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Idaho, 2026 season, 5 offices

Idaho Firewood Permits 2026: Prices, Seasons and Rules

Idaho sells personal use firewood permits on its national forests, on BLM land and on state endowment trust land, and the state park system asks campers to source firewood within 50 miles of where they burn it.

5
Offices selling permits
4 federal, 1 state
$5 to $6.25
Price per cord
1 of them free
Advisory
Bringing wood in
Idaho Dept of Parks and Recreation
A distance is set
How far it may travel
50 miles
Office by office

Where to buy a firewood permit in Idaho

5 offices in Idaho sell a personal use firewood permit, 4 of them federal and 1 run by the state. A cord runs $5 to $6.25 depending on which office you buy from. 1 of them give the permit away.

The Idaho Department of Lands issues firewood permits on state endowment trust land through its area offices, with the per cord rate set by each supervisory area above a statewide minimum.

Sawtooth National Forest

Permit on request

USDA Forest Service

Price
$6.25 per cord
Minimum
4-cord minimum
Household limit
10-cord maximum per household
Cutting season
Sold on request
Where to buy
Sawtooth National Forest offices, participating private vendors, online through the E-Permit system
Permits cost $6.25 per cord with a 4-cord minimum and a 10-cord maximum per household.
Firewood Permits, Sawtooth National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

Campers may gather wood for use in camp without a permit, but taking any of it home requires one.

Campers are allowed to gather firewood for incidental use on the Forest during their stay. If a camper wants to take firewood home, they must obtain a firewood permit.
Sawtooth National Forest. Read it at the source

Driving for firewood has to follow the forest travel rules unless the permit itself says otherwise.

All motorized travel related to fuelwood gathering must be done in accordance with official Forest Service travel regulations for the area unless specifically exempted in the firewood permit.
Sawtooth National Forest. Read it at the source

Tribal members can get a wood cutting permit at no cost with identification.

Tribal members may receive a free wood cutting permit with valid ID.
Sawtooth National Forest. Read it at the source

Cutting areas may still be snowed in when permits go on sale, so call the local office about road conditions.

While permits typically go on sale in May, some firewood cutting areas may be not immediately accessible due to snowdrifts or road conditions.
Sawtooth National Forest. Read it at the source

Idaho Panhandle National Forests

2026 season

USDA Forest Service

Price
free to the public, but a free hard copy use permit is required
Household limit
up to 12 cords of firewood for personal use
Wood you may cut
downed timber or standing dead trees in allowed areas
Where to buy
in person at a Forest Service office
Personal firewood cutting is free to the public, but a free hard copy use permit is required.
Gathering Firewood, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, USDA Forest Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

No cutting close to a running stream.

Firewood gathering is prohibited within 150-feet of any running stream
Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Read it at the source

Cedar is off limits, standing or down.

Cedar: Do not cut standing or down dead cedar trees.
Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Read it at the source

Pacific yew is off limits, standing or down.

Pacific yew: Do not cut standing or down dead Pacific yew.
Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Read it at the source

Pieces longer than six feet need written approval before they leave the forest.

Six feet is the maximum length piece that may be removed under the firewood program without written approval.
Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Read it at the source

Anyone running a chainsaw has to carry a fire extinguisher and a shovel.

As a chainsaw operator, you must have a serviceable fire extinguisher (8 oz. liquid chemical or 1 lb. dry chemical) and shovel available at all times.
Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Read it at the source

Caribou-Targhee National Forest

2026 season

USDA Forest Service

Price
$6.25 per cord
Minimum
4 cord minimum purchase, minimum permit $25
Household limit
up to 8 cords per household per year
Wood you may cut
standing dead and down trees only
Cutting season
Jun 1 to Nov 30
Where to buy
Ranger District Offices, participating vendor locations, online
Firewood permits are sold at local district offices June 1st through Nov. 30th.
Permits, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, USDA Forest Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

Only dead material qualifies, standing or on the ground.

Firewood permits are for standing dead and down trees only.
Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Read it at the source

A permit covers at least four cords and no more than eight in a year.

There is a 4 cord minimum purchase for the personal use firewood permits. The minimum permit is $25.00 ($6.25 per cord). You can buy up to 8 cords per household per year at $6.25 per cord.
Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Read it at the source

Permits are sold at district offices, at vendors and online.

Firewood permits are available at Ranger District Offices, at participating vendor locations and online.
Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Read it at the source

State endowment trust lands

Permit on request

Idaho Department of Lands

Price
$20 minimum, $5 per cord minimum
Minimum
a single permit shall not be issued for less than $20
Household limit
maximum of 10 cords
Wood you may cut
dead or down timber
Cutting season
Sold on request
Where to buy
in person at an Idaho Department of Lands office
In most parts of Idaho, IDL issues permits to the public to cut firewood on state endowment trust lands for non-commercial purposes.
Firewood Cutting Permits, Idaho Department of Lands, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

The wood is for the permit holder's own use and cannot be sold or traded.

Material cut under this permit is for the personal use of the Permittee and shall not be resold or traded.
State endowment trust lands. Read it at the source

No live trees, no cedar, and nothing already cut for a logging job.

The Permittee agrees not to cut or damage any live trees, or remove any cedar or any wood which has been cut for later removal by a logging operation.
State endowment trust lands. Read it at the source

No skidders or loaders, and wood must be bucked to four feet or shorter before it is hauled.

