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In Wyoming very seldom is a complete "open fire burn" put in place with out some exceptions such as the following,
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Again, we're looking at the differences between how various counties rate their fire risk.
I'd already pointed out that there are different levels of fire restrictions that could be issued.
Your county may not have had the serious fire danger risk that we've had down in SE Wyoming in the last few drought years. This has been compounded by the overgrazing of a lot of pastures which have now been reduced to a lot of weeds, especially russian thistle ... which are explosive in how they quickly and hot they burn, and how easy they are to ignite.
So, in our area ... we've sometimes had complete open fire bans. The only exceptions were to coordinate with the local FD to be on site with a water truck and standby crew.
In Wyoming very seldom is a complete "open fire burn" put in place with out some exceptions such as the following,
In Wyoming, Crook County has issued a restriction on open burning, and Weston County has issued a fire ban. Communities affected include Beulah, Sundance, Hulett, Aladdin, Moorcroft, Newcastle, Upton, and Four Corners. The discharge of fireworks and all outdoor fires are prohibited in the unincorporated areas of the counties except as follows:
Trash or refuse fires between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. inside containers provided with a spark arrester and located within a cleared area ten feet in radius are permitted.
Campfires contained within an established fire ring at an established campground area are permitted.
Charcoal fires within enclosed grills are permitted.
Use of acetylene cutting torches or electric arc welders in cleared areas ten feet in radius is permitted.
Propane or open fire branding activities in cleared areas ten feet in radius are permitted.
Platte County's ban is very similar with only a couple minor exceptions, one for the National Guard camp in Guernsey, and another for a rocket engine testing facility. Both exceptions have provisions for the party receiving the exception to cover the costs associated with fire suppression should something go wrong.
I know in Sheridan inside city limits, people have fire pits like this Copper Fire Pits : Shop Copper Fire pit at Fire Pits and those portable chiminy looking things like this Blue Rooster Pine Style Chiminea Outdoor Fireplace w/Gas Kit - ALCH015GK in their yards. I don't know if anyone burns them during fire bans or not or if it is illegel to burn them during fire bans. I also know folks outside of city limits who use burn barrels or burn in large open pits and do controlled burns. During any fire bans though you can not do this though. Most folks usually call the fire dept. before they do any burning, so that the fire dept. is aware of it in case someone calls to report seeing smoke/fire, but not always.
As far as Fireworks go, those are prohibited within city limits but in the county you can shoot them off wherever except on county roads and highways. We have a few restrictions on certain fireworks (which right off I can't think of which ones those are), but we can still shoot off things like bottle rockets, roman candles, and the big ariel displays. Whatever the local fireworks stands sell is what we are allowed to shoot off legally. We are given a time frame when we can legally shoot off fireworks and it's something like we can shoot off fireworks starting the week before July 4th and up to a week after.
Folks, you can keep posting all you want about those that you know that are burning open fires during "burn bans", but all you're doing is showing off their ignorance or refusal to comply with the laws at the time.
The fact that they do so doesn't make it correct.
Here's a typical notice of "burn ban", from the Pinedale Post of June 11, of a few years ago. Please note that open fires, BBQ grills, and Fireworks were ALL PROHIBITED on the lands that the G&F department administered. Similar bans were in effect on the entire county, and within the city of Pinedale at the time. If you want, we can go down memory lane and dig up the published notices to that effect at the time. Please also note that this was the "third year in a row" of needing to post the burn bans for this areas. IIRC, the "burn ban" wasn't lifted until November that year.
I quote:
"Drought prompts ban on open fires, BBQ grills and fireworks on Wyoming Game & Fish lands
Wyoming G&F
Due to low snow pack followed by hot, dry conditions inflicting extreme fire danger across much of Wyoming, open fires, barbecue grills and fireworks were banned June 11 from all lands and facilities administered by the Game and Fish Department.
