Open Burning

materials containing rubber, grease, and asphalt or made from rubber, grease, and asphalt or made from petroleum, such as tires, cars and auto parts, plastics, or plastic-coated wire;
garbage--any wastes created in the process of handling, preparing, cooking, or consumption of food; and
dead animals.

Open burning is not permitted in a restricted area. Restricted areas include:

within the boundaries of any municipal corporation
within corporation limits and a 1,000-foot zone outside any municipal corporation having a population of 1,000 to 10,000; and
within corporation limits and a one-mile zone outside any municipal corporation with a population of more than 10,000.

A few types of open burning are permitted everywhere, even in restricted areas. Fires must be kept to a minimum size for their intended purpose and shall not be used for waste disposal purposes.

Within a Restricted Area

Permitted burning includes:

cooking for human consumption (barbecues, campfires, cookouts);
heating tar;
welding and acetylene torches;
smudge pots and similar occupational needs; and
heating for warmth or outdoor workers and strikers. Use common sense: use only clean wood and restrict the size of the fire so it can be contained in a 55-gallon drum.

Outside a Restricted Area

Outside a restricted area, the following types of wastes generated on the premises can be burned:

Agricultural wastes: material generated by crop, horticultural, or livestock production practices. This includes fence posts and scrap lumber but not buildings.
Landscape wastes: plant matter such as tree trimmings, branches, stumps, brush, weeds, leaves, grass, shrubbery, yard trimmings, and crop residues.
Land-clearing wastes: plant matter which is removed when land is cleared for residential, commercial, or industrial development. This material may be burned only under certain circumstances and with prior written permission from Ohio EPA.
Residential waste: wastes such as wood or paper products that are generated by one-, two-, or three-family residences. Garbage may not be open burned.

However, no open burning can take place within 1,000 feet of an inhabited building located off the property where the fire is set. Nor can the fire obscure visibility for roadways, railroad tracks, or air fields.

Open burning is prohibited when air pollution warnings, alerts or emergencies are in effect.

Open burning regulations are established by the State of Ohio Air Pollution Control Agency. The regional office is located in Dayton, Ohio, phone (937)225-4435.