No Burning Ban Lifted

The burn ban has been lifted. The Fire Marshal would like to thank the residents of the Township for their cooperation with the burn ban as we navigated through a historically dry fall season.

As a reminder, there are still restrictions on certain types of burning in Douglass Township by Township Code. You can view the prohibited burning section of the Township Code by visiting https://ecode360.com/42351333 or reading the section below.

A. Prohibited Burning

Regulations for prohibited burning:

(1) It shall be unlawful for any person or entity to burn solid waste in violation of any provision of the Solid Waste Management Act, specifically Section 6018.610 of Act 97, 35 P.S. § 6018.610, as amended, or any rule or regulation promulgated by any commonwealth agency pursuant thereto.

(2) In addition to the specific exceptions as set forth by Subsection B with respect to burning under the Solid Waste Management Act and any regulation thereof, the following exceptions are recognized.

(3) No person shall cause, suffer or permit any open burning operation whatsoever if said open burning operation is contrary to 25 Pa. Code § 129.14, Rules and Regulations of the Department of Environmental Resources.

(4) No person shall in any manner hinder, delay, obstruct, resist, prevent, or in any way interfere with the Fire Code Official or any other appropriate officer or officers of Douglass Township in the performance of their duty hereunder, or refuse such personnel, after proper identification, entrance at reasonable hours to any premises.

(5) Any person or entity failing, neglecting or refusing to comply with a lawful abatement notice issued by the Fire Code Official of the Township shall be subject to the penalties as set forth in this chapter. Any person or entity receiving such abatement notice may, upon written request, obtain an extension of time to comply therewith by making application to the Fire Code Official. Appeals of the Fire Code Official denial for extension may be made to the Douglass Township Board of Supervisors.

B. Exceptions:

(1) Burning for the purpose of instructing personnel in firefighting, when approved by the Fire Code Official;

(2) Burning for the prevention or control of disease or pests, when approved by the Fire Code Official;

(3) Any fire set in conjunction with the production of agricultural commodities in their unmanufactured state on the premises of the farm operations [under 25 Pa. Code § 129.14(c)(4)];

(4) Any fire set solely for recreational or ceremonial purposes:

(a) Recreational or ceremonial fires shall not be conducted within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material. Conditions which could cause a fire to spread within 25 feet of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition;

(b) Recreational and ceremonial fires shall be constantly attended until the fire is extinguished. A minimum of one portable fire extinguisher complying with Section 906 of the International Fire Code or other approved on-site fire extinguishment equipment, such as dirt, sand, water barrel, garden hose or water truck, shall be available for immediate utilization;

(c) Fires may not exceed five feet by five feet in size;

(5) Any fire set solely for cooking food;

(6) Portable outdoor fireplaces. Portable outdoor fireplaces shall be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and shall not be operated within 15 feet (3048 mm) of a structure or combustible material;

(7) The burning or clearing of twigs, brush, and similar plant or agricultural materials as allowed under the Code of Regulations of the Department of Environmental Resources or other state or federal law;

(8) A fire set for the purpose of burning, clearing, grubbing waste requires that an air curtain destructor must be used and must be approved by the Department of Environmental Resources Regional Air Quality Program Office;

(9) No burning of any item that is recyclable in Douglass Township, including but not limited to any recyclable paper, cardboard or leaf waste, as defined by the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (53 P.S. § 4000.902), shall be permitted.