The judicious use of gas stoves is still permitted at G&F habitat management and access areas, but open fires and barbecue grills are being prohibited to help guard against a range or forest fire breaking out. The ban will remain in effect until further notice.
"Since it's another very short forage year due to the hot, dry conditions, we need to take steps to protect the grass and shrubs we have for big game that winter on our habitat areas," said Bill Gerhart, G&F assistant habitat supervisor. The G&F will be posting signs on its lands to inform users of the emergency ban.
"We recognize many anglers and hikers enjoy campfires, but with the extreme fire danger the risk is too great to our areas and adjoining lands," Gerhart said. This is the third summer in a row drought has prompted the G&F to enact fire restrictions. Gerhart adds that this summer's open fire and fireworks ban does not change the department's long-term commitment to improve wildlife habitat through prescribed burns. "The Game and Fish is not abandoning its support for prescribed fires when the conditions are right, because prescribed fires under proper conditions improve the health of vegetation communities and wildlife habitat," he said. "But conditions aren't right in summer and certainly not this summer."
The G&F thanks the public for their cooperation with the emergency ban. Anyone with questions should contact the nearest G&F regional office or call (307) 777-4600. Fire restrictions have also been placed on state parks, state recreational areas, state historic sites and the Medicine Bow National Forest. If the summer continues to be dry, campers are urged to check with the other national forests and the Bureau of Land Management about possible restrictions."
I can go back and dig this type of statement up for virtually every county in Wyoming during every drought year ... be it county fire marshalls, G&F, Federal BLM or National Forest administrators. We can take a walk down memory lane in the Casper Star-Tribune, the Cheyenne paper, or numerous other publications of record. There's not too much to misunderstand about the published language of the fire bans. They mean fire BANS, with some possible exceptions that they will publish if acceptable. Here in Laramie County a fire ban typically means a Fire BAN ... no open fires, no charcoal bbque's, no chimenera's, no burn pits, no outdoors gas firplace .... It's a BAN.
Please folks, try to follow the rules and regulations. I've already seen one substantial prairie grass fire this season, and we're not even into the dry season yet.
Folks, you can keep posting all you want about those that you know that are burning open fires during "burn bans", but all you're doing is showing off their ignorance or refusal to comply with the laws at the time.
The fact that they do so doesn't make it correct.
Here's a typical notice of "burn ban", from the Pinedale Post of June 11, of a few years ago. Please note that open fires, BBQ grills, and Fireworks were ALL PROHIBITED on the lands that the G&F department administered. Similar bans were in effect on the entire county, and within the city of Pinedale at the time. If you want, we can go down memory lane and dig up the published notices to that effect at the time. Please also note that this was the "third year in a row" of needing to post the burn bans for this areas. IIRC, the "burn ban" wasn't lifted until November that year.
I quote:
"Drought prompts ban on open fires, BBQ grills and fireworks on Wyoming Game & Fish lands
Wyoming G&F
Due to low snow pack followed by hot, dry conditions inflicting extreme fire danger across much of Wyoming, open fires, barbecue grills and fireworks were banned June 11 from all lands and facilities administered by the Game and Fish Department.
The judicious use of gas stoves is still permitted at G&F habitat management and access areas, but open fires and barbecue grills are being prohibited to help guard against a range or forest fire breaking out. The ban will remain in effect until further notice.
"Since it's another very short forage year due to the hot, dry conditions, we need to take steps to protect the grass and shrubs we have for big game that winter on our habitat areas," said Bill Gerhart, G&F assistant habitat supervisor. The G&F will be posting signs on its lands to inform users of the emergency ban.
"We recognize many anglers and hikers enjoy campfires, but with the extreme fire danger the risk is too great to our areas and adjoining lands," Gerhart said. This is the third summer in a row drought has prompted the G&F to enact fire restrictions. Gerhart adds that this summer's open fire and fireworks ban does not change the department's long-term commitment to improve wildlife habitat through prescribed burns. "The Game and Fish is not abandoning its support for prescribed fires when the conditions are right, because prescribed fires under proper conditions improve the health of vegetation communities and wildlife habitat," he said. "But conditions aren't right in summer and certainly not this summer."
