HOLLISTER
It is time to renew both residential and agricultural burn permits, according to a press release issued today by Capt. James Dellamonica, fire marshal with the San Benito County Fire Department.
Residential permits that allow for the backyard burning of “yard trimmings and such,” according to the release, are referred to as residential door yard burning permits. These are good for a season starting back on Dec. 1 and ending April 30.
“You can’t burn household garbage, finished lumber, pressed wood and so on, and you can’t use incinerators,” Dellamonica explained from his office Wednesday. “The best rule of thumb on your property is if you grew it, you can burn it.”
Burning hours for this type of permit are from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. on permissive burn days as specified by the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District. They can be reached at (831) 647-9411.
The other type of permit, for agricultural burning, is for farmers who need to prune one or two times a year, rotate their crops or other larger scale farming needs, said Dellamonica.
“You need to be zoned agricultural, and understand these are not for the backyard gardener, the guy with the 4 walnut trees. You need to be on at least five acres that are zoned agricultural.”
These permits are good from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, and burning hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on permissive burn days.
Dellamonica further explained the reasons for the different permits.
“Most of the agricultural permit holders are pretty savvy, and have been doing this for years,” he said.
He added that problems arise when “someone moves here from San Jose, buys their dream five acres, and doesn’t really know anything about burning.”
As an example of this, Dellamonica advised: “Once you put fire on the ground, you have to stay with the fire as long as it’s burning … We have responded to calls where someone will set their pile on fire, go inside to watch the last quarter of the game and eat a sandwich, and when they get back their entire backyard is on fire.”
The marshal also cleared up some common misconceptions about burn regulations.
“Most regulations aren’t fire regulations – they are Monterey Bay regulations for air quality.”
An example, said Dellamonica, is the common belief that the five-month span of a residential permit, from Dec. to April, is set to coincide with the rainy season.
“People think they can’t burn because there has been no rain, or that they can when it has been raining,” he explained. “”But those burn days are not made regarding fire risk. They are made in regard to air quality standards.”
Those wishing to obtain either type of permit can call the San Benito County Fire Department at (831) 637-4474.
