding firefighters can be updated.

We would rather be on our way and not be needed than receive the call when it is already too late to prevent significant damage.

Where to Find Current Burning Regulations

Before conducting any outdoor burning, residents should consult the agencies responsible for regulating burning in their area.

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

Regulates open burning, prohibited materials, air quality, and smoke-management requirements.

Applicable rules: OAR Chapter 340, Division 264.

https://www.oregon.gov/deq/aq/pages/burning.aspx

Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM)

Provides fire prevention information and administers the Oregon Fire Code, including provisions addressing open burning and recreational fires.

Applicable provisions: 2025 Oregon Fire Code, Section 307.

https://www.oregon.gov/osfm/

Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA)

Provides information regarding fire season restrictions, debris-burning requirements, and permits associated with protected forestlands.

https://www.dfpa.net/debris-burning

DFPA Main Office: 541-672-6507

Douglas County and Local Fire Districts

Many local fire districts rely on regulations and guidance established by the aforementioned agencies when providing outdoor burning information to their communities.

Additional local restrictions, permits, or safety requirements may apply depending on the location and type of burning.

Residents should verify the requirements applicable to their property before lighting a fire.

A Message From Lookingglass Rural Fire District

Lookingglass Rural Fire District serves a rural community where homes, agricultural properties, wooded areas, and natural vegetation are often located close together.

While the end of fire season generally brings cooler temperatures and increased rainfall, it does not eliminate the possibility of an escaped debris fire.

Our district is served by volunteers who leave their homes, families, and jobs to respond when emergencies occur.

An escaped burn pile may initially seem like a minor incident, but it can quickly require multiple apparatus, additional firefighters, and assistance from neighboring fire agencies.

These incidents can also divert emergency resources away from other calls for service.

We recognize that burning yard debris is a common and sometimes necessary part of maintaining rural properties. Our goal is not to discourage responsible property maintenance but to help residents understand their responsibilities and prevent unnecessary emergencies.

Just because you can legally burn does not mean conditions are safe enough to burn.

Take the extra time to prepare your burn area, verify current restrictions, have the proper equipment available, and remain with your fire until it is completely extinguished.

A few minutes of preparation can prevent hours of emergency response, thousands of dollars in property damage, and potentially the loss of someone's home or life.

Help us protect Lookingglass. Burn legally, burn responsibly, and never leave a fire unattended.

Lookingglass Rural Fire District

Serving and protecting our community through prevention, preparedness, and emergency response.