The G&F thanks the public for their cooperation with the emergency ban. Anyone with questions should contact the nearest G&F regional office or call (307) 777-4600. Fire restrictions have also been placed on state parks, state recreational areas, state historic sites and the Medicine Bow National Forest. If the summer continues to be dry, campers are urged to check with the other national forests and the Bureau of Land Management about possible restrictions."
I can go back and dig this type of statement up for virtually every county in Wyoming during every drought year ... be it county fire marshalls, G&F, Federal BLM or National Forest administrators. We can take a walk down memory lane in the Casper Star-Tribune, the Cheyenne paper, or numerous other publications of record. There's not too much to misunderstand about the published language of the fire bans. They mean fire BANS, with some possible exceptions that they will publish if acceptable. Here in Laramie County a fire ban typically means a Fire BAN ... no open fires, no charcoal bbque's, no chimenera's, no burn pits, no outdoors gas firplace .... It's a BAN.
Please folks, try to follow the rules and regulations. I've already seen one substantial prairie grass fire this season, and we're not even into the dry season yet.
I hope you weren't refering to my post when you made the above post? As I said I know folks who have fire pits and chiminy thingings, but I do not know if they use them during fire bans or if they are illegal to use during fire bans. I don't have one myself, so I do not worry about violating a fire ban. If I were to get one I would call the fire dept. to make sure it was okay to use and if it was I'd let them know I was using it so someone wouldn't mistake it for an actual fire.
I also know people that use burn barrels and open pit burns out in the county and folks also do controled burns in the county. I also know that those kinds of burns can't be done within the city limits, I know because I wanted to burn off a bunch of weeds and dead grass out of my yard and I called the fire dept. to see if it would be okay. I do know though that burn barrels, open pit burns and controled burns can not be done during burn bans.
I also know that fireworks are not allowed during a burn ban, but if there is no burn bans we can shoot them off legally in the county outside of city limits, starting the week before July 4th and up to a week after, as long as it is not on a county road or highway.
snip
I also know that fireworks are not allowed during a burn ban, but if there is no burn bans we can shoot them off legally in the county outside of city limits, starting the week before July 4th and up to a week after, as long as it is not on a county road or highway.
And as long as it's not on somebody's private property, either, without their express permission to do so. That includes fireworks that goes airborne out of your control and has the possibility of landing on private property.
We see this type of problem when somebody with a 40 acre backyard shoots them off over the adjacent properties, or when somebody drives on out to the "open" countryside and decides to pull over on a dirt road and have their own fireworks show.
You are limited to using open public lands for the fireworks, and IIRC, cannot use the developed public parklands, such as a Curt Gowdy park in Laramie county, even when there isn't a "burn ban".
Folks, you can keep posting all you want about those that you know that are burning open fires during "burn bans", but all you're doing is showing off their ignorance or refusal to comply with the laws at the time.
The fact that they do so doesn't make it correct.
Here's a typical notice of "burn ban", from the Pinedale Post of June 11, of a few years ago. Please note that open fires, BBQ grills, and Fireworks were ALL PROHIBITED on the lands that the G&F department administered. Similar bans were in effect on the entire county, and within the city of Pinedale at the time. If you want, we can go down memory lane and dig up the published notices to that effect at the time. Please also note that this was the "third year in a row" of needing to post the burn bans for this areas. IIRC, the "burn ban" wasn't lifted until November that year.
I quote:
"Drought prompts ban on open fires, BBQ grills and fireworks on Wyoming Game & Fish lands
Wyoming G&F
Due to low snow pack followed by hot, dry conditions inflicting extreme fire danger across much of Wyoming, open fires, barbecue grills and fireworks were banned June 11 from all lands and facilities administered by the Game and Fish Department.