No mechanical skidding or loading equipment is permitted; wood must be cut into four foot lengths or shorter before transporting.
State endowment trust lands. Read it at the source

Carry the permit while cutting and while hauling.

This permit must be in the possession of the Permittee when cutting or transporting firewood. This permit is not assignable in whole or part.
State endowment trust lands. Read it at the source

Active timber sale areas are closed to firewood cutting.

No firewood gathering is permitted in active timber sales areas.
State endowment trust lands. Read it at the source

Chainsaw use can be suspended when fire danger is extreme.

In periods of extreme fire danger, use of chainsaws for firewood cutting may be temporarily suspended by the Fire Warden
State endowment trust lands. Read it at the source

BLM Idaho field offices

2025 season

Bureau of Land Management

Price
On the office page
Where to buy
online through the BLM forest products permit system, in person at a local BLM field office
Increase household limits to up to 10 cords of firewood and up to three trees, with flexibility to adjust limits in areas with abundant resources.
BLM launches One Dollar, One Tree holiday savings across Idaho public lands, Bureau of Land Management, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Rules on this permit

A temporary fee cut put many personal use permits at one dollar for the 2025 holiday season.

Effective immediately through January 31, 2026, the BLM is reducing many personal-use permit fees to just $1, including Christmas tree permits and firewood permits.
BLM Idaho field offices. Read it at the source

Offices opened additional cutting areas in crowded stands at the same time.

Local BLM offices are also opening new cutting areas in overstocked woodlands to provide Idahoans with more opportunities to gather their own firewood and festive trees, while also supporting forest thinning and hazardous fuel reduction.
BLM Idaho field offices. Read it at the source

Permits are sold online or over the counter at the field office.

Residents can purchase permits online, as well as find the latest information on cutting areas at: https://forestproducts.blm.gov/customer/permitselect/ID . Permits may also be purchased in person at your local BLM field office.
BLM Idaho field offices. Read it at the source

BLM Idaho field offices firewood permit page

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Moving firewood

Can you bring firewood into Idaho?

Idaho asks rather than forbids: buy your wood close to the fire you will burn it on. The rule is written by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and it sits below in its own words.

Advisory

Idaho has no statewide ban, and asks that firewood travel no more than 50 miles.

Idaho's park system asks campers to buy firewood where they burn it and to keep the source within 50 miles, because forest pests and diseases travel on moved wood.

Agency
Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
How far wood may travel
50 miles
Certified or treated wood
The rule does not turn on a certificate
FIREWOOD ALERT : Buy it where you burn it! Forest pests and diseases often spread on firewood. Help protect Idaho’s natural resources by sourcing your firewood locally (within 50 miles or less) to avoid introducing tree-killing pests.
Camping, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

What the rule says

Source firewood locally, within 50 miles or less, to keep tree pests from riding along.

Help protect Idaho’s natural resources by sourcing your firewood locally (within 50 miles or less) to avoid introducing tree-killing pests.
Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Read it at the source

Pests and diseases travel on firewood, so buy it at your destination.

FIREWOOD ALERT : Buy it where you burn it! Forest pests and diseases often spread on firewood.
Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Read it at the source
A slender metallic green beetle about half an inch long resting on pale cracked tree bark
The emerald ash borer, photographed by USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine. It flies only a short way on its own; a load of untreated firewood carries it as far as the truck goes, which is why more states name it in their firewood rules than any other pest. “Plant Protection and Quarantine (34954841290)”, APHIS.gov, Public domain
When to cut

Firewood cutting season in Idaho

Each office sets its own window, and most of them close it when fire danger rises or the roads soften. The dates that office has posted:

  • Caribou-Targhee National ForestJun 1 to Nov 30

Offices close their gates for weather and fire restrictions inside these windows, so the office’s own page is the one to check the week you go.

Nearby

What a cord costs in the states next door

A permit is only good on the land the office manages, so a cheaper cord across the line still has to obey whatever Idaho says about firewood arriving. The nearest states posting a price by the cord:

  1. Montana$5 to $10
  2. Nevada$5 to $10
  3. Oregon$5
  4. Utah$5 to $6.25
  5. Wyoming$5 to $7

Idaho firewood permit questions

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Firewood permits in other states

Idaho heating oil and propane pricesWhat a gallon costs this winter, and how that compares with a cord.First snow in IdahoWhen the first measurable snow usually falls, city by city.Idaho Christmas tree permitsThe other permit the same ranger district sells each winter.Firewood permits by stateEvery price by the cord in one table, with the rule on moving wood.
An open pole woodshed in a spruce clearing, one bay filled with stacked cordwood, a hydraulic log splitter in the foreground
An Alaska woodshed in summer with the winter stacked and the splitter still out. A cord is a stack four feet by four feet by eight feet, and that is the unit nearly every permit is priced in. “Alaska woodshed”, Keith Parker, CC BY-SA 2.0

Compiled September 22, 2026 from Firewood Permits, Sawtooth National Forest, USDA Forest Service and the other agency pages linked beside each quote above. Prices, seasons and quarantine boundaries change, so the agency’s own page is the one to read before you load a truck. Every state is in the national firewood permit guide.