Open Burning in Grand County
About Open Burning in Grand County
Under a delegation of authority from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Grand County DNR allows large-scale open burning during the winter months only and only during favorable air quality conditions. The Grand County DNR open burn program only applies to private property owners and slash piles, not trash or buildings. The opening and closing of burn season is dependent on the weather and the presence of sufficient, permanent snowpack throughout most of the county. As a result, start and end dates vary from year to year, but generally, the burn season runs from late November through March. Grand County Division of Natural Resources begins issuing open burn permits in mid-October and opens the season when there is sufficient snowpack countywide. These permits are valid for an entire burn season and expire on or around April 1, whenever the snowpack is not sufficient for safe burning.
Click here for Open Burn Permit application.
How Does Grand DNR Determine Burn Days?
DNR looks for good smoke dispersal conditions allowing the smoke to go up high enough to be dispersed without impacting local air quality. This usually means unstable air masses (Lows) and the ability for the nightly inversion to break at some point. For more information on this please click on Grand County Burn Program Brochure.
- Please remember you must call (970-887-0745) and speak to someone in Grand County Natural Resources to register your burn BEFORE lighting any pile(s). DAILY BURN LIST. You must also have an active burn permit.
- You are allowed one campfire per property at any time, without a permit or notification required, as long as there is NO red flag warning in effect or a Countywide fire restriction in effect. A campfire is no larger than 3 ft x 3 ft x 2 ft.
Why Can’t I burn in a burn barrel?
- It’s the law--Burn barrels are defined as incinerators using the definition given in the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) Common Provisions Regulation. Incinerators require Construction Permits and are subject to federal and state testing requirements and regulations. Incinerators are required by the EPA to have pollution control systems that reduce emissions.
- Burn barrels do not combust efficiently, resulting in limited oxygen and lower temperatures that create smoke, odors and a variety of toxic pollutants like dioxins. Dioxins are known carcinogens and can increase the risk of both short-term and long-term health problems. Burn barrels not only impact your own health but the health of your neighbors and the environment. The smoke created by burn barrels also creates a nuisance.