Frequently asked questions.

Before You Burn is a free website and app for checking whether outdoor debris burning is allowed at your address. It shows today's burn status, the local rules, fire danger and weather, and lets you register your burn and get alerts when conditions change.

It started as an Oregon wildfire prevention program, launched with a grant from the Oregon Department of Forestry and supported by the Western Fire Chiefs Association. Public Fire Safety builds and runs it. Visit BeforeYouBurn.com.

No. Before You Burn is always free for residents: no subscriptions and no paywalls. That includes checking your address, registering burns, alerts and the fire risk forecast.

Not to check. Anyone can look up the burn status and rules for an address. You need a free account to register a burn, track it and get alerts about it.

Go to BeforeYouBurn.com and choose Sign up. You'll enter your name, email address and ZIP code, and choose a password.

Sign in to Before You Burn and choose Report a Burn. Enter the date, location and type of burn, and your contact information. If burning is allowed there, your burn is registered and the agencies responsible for that location are notified automatically.

If burning isn't allowed, Before You Burn tells you why and who to contact.

Sign in and open My Burns. You'll see each burn's date, location and current status.

Turn on notifications. Sign in, open Settings, and approve the notification requests on your phone. You'll then get burn status changes, weather warnings and messages from your agency as they happen.

You can opt out of non-essential messages, but safety-critical messages may still be sent.

The public agencies with authority over your address: your fire district, county, state forestry, air quality agencies and, on federal land, the land manager. Where their rules overlap, the most restrictive one applies.

Public Fire Safety isn't a fire agency or regulator. We show what those agencies publish, so residents get one clear answer.

Call 9-1-1. Before You Burn isn't an emergency service. For urgent safety questions that aren't emergencies, contact your local fire agency directly. Before You Burn shows its contact details for your address.

The agencies responsible for that location see your burn and your contact details, so they can reach you if conditions change. Other residents see registered burns only on an anonymized map.

Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect and how it's used.

Check your address at BeforeYouBurn.com. Status is set by the agencies that cover you and can change during the day with the weather. Agencies may close burning without notice, so check again right before you light, and watch conditions while you burn.

Fire danger comes from the Oregon Department of Forestry, in four levels:

• Low: fuels don't ignite easily. Burning is usually allowed where your zone is open.
• Moderate: fires can start from most sources. Watch the wind and stay with your burn.
• High: fires start easily and spread fast. Many zones restrict or close burning.
• Extreme: fires start and spread explosively. Expect burning to be closed.

Your local agency can raise the level for local conditions, but never set it below ODF's.

Yes. Air quality agencies such as Oregon DEQ can issue advisories that restrict burning in the areas they affect, even when fire danger is low. Before You Burn combines fire danger and air quality into one answer for your address.

It depends on where you live. Some areas only ask you to register your burn; others require a permit, extra approval or an on-site inspection. Before You Burn shows the rules for your address and refers you to your agency when more is needed.

Following all local, state and federal rules, including setback distances, weather limits, supervision and the time your fire must be out. Keep watching conditions before and during your burn. You also need to own the property, or have the owner's permission.

No. Slash burning for an industrial forest operation in Oregon is reported through the Oregon Department of Forestry's FERNS system.

The public agencies with authority over your address: your fire district, county, state forestry, air quality agencies and, on federal land, the land manager. Where their rules overlap, the most restrictive one applies.

Public Fire Safety isn't a fire agency or regulator. We show what those agencies publish, so residents get one clear answer.

Request agency access. Your agency starts on the Free Plan, and most agencies are set up within one business day. Your primary contact gets sign-in instructions and onboarding help, and our implementation team verifies your details and answers setup questions.

You can start on the Free Plan at no cost and stay on it as long as you like. It puts your agency in Before You Burn results for your jurisdiction, shows residents your contact details, and tells them whether debris burning is open or closed.

The Pro Plan is for agencies that issue burn permits, manage several zones, or want automated alerts and reporting. Pricing is set in conversation, and it may already be covered for your agency by a statewide or regional partner, a county or multi-agency authority, or an approved sponsor.

