Maine Burn Permit: Do You Need One and When
Maine requires a burn permit for brush and debris fires all year, free from your town forest fire warden or through the state's online system, and whether today counts turns on the daily fire danger class and on whether a Red Flag Warning is up.
Do you need a burn permit in Maine?
Yes, and the state issues it
Maine requires a state burning permit, and no part of the year is closed, so the answer is the daily check.
- Who issues it
- Maine Forest Service
- Issued by
- town forest fire warden, forest ranger, or the state online permit system
- What it costs
- Free
In organized towns, a permit can be obtained from the town forest fire warden, who is often also the fire chief.Programs and Services, Maine Forest Service Forest Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Where you get one
- Online burn permit system
- Town forest fire warden
- Local Forest Ranger or Forest Protection office
When you may burn in Maine
Statewide dates
The state closes no part of the year, so the answer is the daily check.
Maine sets no calendar open burning season; a permit is required for brush and wood debris burning at any time of year and the daily fire danger rating decides whether you may light it.
- Who sets it
- Maine Forest Service
- Checked against
- Programs and Services, Maine Forest Service Forest Protection
Burning permits are required for out door burning of brush piles or wood debris anytime throughout the year. Depending on the current fire danger, restrictions may be in place.Programs and Services, Maine Forest Service Forest Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What you may and may not burn in Maine
What the state names as burnable
- leaves
- brush
- deadwood and tree cuttings accrued from normal property maintenance
- wood wastes
- painted and unpainted wood from demolition debris
- agricultural purposes which include but are not limited to open burning of blueberry fields, potato tops, hayfields
What it names as off the pile
- plastic
- rubber
- styrofoam
- metals
- food wastes
- chemicals
- treated wood
- other solid wastes
Except as provided in this subsection, the out-of-door burning of plastic, rubber, styrofoam, metals, food wastes, chemicals, treated wood or other solid wastes is prohibited in all areas of the State.12 MRS §9324. Prohibited acts, Maine Revised Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What Maine asks of the weather and the site
Setbacks, wind limits and what has to be on hand. These are written into the rule rather than offered as advice.
- No burning out of doors anywhere inside an area under a Red Flag Warning
- Totally extinguish the fire before leaving it
- No fire on land of another without the owner's permission
- A permit is required for any fire with flame lengths greater than 3 feet high and 3 feet in diameter, recreational fires included
It is unlawful to burn out of doors in an area that is under a Red Flag Warning.FAQ’s on Maine’s open burning laws March 7, 2024, Maine Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What to check before you light in Maine
A permit or a season says you may burn in general. What says you may burn today is separate, it changes daily on a wind and humidity forecast, and it overrides a permit already in hand. In Maine it is published here.
a statewide daily fire danger class map, plus any Red Flag Warning covering your county
Permits are only valid when the daily fire danger rating is low , moderate , high , very high or extremeMaine Forest Service, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What your town can add in Maine
Towns may be stricter than the state, and the state rule says plainly that it does not override a tighter local ordinance.
This section shall not interfere with or supersede any local law or ordinance which is more stringent.Programs and Services, Maine Forest Service Forest Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Maine burn permit questions
Maine rules read September 23, 2026 from Programs and Services, Maine Forest Service Forest Protection. Rules change, a county or town may be stricter than the state, and a burn ban issued today overrides a season that is otherwise open. Every state is on the burn permit hub.