Open burn small pile/slash permits are for 50 or fewer piles to burn in the current calendar* year and each pile is small enough that it will be out cold by sunset. Pile size is limited to 8'x8'x8' (512 cubic feet). Larger burns require a smoke management permit.
*Please note that burning is prohibited in the seven-county Denver/Boulder metro area from November 1-March 31 each year. This includes Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. Some exemptions may apply. Please see the Policy on Prescribed Burning Along the Front Range During Winter High Pollution Season Restrictions.
If you wish to open burn small piles/slash in the following counties, please contact the local delegated agency for a permit (a delegated agency is one that has been granted legal delegation by Colorado’s Air Pollution Control Division to issue open burning permits):
- Boulder
- Broomfield
- Denver
- Eagle
- El Paso
- Grand
- Huerfano
- Jefferson
- Kiowa
- Lake
- Larimer
- Las Animas
- Mesa
- Routt
- Summit
- Teller
- Weld
All other counties require a state permit. Please apply below.
Open Burning Small Pile/Slash Permit application | Download the form to fill out PDF/Word
CDPHE-APCD-SS-B1
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246-1530
For questions, please contact the Air Pollution Control Division at 303-692-3268.
Ban Information
- For information about region-specific bans, please visit the Colorado Office of Emergency Management.
- We won’t issue permits in a county with an ongoing fire ban.
General Information
- Open burning fact sheet.
- Includes what can be burned, alternatives to burning and whether a permit is needed.
- Open burning FAQs.
- Frequently asked questions about open burning.
- Information about agricultural open burning.
- Regulation 9: Open Burning, Prescribed Fire and Permitting.
- State regulation that covers burning and establishes the permitting requirements.
- Open burning weather forecast (metropolitan Denver only).
- If you have a permit to burn in metro Denver, you must check the forecast.
- Policy on Prescribed Burning Along the Front Range During Winter High Pollution Season Restrictions
- Wildland fire burning below 7000 ft. elevation is largely prohibited in the northern Front Range region during the winter months, though some exemptions do apply.
- County smoke contacts
- Colorado county government air-quality contacts for smoke management and open burning permits.