ALLEGHENY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Open Burning Regulation
Fact Sheet
Open burning may only be conducted in accordance with ACHD Article XXI §2105.50 "Open Burning." Municipal ordinances may only be equal to or more stringent than ACHD regulations.
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No person shall conduct, or allow to be conducted, the open burning of any material, except where the Department has issued an open burning permit, or where the open burning is coonducted in acordance to Article XXI §2105.50 and is done in a manner which contributes to a negligible amount of air contaminants.
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No material other than clean wood, propane or natural gas may be open burned EXCEPT for:
- Commercially available fire logs, paraffin logs or wood pellets
- Paper or commercial smokeless fire starters in order to start a fire
- Charcoal for the preparation of food only
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Fires may be no larger than 3' wide by 3' long by 2' high.
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Fires must be at least 15 feet from the nearest neighbor's dwelling or inhabited area, including:
- Property Line
- Sidewalk
- Roadway
- Public access area
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Wood burning activities are prohibited on Air Quality Action days, with the exception of burning for the commercial preparation of food.
Subscribe to receive e-mail, text or smart phone app notifications of burn ban days at: www.alleghenycounty.us/alerts
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Burning may be prohibited/reduced if considered a nuisance, based on the following criteria:
- The severity of the amount of air pollutants
- The duration of frequency of open burning
- The topography of the surroundings
- The meteorological conditions
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Open burning permits are available for ceremonies fostering of agriculture, abatement of a public health hazard and firefighting instruction; however all permitted open burning is prohibited on Air Quality Action Days.