Apple Valley, MN Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Apple Valley Code of Ordinances § 93.43 requires an open burn permit before anyone starts or allows open burning on any property in the city. The only exception is a recreational fire as defined in § 93.31, and the section states that a violation is a petty misdemeanor. Section 93.41 defines open burning as burning of any matter when the combustion products go directly to the atmosphere without passing through a stack, duct or chimney.

Section 93.42 lists what can never be burned: oils, petro fuels, rubber, plastics, chemically treated materials and other materials producing excessive or noxious smoke, including tires, railroad ties, treated, painted or glued wood composite, shingles, tar paper, insulation, sheetrock, wiring and paint. It also bars burning hazardous waste, commercial and industrial solid waste, demolition materials from commercial or institutional structures, food waste, and any leaves or grass clippings.

Permits are issued only for the purposes in § 93.44: eliminating a health hazard that cannot be abated by other practical means, ground thawing for utility repair and construction, disposal of vegetative matter for forest, prairie or wildlife habitat management, disposal of diseased trees generated on site, diseased nursery stock or diseased bee hives, and disposal of unpainted, untreated, non-glued lumber and wood shakes from construction. Fire training permits can only come from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Applications use a DNR-prescribed form adopted by the Fire Department and go to the Fire Chief, Fire Marshal or Assistant Fire Marshals, who schedule a preliminary site inspection and can deny the application if a practical alternative exists or a pollution or nuisance condition would result.

The burn ban authority sits in § 93.46(D): no recreational fire or open burn is permitted when the city or DNR has officially declared a burning ban, or when the MPCA has declared an Air Quality Alert. The permit holder must attend the fire constantly, extinguish it before leaving, keep the permit on site, and pay all costs of the burn, including fire suppression and administrative fees. Under § 93.47 a DNR Forest Officer, the Fire Chief, Fire Marshal or Assistant Fire Marshals can revoke the permit.