Open burning for spring 2010 has been approved for Monday, April 5 through Sunday, April 25th by the Chief of Enforcement Section of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Open burning is permitted on these days within the City of St. Joseph under the following guidelines:

• Burning of yard waste for residential properties only.
• Burning shall be allowed from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• All fires must be in an upright, cylindrical, metal container no larger than 55 gallons. Containers must be located at least fifteen (15) feet away from any building.
• Only one burn container per residence is allowed.
• All fires shall be monitored from a point close to where the fire is located by a person capable of containing a fire, should that be necessary.
• ONLY dry yard waste such as leaves, brush and logs grown on the property can be burned. NO trash, paper, lumber or building debris may be burned.
• Fire-fighting material, such as a garden hose or a container of water sufficient to contain any fire started, shall be at the site of the fire.

If weather conditions such as high winds indicate the safety of the community or the public may be endangered or if open burning may create a health hazard, the Fire Chief or Health Director may invoke a temporary burning ban.

Any violation of the open burning restrictions may result in a summons to appear in court for a misdemeanor violation.

Residents are encouraged to explore alternatives to open burning. Many options for disposing of yard waste are easy, do not contribute to air pollution, are not dependent on time restrictions or the weather, and provide the healthy benefit of physical activity while doing yard work instead of breathing acrid smoke from a waste fire. Such activities include mowing leaves into fine particles and leaving them lay to fertilize the lawn, or incorporating leaves into a mulch container to decompose into humus for use in vegetable and flower gardens or for use on lawns as a soil amendment. Larger wood brush that can be chipped makes excellent mulch around trees and shrubs. Family and friends with gardens may want additional yard waste to use as mulch.

If you choose to burn, please do so within the days provided, as open burning session will not be extended due to weather blackout dates.