People wanting to conduct an Open Burn or an Agricultural Open Burn must obtain a free burn permit for each parcel that they intend to burn. The permit is obtained online at www.renogov.org/controlledburn.
Burn permit registration numbers will be required starting Thursday, June 1, 2023. Small recreational fires or cooking fires do not require a permit. Each permit is valid from the date of issuance to an expiration date of December 31st of the year in which it is issued. The burn permit holder must notify Hutchinson/Reno County Emergency Communications Center 30 minutes prior to a burn by calling the non-emergency phone number 620-694-2800.
Information that must be provided is name, address, telephone number, permit number(s) and the location, nature and circumstances of the proposed burn. Failure to provide prior notification of the intent to burn constitutes a violation of the resolution and subjects the violator upon conviction to penalties.
A new Burn Resolution 2023-03 was passed by the Reno County Board of Commissioners on Monday, January 9, 2023. The new resolution replaces the former Burn Resolution 2017-12. Many changes were made including the addition of a new burn permit registration process in section #3. “Also added in section #3, there is a very large change from the previous resolution regarding the burning of stand-alone brush piles, a direct consequence from the Cottonwood Complex fires,” said Adam Weishaar, Reno County Emergency Management Director. The burn permit holders are not allowed to initiate a stand-
alone brush pile burn within 72 hours of a VERY HIGH or ABOVE fire index forecast.
The authority to prohibit a person from continued burning in a day was added into section #4. A District Fire Chief or his/her designee may temporarily prohibit an individual from burning for the remainder of the day if that person was unable to properly maintain their burn.
A change in section #7 from the previous resolution is that if a person violates the resolution, it can be a Class B misdemeanor up to a $1,000 fine and/or up to 180 days in jail. The previous resolution was a $500 fine and/or 30 days in jail.
In section #2, changes include allowing not only unincorporated cities but also incorporated cities in Reno County to adopt the resolution if they choose to. Minor changes to the resolution include allowing dispatchers to say yes or no to a burn permit holder who asks
for permission about burning. The dispatchers can advise callers about weather conditions and if a burn ban is in effect in Reno County.
For assistance in filling out the new burn permit online, contact the Reno County Emergency Management Office at (620) 694-2793, Natural Resources Conservation Service office at (620) 669-8161, the Farm Service Agency office at (620) 669-8161 or the Reno County Extension office at (620) 662-2371.
