Burning Permit Required In 13 Counties

The Wisconsin DNR announced the agency is reinstating DNR burning permits by issuing a Special Fire Order in 13 counties. The permit reinstatement will begin at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.

The permit reinstatement applies to the following 13 extensive DNR protection area counties: all of Columbia, Crawford, Green Lake, Marquette, Portage, Richland, Sauk, Waupaca and Waushara counties and portions of Oconto, Dane, Grant and Iowa counties.

What Permits Are Needed For

A DNR annual burning permit is now required for burning in a barrel, a debris pile and grass or wooded areas. Before burning in these areas, anyone wishing to burn must obtain a DNR burn permit and then visit WisBURN for the current burn restrictions.

Traditionally, DNR burn permits are required in extensive protection areas from Jan. 1 through May 31, anytime the ground is not snow-covered. Reinstating permits allows the DNR to restrict burning on a given day during times of elevated fire danger.

A DNR burn permit is not required for campfires intended for cooking or warming. Consider having small campfires in a designated fire ring or device in the evening hours to avoid burning under elevated fire conditions. Those conditions are typically found during the day.  

Current wildfire concerns are primarily due to the lack of precipitation across the entire state. Wisconsin has received record low rain in recent weeks, resulting in varying levels of moderate to severe drought. Wildfires that occur under these conditions can burn for great lengths of time and smolder underground for days. 

The recent rain has not improved the overall drought. Ongoing dry conditions, coupled with the potential for increased fire danger in the fall due to dead leaves, pine needles and other dry vegetation on the ground, make debris burning especially risky. Debris burning continues to be the leading cause of wildfires in Wisconsin.   

The DNR intends to keep the permit requirements in place until the drought situation improves significantly. The DNR prescribed burn program will also pause activity this week due to the elevated fire weather conditions.