Nevada Burn Permit: Do You Need One and When
Nevada runs a state open burn permit through the environmental protection division's online smoke management system, but it sets no statewide burning season and a homeowner burning a cleanup pile is told to go to the local fire protection district first.
Do you need a burn permit in Nevada?
Yes, and your town or county issues it
Nevada leaves the permit to your town, county or fire district, and the dates come from your town, county or fire district.
- Who issues it
- Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality Planning
- Issued by
- the state smoke management program's online system for open burns, and the local fire protection district for a residential cleanup pile
All Open Burn Permit Applications should now be submitted online. Submit an Open Burn Permit Application.Smoke Management, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Where you get one
- Online
- Local fire protection district
Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality Planning's permit system
That makes your town, county or fire district the office with the answer, and it is usually a short call: they say whether a permit is being issued at all right now, what it covers and what it costs. What Nevada itself publishes is below, and it is worth having in hand before you ring.
When you may burn in Nevada
Statewide dates
The state sets no dates. Your town, county or fire district does.
Nevada sets no statewide open burning season; the state issues smoke management guidance that applies anywhere in the state and leaves the dates and the restrictions to counties, cities and fire departments.
- Who sets it
- Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality Planning
- Checked against
- The Nevada Handbook for Agricultural Open Burning, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality Planning
The voluntary guidelines contained within this handbook apply to all agricultural fires and are good practices to follow anywhere in the State. In addition, counties, cities and fire departments may have local ordinances that restrict open burning. Therefore, you should always check with local officials before burning to ensure compliance.The Nevada Handbook for Agricultural Open Burning, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality Planning, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
The hours are part of the rule and are the piece most often missed: Nevada allows burning the state advises lighting after 10 a.m. and being completely out by 4 p.m..
What you may and may not burn in Nevada
What the state names as burnable
- crop residue
- ditch and fence line vegetation
- rangeland grasses, shrubs and trees
- brush piles, branches, stumps and other vegetative debris
What it names as off the pile
- garbage
- tires
- any material containing plastics
Burning that is not covered in this program. We prohibit the burning of garbage, tires, and any material containing plastics. When burned, plastics are a major source of air pollution, and much of the resulting pollutants can have serious health consequences.The Nevada Handbook for Agricultural Open Burning, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality Planning, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What Nevada 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.
- light a test fire first and wait a day if the fuel is too damp or the smoke is not lifting
- do not burn when the smoke would drift toward a school, hospital, nursing home, airport or recreational area
- reschedule when wildfire risk is high or there is already a lot of smoke in the air
- notify local fire officials before you burn so nobody calls in your smoke plume
- post signs and watch the smoke where it can cross a highway
Wait a day if the fuel is too damp, the smoke is not lifting or is blowing towards a sensitive area such a school, hospital, nursing home, airport, or recreational area.The Nevada Handbook for Agricultural Open Burning, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality Planning, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What to check before you light in Nevada
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 Nevada it is published here.
the state's posted fire restrictions by region, plus the interagency site for restrictions on other public land
Please see the state fire restrictions posted below and note the other wildfire related resources. For restrictions in effect on public lands that are managed by other agencies, visit nevadafireinfo.orgNevada Division of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What your town can add in Nevada
Counties, cities and fire departments run their own open burning ordinances on top of the state program, and the state tells you to check with them first.
In addition, counties, cities and fire departments may have local ordinances that restrict open burning. Therefore, you should always check with local officials before burning to ensure compliance.Smoke Management, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Nevada burn permit questions
Nevada rules read September 23, 2026 from Smoke Management, Nevada Division of Environmental 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.