Maine state law: outdoor open burning permits

Maine Forest Service (Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry) issues open-burning permits under 12 MRS Chapter 805 (Forest Fire Prevention). Per 12 MRS § 9321, the Director of the Maine Forest Service has permit authority and "may delegate the issuance of permits to forest rangers or town forest fire wardens and their deputies"; town wardens may issue permits through state-acquired burn-permit software and "must notify the municipal officers or fire chief of that municipality that the permit has been issued." A statewide burn-permit requirement applies to all open burning of brush, debris, and grass — issued either by the local Town Fire Warden / municipal Fire Department for the typical small-scale brush burn or through the Maine Forest Service online portal (https://www13.informe.org/burnpermit/, free and valid one calendar day). Open burning is statutorily PROHIBITED when the Maine Forest Service issues a red-flag warning: "the director or the director's delegate may not issue a permit or other permission for open burning" in red-flag warning areas, with limited exceptions for commercially managed wild blueberry field burns operating under approved burn plans. Recreational campfires under 3 feet in diameter on a non-combustible base do NOT require a permit when conducted in compliance with safe-practice rules. Municipalities may further restrict outdoor burning under 30-A MRS § 3001 home-rule authority — coastal towns and Cumberland County urban municipalities typically prohibit residential brush burning year-round and require commercial debris haul-off. The Maine Forest Service Fire Danger Report is operational from late March through late November and uses the National Fire Danger Rating System; "this system is only operational during Maine's wildfire season between late March and late November."

Burning without a required permit is a civil violation under 12 MRS § 9325 with state fines typically $100-$1,000 per offense; the person responsible for an escaped fire is liable for all Maine Forest Service suppression costs (often $5,000-$50,000+) and may face Class E criminal charges for reckless conduct. Municipal-ordinance fines vary.