The judicious use of gas stoves is still permitted at G&F habitat management and access areas, but open fires and barbecue grills are being prohibited to help guard against a range or forest fire breaking out. The ban will remain in effect until further notice.
"Since it's another very short forage year due to the hot, dry conditions, we need to take steps to protect the grass and shrubs we have for big game that winter on our habitat areas," said Bill Gerhart, G&F assistant habitat supervisor. The G&F will be posting signs on its lands to inform users of the emergency ban.
"We recognize many anglers and hikers enjoy campfires, but with the extreme fire danger the risk is too great to our areas and adjoining lands," Gerhart said. This is the third summer in a row drought has prompted the G&F to enact fire restrictions. Gerhart adds that this summer's open fire and fireworks ban does not change the department's long-term commitment to improve wildlife habitat through prescribed burns. "The Game and Fish is not abandoning its support for prescribed fires when the conditions are right, because prescribed fires under proper conditions improve the health of vegetation communities and wildlife habitat," he said. "But conditions aren't right in summer and certainly not this summer."
The G&F thanks the public for their cooperation with the emergency ban. Anyone with questions should contact the nearest G&F regional office or call (307) 777-4600. Fire restrictions have also been placed on state parks, state recreational areas, state historic sites and the Medicine Bow National Forest. If the summer continues to be dry, campers are urged to check with the other national forests and the Bureau of Land Management about possible restrictions."
I can go back and dig this type of statement up for virtually every county in Wyoming during every drought year ... be it county fire marshalls, G&F, Federal BLM or National Forest administrators. We can take a walk down memory lane in the Casper Star-Tribune, the Cheyenne paper, or numerous other publications of record. There's not too much to misunderstand about the published language of the fire bans. They mean fire BANS, with some possible exceptions that they will publish if acceptable. Here in Laramie County a fire ban typically means a Fire BAN ... no open fires, no charcoal bbque's, no chimenera's, no burn pits, no outdoors gas firplace .... It's a BAN.
Please folks, try to follow the rules and regulations. I've already seen one substantial prairie grass fire this season, and we're not even into the dry season yet.
Your posted example refers to G&F lands not private lands. That means forest lands. Fire pits on private property are not included in that. As others have posted the majority of "Fire Bans" include exceptions. These people are following the rules as they are posted. The people I know are members of the fire department and would not go against the rules. Everyone I know calls the fire department or sheriffs office when having an open fire, even when there is no fire ban.
Please do not continue to paint everyone with the the same brush. Fire pits are allowed. Most people are aware of the fire danger and follow the rules.
Fireworks are very different than a controlled burn in a fire pit.
I can see that I asked about a very hot topic but I think the real answer sunsprit wants to convey is that you should obey whatever rules of whatever town/city/county you live in and be a responsible citizen and check with local authorities before burning anything.
For example, I looked up Lander's city ordinances and found the following code:
1-2-1. Violation of Ordinances. Violations of any Section of the Municipal Code of the City of Lander is a misdemeanor and, except for the sections set forth below or unless otherwise stated, upon conviction shall be punishable by a maximum fine of $750.00 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment. Violations of the following sections of the Municipal Code of the City of Lander shall be punishable upon conviction by a maximum fine of $750.00 only: (Section 1-2-1 amended by Ordinance 980, effective 2-17-97.)
7-8-3 Discharging of Fireworks - up to, but not including the third or subsequent offense.
11-2-5 Burning of Waste Prohibited - first offense only.
7-8-3 7-8-3 Discharge of Fireworks
a) No unauthorized person shall discharge fireworks in or into the City of Lander. This section however shall not apply between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight on Independence Day only in designated areas. On Independence Day the following areas will not be allowed to have the discharge of fireworks:
i. all of Main Street
ii. city parks located in the City of Lander; and
iii. the area east of the detention center from Amoretti Street to Poor Farm Road, provided that any regulations promulgated by the City Council are fully complied with.
b) Supervised public displays of fireworks may be authorized by resolution upon presentation of proof of issuance of liability insurance to protect the City of Lander and all others from personal injury and property damage in such amount as the City Council may require. The City Council shall restrict in the hours and location of the display and may impose other terms in its discretion.
c) Such regulations shall be published within 10 days prior to July 4. No unauthorized person shall discharge fireworks on Main Street, in or into any city parks located in the City of Lander and the area east of the detention center from Amoretti Street to Poor Farm Road on any day or at any time except if approved by the Lander City Council.
