Burn permits now required statewide as Utah closed fire season begins

Controlled Burn on SR 224 in March, 2023. Photo: TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City is already under a fire prohibition, a step beyond the statewide closed fire season that took effect Monday, June 1, and fire officials are warning residents to expect a longer-than-normal fire year.

In a video posted to the Park City Fire District Instagram account May 1, Fire Marshal Mike Owens said an early die-off of this year’s unusually heavy vegetation growth is pushing the timeline.

“We’re expecting that to happen just a little bit earlier this year than it normally happens,” Owens said. “We don’t have the luxury that we’ve had in the past of a short fire season.”

Under the current prohibition, permitted hard-piped natural gas fire pits, charcoal barbecues, and gas-fired barbecues using liquid petroleum gas are allowed. Open burning of wood or solid fuels, torches, construction debris burns, and anything that could produce sparks or embers are not.

For residents outside Park City limits, Utah’s statewide closed fire season started June 1 and runs through Oct. 31 under Utah Code 65A-8-211, requiring a written burn permit before any open burning on private land. Burning without one is a class C misdemeanor. Permits are free and available at ffsl.utah.gov/wildland-fire/burn-permits.

Residents with questions can contact Deputy Fire Marshal Cherie Wellmon at Cherie.Wellmon@ParkCity.org or 435-615-5101. Additional resources are available at BeReadyParkCity.org.