Tennessee Burn Permit: Do You Need One and When
In Tennessee you need a one day burn permit from the Division of Forestry for leaf and brush piles between October 15 and May 15, you get it online or by phone on the day you burn, the state requires none in summer, and your county or city may still have rules of its own that come first.
Do you need a burn permit in Tennessee?
Yes, and the state issues it
Tennessee requires a state burning permit, and its dates say when a permit is required, not when burning is allowed.
- Who issues it
- Tennessee Division of Forestry
- Issued by
- the state division of forestry, online or over its burn permit line, and only for part of the year: a permit is required from October 15 through May 15 and the state does not require one in summer
- How long it lasts
- one day, and the fire has to be completely out by midnight of that day
From October 15 through May 15, a burn permit from the Tennessee Division of Forestry (TDF) is required for debris pile fires and prescribed fires.Get A Burn Permit, Tennessee Division of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
When you may burn in Tennessee
Tennessee is one of the states where a pair of dates on its own gives the wrong answer. What follows is the rule in the agency's own words, with the shape of the season named above it.
A permit season, not a burning season
Tennessee closes no part of the year to open burning. What changes with the calendar is the permit: the Division of Forestry requires one from October 15 through May 15, and requires none in summer, though counties and cities may have their own rules any month of the year.
- Who sets it
- Tennessee Division of Forestry
- Checked against
- Safe Debris Burning, Tennessee Division of Forestry
Burn permits from the Tennessee Division of Forestry (TDF) are required from Oct. 15 through May 15 every year. During the summer, permits are not required from TDF.Safe Debris Burning, Tennessee Division of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
- TennesseeA permit season, not a burning season
Tennessee closes no part of the year to open burning. What changes with the calendar is the permit: the Division of Forestry requires one from October 15 through May 15, and requires none in summer, though counties and cities may have their own rules any month of the year.
The hours are part of the rule and are the piece most often missed: Tennessee allows burning the permit covers the day it was issued, and the fire must be out by midnight.
What you may and may not burn in Tennessee
What the state names as burnable
- leaves
- branches
- tree limbs
- twigs
- lawn clippings
- woody vegetation
- yard trimmings
- clean unpainted, uncoated wood or untreated lumber
What it names as off the pile
- tires and other rubber products
- vinyl siding and vinyl shingles
- plastics and other synthetic materials
- paper products, cardboard and newspaper
- asphalt shingles, and other asphalt roofing materials and demolition debris
- asbestos-containing materials
- paints, household and agricultural chemicals
- aerosol cans and food cans
- building material and construction debris
- buildings and mobile homes
- coated wire
- household trash
- most vegetation not grown on site
It may be okay to burn leaves, branches, tree limbs, twigs, lawn clippings, woody vegetation, yard trimmings, clean unpainted, uncoated wood or untreated lumber.Open Burning, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What Tennessee 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.
- tell adjacent landowners at least 2 days ahead if you are burning wooded land
- keep water or tools on hand
- rake or plow a firebreak, bare ground at least 3 feet wide through leaves or short grass and at least 5 feet through tall grass or brush
- postpone when winds are high, humidity is low, or gusts are forecast
- stay with the fire until it is completely out and cooled
- burning wood waste within 200 feet of an occupied building means someone present the whole time, no burn longer than 48 hours, and no more than twice in any 30 day period
- within 100 feet of an occupied building it takes written authorization from an adult occupant
It should expose a swath of bare ground at least 3 feet wide through leaves or short grass. It should be at least 5 feet wide through tall grass or brush.Safe Debris Burning, Tennessee Division of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What to check before you light in Tennessee
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 Tennessee it is published here.
the state's burn ban page, which says whether any county is under a ban, alongside the permit system's own restriction map that shows where the division has paused issuing permits
Tennessee Division of Forestry
Under state law, the Commissioner of Agriculture, in consultation with the state forester, has the authority to issue burn bans at the request of county mayors under certain weather conditions.Tennessee Division of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
What your town can add in Tennessee
Some counties and municipalities run their own, stricter burning rules and their own permits, and where they do the local rule controls. The division keeps a published list of those places.
Local restrictions supersede state rules.Get A Burn Permit, Tennessee Division of Forestry, read September 23, 2026. Read it at the source
Tennessee burn permit questions
Burn permits in other states
Tennessee rules read September 23, 2026 from Get A Burn Permit, Tennessee Division of Forestry. 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.