Town of Somers
Open Burning Guidelines
When: All Year Long (One permit is issued for 12 calendar months)
What Time: Burning is allowed from 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM
Where: Any RESIDENTIAL Property
How: Obtain a Permit for a $25.00 fee from the Fire Department (fees are NON-Refundable)
1. Checks shall be accepted at the Somers Fire Department and the Somers Town Hall Treasurer’s Office
2. Cash will ONLY be accepted at the Somers Town Hall Land Use Office. Receipt will be issued from the Town Hall and MUST be presented at time of application
3. If a violation is found after permit is granted, permit may be revoked for a minimum of 10 days and an additional $25.00 fee will collected for permits reinstatement.
4. Have burn pile inspected by Somers Fire Department Open Burning Official
5. On days you wish to burn: Call DEEP @ 860-424-3929 or visit www.ct.gov/deep/openburning Burning is only allowed on Low or Moderate Fire Danger Days
Additional applicable conditions include but are not limited to:
Before the burn:
o Burn sites will be inspected by one of the Somers Open Burning Officials.
o Inspections will be completed on Monday through Friday ONLY
o Burn piles should be of Reasonable Size
(The size of a small car is a good example and under six feet in height) Burn sites must be a safe distance (100 feet) from any structure or wooded area
o Open Burning is limited to the burning of Brush Only, which is defined as shrubs, vegetation or pruning’s, the diameter of which is not greater than three inches at the widest point. Leaves and grass are NOT considered bush and cannot be burned
During the Burn:
o All reasonable measures to assure complete combustion and reduce excessive smoke are to be taken
o Burn site must NEVER BE LEFT UNATTENTED
o The Permit must be available on site during the burn
o Burning may only be conducted between the hours of 10:00AM and 5:00PM on a sunny or partly sunny day with the wind speed no greater than 15 miles per hour
o You MUST have a sufficient extinguishment source at your burn site
Completion of the burn period:
o Burn pile must be completely extinguished by 5:00 PM
o All embers and coals must be extinguished and wetted, so as to prevent smoldering and fugitive ash emissions
Restrictions:
• Burning MUST occur on the applicant’s RESIDENTAL property
• Burning is NOT allowed for the purpose of clearing land, or for the disposal of construction debris, household trash, or leaves or any other material other than brush
• Burning must not take place when national or state ambient air quality standards may be exceeded.
• Burning must not take place where a hazardous health condition might be created or where there is an advisory from the DEEP Commissioner of any air pollution episode
• Burning must not take place when the Air Quality Index is predicted to be 75 or higher in any town.
• Burning must not take place when the Forest Fire Danger Level is identified by DEEP as High, Very High, or Extreme.
• Burning must not take place where prohibited by a Town of Somers Open Burning Official
• Burning must cease if so directed by any member of the Town of Somers Fire Marshal’s Office, Officer of the Fire Department, designated Municipal Official responsible for enforcing the open burning laws and ordinances, or any official of the Health Department or DEEP.
Failure to adhere to the conditions of the permit may result in penalties and or/ enforcement action. Unauthorized burning is a crime pursuant to Chapter 952 Penal Code: Offences Sec.a-114. Reckless Burning: Class D felony. Please contact this office should you have any questions. Always be considerate of your neighbors and the level of smoke generated by your burn site.
Please CONTACT 911 IMMEDIATELY if your burn site gets out of control.