Agricultural Burns

Agricultural open burning is exempt from the requirement to obtain an air quality permit from the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division or an authorized local agency. The crux of the regulation’s definition of agricultural open burning pertains to the purpose of the burn.

There are four specific purposes:

1. Preparing the soil for crop production,

2. Weed control,

3. Maintenance of water conveyance structures related to agricultural operations, and

4. Other agricultural cultivation purposes.

Examples of Agricultural Open Burning:

• Conservation Reserve Program and ditch burns

• Burning of vegetative detritus that accumulates in a reservoir

• Burning stubble from a commercial annual row crop

• Broadcast burns or pile burns to dispose of tree materials and brush that are to improve forage for livestock on operating ranches

• Burning of fruit tree, vine pruning’s, and cull trees in and from an orchard or nursery

• Habitat for animals that as a species are familiar as unrestrained wildlife, but individually are raised in confinement

Burns that REQUIRE a permit:

Slash Pile Burns

A slash pile is made up of vegetative material that has been concentrated by manual or mechanical means into a pile measuring no more than 6’ wide by 6’ tall. Slash piles generally contain the remnants of mitigation projects or simply the forest debris cleaned up from around one’s property. However, there are restrictions on what types of material can be placed in a slash pile.