It’s been a long and hot summer in the Pahrump Valley and residents all around town have undoubtedly spent the last five months eyeing those ever-growing weeds and piles of yard debris, and perhaps even their collection of household paper products and cardboard boxes, waiting for the all-clear from town officials signifying that the 2021-2022 burn season has been opened.
Now, the weather is finally taking a turn toward chillier conditions and colder temperatures are making their presence known and it is nearly time for the local burn moratorium to be lifted, with just over a week remaining until residents will be authorized to once again begin disposing of their yard and household paper waste via flames.
“Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue will lift the burn moratorium at 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021,” a news release from the Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Service stated.
Just because the burn moratorium is expiring does not mean every residents can simply head outside, create a pile of debris and light it on fire. Open burning can be a dangerous activity if not approached with care and there are many rules and regulations that come with the ability to conduct residential burns.
These laws are all contained within a local ordinance that outlines exactly how and when a person can conduct an open burn, be it inside of a burn barrel or directly on the ground, and the first step toward burning legally is to obtain a burn permit, with the news release noting, “Open burning is subject to Pahrump Town Ordinance #28 and includes the requirement for property owners to acquire a burn permit with valid liability property insurance.”
In order to obtain a burn permit, the applicant must be the owner of the property, or properties, on which the controlled burn is to be conducted. These are not transferable between persons, but if a burn permit holder moves, their permit can be transferred to a new location.
Burn permits are free and applications for such are easily obtained by going online to www.pahrumpnv.org and clicking on the “Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue” link located in the dropdown menu under the “Departments” tab. The application is located at the bottom of the page and must be downloaded and filled out in its entirety before submitting it to the fire department.
Completed applications can then be emailed to jfanning@pahrumpnv.org or dropped off directly at Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Station 1, located at 300 N. Highway 160, across the street from Home Depot.
The application will be reviewed and once the permit is issued, the resident can either pick it up from Station 1 or have it mailed to their home.
Property owners need only obtain a burn permit once, as they are permanent, but they do need to take additional steps each time they wish to conduct a burn.
“Before each controlled burn, permission shall be requested and granted through the fire chief or his/her designee. Permission will not be granted until the following information is provided: permit number, location of controlled burn, type of burn (household or waste vegetation), the person responsible for the controlled burn and the approximate duration of the controlled burn,” Pahrump Town Ordinance #28 specifies.
Burning of both household paper products and yard debris can be conducted in a burn barrel as defined in the ordinance. However, only waste vegetation such as weeds, tree limbs, etc., can be burned in a pile on the ground. This pile must be less than three feet in height and all burning must be done at least 25 feet away from other combustible materials.
Burns are only permitted between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on weekends. Burning on any holiday is prohibited.
There are a host of other regulations encompassed in the town ordinance, a copy of which will be provided with every new burn permit issued. Those desiring to conduct open burns must familiarize themselves with the ordinance and its stipulations, or they can face criminal charges. As detailed by the ordinance, “Any person violating the provisions of this ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor…” Permit holders who are found to be burning without authorization may be warned on the first occasion, but subsequent violations will result in a misdemeanor charge, which could lead to a hefty fine.
For more information reach out to Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Administrative Secretary Jennifer Fanning via email at jfanning@pahrumpnv.org or call the fire department at 775-727-5658.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com