OAR 603-077-0119: Burning Restrictions and Prohibitions

The following identifies smoke management requirements for Priority Areas, Critical Non-Burn Areas, Fire Marshal Buffer Zones, and Problem Fields, where burning is either restricted or prohibited, in order to further protect public health and safety from smoke impacts and potential fire hazards: (1) Priority Areas: (a) The following are priority areas where open field burning, propane flaming, and stack burning are restricted by the Department. No priority area acreage shall be burned upwind of any city, airport, Interstate freeway within the same priority area. Any burning within a priority area is subject to field by field authorization of the Department. (A) Within three miles of the city limits of incorporated cities having populations of 10,000 or greater; (B) Within three miles of the city limits of the City of Lebanon; (C) Within one mile of airports servicing regularly scheduled airline flights; (D) Areas on the west and east side of and within 1/2 mile of Interstate I-5, from Portland to the Douglas/Lane County lines; (E) Areas on the west and east side of and within 1/4 mile of these highways: 99, 99E, and 99W. Areas on the south and north side of and within 1/4 mile of U.S. Highway 20 between Albany and Lebanon, Oregon Highway 34 between Lebanon and Corvallis, Oregon Highway 228 from its junction south of Brownsville to its rail crossing at the community of Tulsa. (b) Parts of the Interstate I-5 and highway priority areas identified above are subject to the State Fire Marshal rules for fire safety buffer zones, which require a noncombustible area be established. See subsection (3) of these rules. (c) Each responsible person open field burning, propane flaming, or stack or pile burning within a priority area shall refrain from burning and promptly extinguish any burning if it is likely that the resulting smoke would noticeably affect the priority area. (2) Critical Non-Burn Areas: (a) Burning is prohibited in critical non-burn areas. No person shall cause or allow any open field burning, propane flaming, or stack burning in the following critical non-burn areas, except as provided in these rules: (A) Any part of a field that is underneath a power transmission line of 230kV rating or greater, extending 75 feet on either side of the center line of the power transmission line. (B) Any part of a field within 500 feet of a hospital (C) Any part of a field within 500 feet of a school, when the school is in session. A school shall be considered not in session during the following time periods: (i) During the regular summer closure period, ending 7 days prior to the first day of regular fall classes. The Department will determine the end of the regular summer closure period by reviewing each effected schools regularly published school-year calendar; (ii) 2 hours after the time the school day is officially over. The official end of the school day will be determined by the Department as published in each effected schools regular school-day calendar; (D) Any part of a field within 500 feet of any airport servicing regularly scheduled airline flights. In cases where an airport does not have regularly scheduled flights, field by field burning may be authorized by the Department, in accordance with the requirements in subsection (4) that apply to problem fields. (b) It shall be the responsibility of the grower to ensure the critical non-burn area does not burn. It is recommended that the field stubble either be flail-chopped, mowed, or otherwise cut close to the ground, and the loose straw removed so that the field will not sustain an open fire. Application of water to the critical non-burn area to ensure there is no combustion is also recommended. Should any open fire occur, all flame and smoke sources shall be immediately and actively extinguished. (c) Any person conducting open field burning, propane flaming, or stack burning adjacent to a critical non-burn area shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the critical non-burn area remains unburned. (d) Field by field burning may be authorized by the Department within 500 feet of a school that is not in session, subject to the following restrictions: (A) No burning is allowed upwind of the school; (B) The responsible person burning the field makes a visual observation to first confirm that there are no children or other persons present on the school grounds . (e) When burning near a school or hospital critical non-burn area, or beyond 500 feet of a school that is not in session, the Department shall take special precautions to ensure that the prevailing winds do not cause smoke to impact the school or hospital. (f) Any field that is intersected by a power transmission line of 230kV rating or greater shall be registered and burned as two separate fields to minimize the potential of smoke coming into direct contact with the power transmission line. (3) State Fire Marshal Safety Buffer Zones: (a) State Fire Marshal Rules for fire safety buffer zones, as specified in OAR 837, Division 110, establish a 1/2 mile buffer zone for Interstate I-5 and the highways listed below in this subsection. No person shall cause or allow any open field burning, propane flaming, or stack burning in the following portions of the State Fire Marshal fire safety buffer zones: (A) Within 1/4 mile of either side of Interstate I-5, from Portland to the Douglas/Lane County lines. (B) Within 1/8 mile of either side of the designated roadways listed below, as specified in the State Fire Marshal Rules in OAR 837, Division 110: (i) ORE 99 — The section from Junction City to Eugene; (ii) ORE 99E — The sections from Oregon City to Salem and from Albany to Junction City; (iii) ORE 99W — The entire section from Portland to Junction City; (iv) US 20 — The section from Philomath to Lebanon; (v) ORE 22 — The section from ORE 18 to Mehama; (vi) US 26 — The section from ORE 47 interchange to Portland; (vii) ORE 34 — The section from Corvallis to Lebanon. (b) The 1/4 and 1/8 mile safety buffer zone distances identified above must be a noncombustible area, as defined in the State Fire Marshal Rules. For all requirements related to the State Fire Marshal Fire Safety Buffer Zones, see OAR 837, Division 110. Nothing in the Departments’ rules regarding fire safety buffer zones replaces or substitutes for meeting all the requirements in the State Fire Marshal Rules. (c) The area beyond the 1/4 and 1/8 mile noncombustible area in the fire safety buffer zone represents the area that is considered a priority area as described above in subsection (1)(a)(D) and (E), Burning in this part of the fire safety buffer zone is subject to the restrictions for priority areas in subsection (1) of these rules. (4) Problem Fields: (a) No problem fields shall be burned without first contacting the Department to determine what specific weather conditions and smoke management criteria need to be followed when burning the field, in order protect any school, hospital, airport, or other sensitive area, in proximity to the field.