Outdoor Burning Regulations are mandated by Denton County Fire Marshals Office and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Denton County Fire Marshals Office decides on a daily basis if conditions are favorable to burn based on TCEQ recommendations or if the local conditions cause extreme fire potentials to be low. The determination is made between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM daily. There are times when weather conditions change during the day to make conditions favorable for fire potentials and thus have the burn day changed to a no burn day. Please check this site or the Controlled Burn Log site throughout the day when open burning.

Controlled Burn Log web site will provide the daily information for open burning and permit holders may log open burning individually provided it is a day approved for open burning. If an individual does not have internet access they may leave their name, address and phone number and the information will be logged in for that burn day. The location of your burn will be logged in the event someone calls 9-1-1 reporting your smoke or flames.

Residents living in Unincorporated Denton County must have a filed Open Burning Registration/Permit.

Denton County Fire Marshals Office DOES NOT issue permits to Town residents nor does the Denton County ESD 1 but, the Denton County ESD 1 requires any open burning to be logged with Denton County Fire Marshals Office.

The burn must not start until 1 hour after sunrise and must be completely extinguished 1 hour before sunset.

Clear area of vegetation and all combustibles at least 10-20 feet in all directions from the burn pile before burning.

The burn must be attended at ALL times. Have a shovel and water supply handy until fire is extinguished.

The burn must be downwind and at least 300 feet from structures on adjacent properties.

The burn must not affect roads, airstrips and navigable water.

Yard trimmings, brush, timber and untreated lumber are acceptable items to burn.

Some examples of unacceptable items would include: tires, plastics, paints, furniture, carpet, electrical wire, chemical wastes, asphaltic materials, heavy oils, treated lumber, appliances and items containing natural or synthetic rubber.

Allowed in areas where domestic waste pick-up is not provided and waste is burned the burn must take place in an approved container. Acceptable domestic waste is kitchen garbage, untreated lumber, cardboard boxes and clothing.

Outdoor burning is allowed when used solely for recreational or ceremonial purposes, in the noncommercial preparation of food, or exclusively as a means to provide warmth in cold weather. In other words, campfires, and cooking fires are allowed. Fires built under this exception may not contain domestic waste, electrical insulation, treated lumber, plastics, construction or demolition materials not made of wood, heavy oils, asphaltic materials, potentially explosive materials, chemical wastes, or items containing natural or synthetic rubber.