St. Joseph residents will be able to burn yard waste during open burning season slated for November.
The City of St. Joseph has approved open burning for the fall for Monday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 22.
Open burning is permitted on these days within the City of St. Joseph under the following guidelines:
Burning of yard waste of residential properties only – ONLY dry yard waste
such as leaves, brush and logs grown on the property can be burned. NO
trash, paper, lumber or building debris may be burned.
Burning is allowed between 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
All fires must be in an upright cylindrical metal container with a volume equal
to no more than 55 gallons. Containers must be located at least fifteen (15)
feet away from any building. Only one burn container per residence.
All fires shall be monitored from a point on the property where the fire is
located, by a person capable of containing a fire, should containment become
necessary.
Fire-fighting material, including but not limited to, a garden hose or a
container of water sufficient to contain any fire started shall be at the site of
the fire.
If weather conditions such as high winds indicate the safety of the
community or the public may be endangered or if open burning may create a
health hazard, the Fire Chief or Health Director may invoke a temporary
burning ban.
Any violation of the open burning restrictions may result in a summons to appear in
court for a misdemeanor violation.
Residents are encouraged to explore alternatives to open burning. Many options for
disposing of yard waste are easy, do not contribute to air pollution, are not dependent
on time restrictions or the weather, and provide the healthy benefit of physical activity
while doing yard work instead of breathing acrid smoke from a waste fire. Such activities
include mowing leaves into fine particles and leaving them lay to fertilize the lawn, or
incorporating leaves into a mulch container to decompose into humus for use in
vegetable and flower gardens or for use on lawns as a soil amendment. Larger wood
brush that can be chipped makes excellent mulch around trees and shrubs. Family and
friends with gardens may want additional yard waste to use as mulch.