New burn permits to be issued here starting Jan. 1

Burn permit holders in Jackson County – which currently includes more than 3,200 residents – will be required to apply for a new permit in person by Jan. 1.

Pat Korte, director of emergency management for the county, said the new burn permits will be available at all fire department offices in the county starting Jan. 1 and will now expire Dec. 31 of every odd year.

The county’s current burn permit, which was revised in 2008, is based on each resident’s telephone number. As long as the number didn’t change, the permit didn’t expire. Prior to 2008, burn permits expired every year.

Over the summer, the Jackson County Commissioners decided to update the current permits so they expire every two years, as well as increase the fines associated with burning when it is banned. 

Korte said that requiring the permits to be reissued every two years will help the county keep up to date on each permit holder’s phone number and address.

“We’ve had issues with duplicate phone numbers in our permit system,” Korte said. “When someone cancels service with a carrier and switches phone numbers, that number is reassigned to someone else in the county.”

Korte said the new burn permits will also allow the county to have current records of where people are living, which is important if emergency personnel must be dispatched to a fire. 

At the first of the year, the new permits, which are free, will be available at any Jackson County fire department; however, the Holton Fire Department is the only department open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Burn permits must be applied for in person.

Prior to burning, permit holders must call the Holton Public Safety Office at 364-3123 to get permission to conduct an open burn. Open burns must be ignited within one hour after the permit holder receives approval from the safety office since the weather can change quickly in Kansas. 

The National Weather Service Rangeland Fire Danger Index issues fire conditions for Jackson County three times a day. Previously, the index was consulted just once a day. 

According to the NWS, the index is calculated by computing the moisture content of dead fuels, sky cover, temperature and wind speed. 

The county’s previous burn resolution stated that no burning was allowed when wind speeds exceeded 15 miles per hour. Those parameters have been outlined more specifically in the new burn permit application.

Now, burning is not allowed when the fire danger index indicates:

* “Low” fire danger with a sustained wind speed of 15 miles per hour or greater.

* “Moderate” fire danger with a sustained wind speed of 15 miles per hour or greater.

* “High” fire danger with a sustained wind speed of 15 miles per hour or greater.

* “Very High” fire danger and a sustained wind speed of 10 miles per hour or greater.

* Any time when there is “Extreme” fire danger for the county.

County residents are permitted to burn household trash with their burn permit, but it must be covered with a wire top or some type of other covering to keep the trash contained, Korte said. 

The fines for burning have also increased as part of the new permit. Violating the burn resolution is a class A non-person misdemeanor and the violator is subject to a jail term of up to one year and/or the following fines:

* No less than $500 for the first conviction.

* No less than $1,000 for the second conviction.

* No less than $1,500 for the third conviction.

The previous fines were between $100 and $500 for a first violation, $500 to $1,000 for a second and $1,000 and $2,500 for a third. 

All fines are paid to the resident’s specific fire district through the clerk of the district court. The new resolution also states that a conviction or diversion under the resolution may result in a resident being banned from any burning for up to five years. 

It was noted that after a fire is out, residents must call and report that information to the Holton Public Safety Office. It is also recommended that residents notify their neighbor, before and after the burn, in order to reduce any false fire alarms. 

In any fire emergency, residents need to call 911, not the Holton Fire Department, Korte said.