New July 2024: The CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division published the Colorado Smoke Blog. The page covers wildfire activity, prescribed burning operations, and the transport of smoke from out-of-state sources. The division updates the page regularly. It includes a Prescribed Fire Map, which displays planned burning operations each week, and shows where permitted burns may occur in the coming year.
Overview
There are three types of outdoor burning that may require a smoke permit:
- Open burns are small burns typical for wood piles, vegetation, and yard waste.
Prescribed fires are large burns for forest or range management. View a map of weekly planned burning operations and where permitted burns may occur in the coming year.
Air curtain destructors are outdoor incinerators for burning forest products and debris.
Open burn small pile/slash permits
Find out if you need a permit. If so, obtain a permit and see current burn bans and other general information.
Open burns contain fewer than 50 piles, pile dimensions are no larger than 8' x 8' x 8', and each pile will be out cold at sunset.
Some burns don't require a permit, such as those for agriculture, cooking, recreation, and some training and private property household burns.
Smoke management permits
- Get a permit for burns for forest or range management, either broadcast burns or larger pile burns.
- Find out about the smoke management permitting process.
Air curtain destructor (ACD) permits
- Air curtain destructors may be subject to federal incinerator standards of 40 CFR Part 60 (Subpart CCCC, DDDD, EEEE, or FFFF) depending on the type of material combusted.
- Air curtain destructors that burn only yard waste, wood waste, clean lumber, or any mixture thereof are required to obtain an Air Curtain Destructor permit. Burning of other materials may require obtaining a Construction Permit. Apply for a permit by submitting the air curtain destructor APEN.