Lander City Code Page 128
d) Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to firework safety classes, provided that prior to the class application for such class is made to the governing body of the City of Lander and the governing body gives prior approval. The governing body may attach any condition to the approval that it deems necessary for the public health, safety and welfare.
e) No person or entity shall sell or otherwise distribute fireworks within the City of Lander. All present businesses of selling or distributing fireworks are grandfathered.(Amended by Ordinance 1149 effective 09/28/08)
It did not mention, that I could find, anything about burning pits for recreation, so bottom line would be to call before doing something..
I can see that I asked about a very hot topic but I think the real answer sunsprit wants to convey is that you should obey whatever rules of whatever town/city/county you live in and be a responsible citizen and check with local authorities before burning anything.
For example, I looked up Lander's city ordinances and found the following code:
1-2-1. Violation of Ordinances. Violations of any Section of the Municipal Code of the City of Lander is a misdemeanor and, except for the sections set forth below or unless otherwise stated, upon conviction shall be punishable by a maximum fine of $750.00 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment. Violations of the following sections of the Municipal Code of the City of Lander shall be punishable upon conviction by a maximum fine of $750.00 only: (Section 1-2-1 amended by Ordinance 980, effective 2-17-97.)
7-8-3 Discharging of Fireworks - up to, but not including the third or subsequent offense.
11-2-5 Burning of Waste Prohibited - first offense only.
7-8-3 7-8-3 Discharge of Fireworks
a) No unauthorized person shall discharge fireworks in or into the City of Lander. This section however shall not apply between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight on Independence Day only in designated areas. On Independence Day the following areas will not be allowed to have the discharge of fireworks:
i. all of Main Street
ii. city parks located in the City of Lander; and
iii. the area east of the detention center from Amoretti Street to Poor Farm Road, provided that any regulations promulgated by the City Council are fully complied with.
b) Supervised public displays of fireworks may be authorized by resolution upon presentation of proof of issuance of liability insurance to protect the City of Lander and all others from personal injury and property damage in such amount as the City Council may require. The City Council shall restrict in the hours and location of the display and may impose other terms in its discretion.
c) Such regulations shall be published within 10 days prior to July 4. No unauthorized person shall discharge fireworks on Main Street, in or into any city parks located in the City of Lander and the area east of the detention center from Amoretti Street to Poor Farm Road on any day or at any time except if approved by the Lander City Council.
Lander City Code Page 128
d) Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to firework safety classes, provided that prior to the class application for such class is made to the governing body of the City of Lander and the governing body gives prior approval. The governing body may attach any condition to the approval that it deems necessary for the public health, safety and welfare.
e) No person or entity shall sell or otherwise distribute fireworks within the City of Lander. All present businesses of selling or distributing fireworks are grandfathered.(Amended by Ordinance 1149 effective 09/28/08)
It did not mention, that I could find, anything about burning pits for recreation, so bottom line would be to call before doing something..
The problem is not the rules but the assumption that someone is breaking the rules by having an fire in a fire pit during a "Open fire ban".
It has been pointed out that the majority of burning bans have exceptions(fire pits often being one of them) . This means no rules are broken and therefore no fines.
The original poster had the forethought to ask about this situation, I would think that would mean that they would follow all the rules.
Following the rules means that 95 percent of the time, fire pits on private property are perfectly legal and allowed.
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but I think the real answer sunsprit wants to convey is that you should obey whatever rules of whatever town/city/county you live in and be a responsible citizen and check with local authorities before burning anything. 
