Outdoor burning rules in Bellingham, MA β also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance β set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Bellingham allows residential open burning only during the Massachusetts state burn season β January 15 through May 1 β with a daily permit from the Bellingham Fire Department. Permits are issued through the online Permiteyes system, and a per-day activation call is required between 10 a.m. and noon. Only brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris from the permit-holder's own property may be burned; leaves, grass, rubbish, and construction debris are prohibited.
Massachusetts regulates residential open burning under 310 CMR 7.07 (Department of Environmental Protection) and 527 CMR 1.00 Β§10.14 (State Fire Marshal). The state burn season runs from January 15 to May 1 each year; outside that window, open burning is prohibited statewide. Within the season, the Bellingham Fire Department issues daily permits through Permiteyes (permiteyes.us/bellingham). Each permit holder must call to activate the permit the day they plan to burn, between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, and the fire must be completely extinguished by 4:00 p.m. The burn must be located at least 75 feet from any dwelling, attended by a competent adult at all times, and accompanied by a hose, fire extinguisher, or other suppression equipment. Allowed materials are limited to brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris generated on the property. Burning of leaves, grass, hay, stumps, tires, trash, demolition material, or construction debris is prohibited statewide. The Bellingham Fire Department may suspend permits on any day when air quality or wind conditions create an elevated fire risk. Fire pits used solely for cooking are exempt from the open-burning rules, but recreational fire pits burning brush or wood for warmth fall under the same MassDEP/state-fire-marshal regulations.
Burning without an activated permit, burning outside the January 15 - May 1 window, or burning prohibited materials is a violation of 310 CMR 7.07 and 527 CMR 1.00. Penalties include criminal complaint, civil fines (typically $100-$1,000 per offense), and liability for fire-department suppression costs. The Bellingham Fire Department may also revoke the permit and prohibit future burning on that property for the remainder of the season.
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