Yes. Residents register burns with their contact details and a mapped location. Your staff can see active burns in your district and message burners individually or as a group, including weather updates, warnings and shutdowns by text message.

Residents checking an address in your zones see the new status straight away, and people with registered burns there are notified. Every change is logged, so you have a record for leadership, auditors and the public.

That's the aim. When residents can look up today's status, the rules and who to call for their own address, fewer of them need to phone your station to ask.

Oregon agencies receive fire danger from the Oregon Department of Forestry automatically. A local agency can raise the level for local conditions, but can't set it below ODF's.

Fire danger comes from the Oregon Department of Forestry, in four levels:

• Low: fuels don't ignite easily. Burning is usually allowed where your zone is open.
• Moderate: fires can start from most sources. Watch the wind and stay with your burn.
• High: fires start easily and spread fast. Many zones restrict or close burning.
• Extreme: fires start and spread explosively. Expect burning to be closed.

Your local agency can raise the level for local conditions, but never set it below ODF's.

No. Slash burning for an industrial forest operation in Oregon is reported through the Oregon Department of Forestry's FERNS system.

Air quality agencies issue advisories that restrict burning in the zones they affect. Residents see the restriction alongside fire danger and local rules, so they get one answer covering both.

Yes. Air quality agencies such as Oregon DEQ can issue advisories that restrict burning in the areas they affect, even when fire danger is low. Before You Burn combines fire danger and air quality into one answer for your address.

Federal land managers can coordinate prescribed burns on BLM, Forest Service and other federal land, with the local agencies around them kept informed. Where federal and local rules overlap, the most restrictive applies.

Every address is matched to all the agencies with authority over it: county, fire district, state forestry, air quality and federal land. Where their rules overlap, the most restrictive closure or rule applies automatically. Counties can also set county-wide restrictions and coordinate with the fire districts inside them.

A small, free badge you add to your website. It gives visitors instant access to the burn regulations at local agencies, and it stays up to date on its own. See the badge program.

Organizations whose audience includes local residents: fire agencies, city and county governments, public libraries, news outlets and radio and TV stations, community blogs and newsletters, chambers of commerce, schools and universities, businesses and real estate agencies.

Most applications are reviewed within 2–3 business days. We email you when it's approved, usually with your badge code. Apply here.

Sponsors and regional partners can cover the Pro Plan for agencies in their area, the way a grant from the Oregon Department of Forestry funded Before You Burn's launch. Sponsorship never changes who sets burn policy. Contact us to talk about it.

We use GIS boundary data for state, county, district and federal land, so each address resolves to the right agencies. During setup our implementation team verifies your agency's details with you. After that, keep your zones, rules and boundaries current through your agency account.

Request agency access. Your agency starts on the Free Plan, and most agencies are set up within one business day. Your primary contact gets sign-in instructions and onboarding help, and our implementation team verifies your details and answers setup questions.

Email support@publicfiresafety.com. We usually reply within one business day. Include as much detail as you can, such as the agency or burn involved and any error message. Agency administrators onboarding a new agency should also check the documentation in their provisioning email.

Your agency assigns roles and permissions to its own staff, for example chiefs, coordinators and administrators. Make sure only authorized people have access, and keep your zone data and contact details accurate.

Email support@publicfiresafety.com and we'll delete it. Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have the details.

You can start on the Free Plan at no cost and stay on it as long as you like. It puts your agency in Before You Burn results for your jurisdiction, shows residents your contact details, and tells them whether debris burning is open or closed.

The Pro Plan is for agencies that issue burn permits, manage several zones, or want automated alerts and reporting. Pricing is set in conversation, and it may already be covered for your agency by a statewide or regional partner, a county or multi-agency authority, or an approved sponsor.

Before You Burn brings together National Weather Service fire weather forecasts, fire danger from the Oregon Department of Forestry, and air quality from EPA and state monitoring. CAD and dispatch integration is planned.

It started in Oregon, and agencies across the western United States now take part, with state pages for Alaska, California, Nevada and Utah. Any agency can request access, wherever it is.