WAVERLY, Ohio — The Waverly Fire Department is reminding Pike County residents that Ohio’s fall restrictions on outdoor burning are in effect and will stay that way through the end of November, and that the rules go well beyond simply picking a legal time of day to strike a match.
Under Ohio Revised Code 1503.18, open burning is prohibited in unincorporated areas outside city and village limits between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. during March, April, May, October and November, the fire department said in a Facebook post. Burning may be permitted between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. during those months, but only if all other state and local rules are followed. The department stressed that falling within the legal hours does not by itself make a fire legal — what is being burned matters just as much as when.
In qualifying rural areas, Ohio EPA regulations allow residents to burn certain yard waste generated on their own property, including tree limbs and branches, brush and natural vegetation, leaves and grass clippings, and other residential plant waste. Any such fire must be set back more than 1,000 feet from an inhabited building on a neighboring property, according to the department.
Several materials can never legally be burned in Ohio, regardless of the time of day, including garbage and food waste, plastics, rubber and tires, petroleum-based products, grease and asphalt, construction and demolition debris, painted or treated lumber, and dead animals.
The department also highlighted a rule it said residents frequently overlook: waste cannot be transported from one property to another for burning. Ohio EPA regulations state that no waste generated off the premises may be burned, meaning a tree-trimming contractor cannot haul branches from a job site to a different property to burn them, even during otherwise legal hours.
Residents inside the Village of Waverly face additional restrictions under Village Ordinances 1511.03 and 1511.05, which regulate open burning, recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces. Burning yard waste, leaves, brush and other residential debris for disposal is prohibited within village limits at any time, regardless of the season or hour, the department said.
Small recreational fires and campfires are still allowed within the village when fueled by clean, seasoned firewood or an equivalent clean-burning fuel, but they cannot be used to dispose of waste and are limited to a fuel area no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height. Those fires must be kept at least 25 feet from structures or combustible materials. Portable outdoor fireplaces generally require a 15-foot separation, with an exception under the ordinance for one- and two-family dwellings, and must follow manufacturer clearance instructions. Bonfires require a permit from the village’s Fire Code Official, and any outdoor fire must be continuously attended with extinguishing equipment on hand.
The department asked residents to use caution even during permitted burning, urging people not to burn during high winds or dangerous fire conditions, to keep fires manageable and away from combustible material, to keep water or other extinguishing equipment nearby, and to make sure a fire is completely out before leaving it unattended. Additional emergency burn bans or local restrictions can also apply on top of the standing rules, the department said.
Residents with questions about local burning regulations were encouraged to contact the Waverly Fire Department directly.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Waverly Fire Department.
