Burn Permits in Michigan Suspended Due to COVID-19

In response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home executive order on Monday, permits for open burning will be suspended across Michigan in an action that is aimed at protecting public health and safety.

“We need to make sure our emergency response resources are available where they are needed at this time,” Dan Laux, fire supervisor for the DNR Forest Resources Division said in a release. “Less open burning means less potential for escaped fires, and that means staff can deal with other, more critical needs.

“It’s out of an abundance of caution that we want to support the statewide effort to fight COVID-19. Suspending burn permits in much of the state means fewer people will be burning debris – the No. 1 cause of wildfires in Michigan.”

As firefighters work closely together on scene and when traveling to and from locations, the suspension of burn permits will help protect firefighters and other first responders from infection by the coronavirus.

Burn permits in the southern Lower Peninsula are issued by local fire departments and government offices. Burn permits in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula are issued through the DNR.

The DNR encourages residents to visit its website to see when restrictions have been lifted.