Fall Open Burn Season begins September 1 and goes through October 31. Residents who wish to burn weeds, garden debris or other yard waste as part of their fall cleanup efforts must have a burn permit valid for the current calendar year.
Residents can apply for a permit online, using a re-designed, easy-to-use tool at health.mesacounty.us or in person at Mesa County Public Health (MCPH), 510 29 ½ Road. Residents who purchased a permit in the spring of 2019 do not need to purchase another permit as it’s valid for the entire calendar year.
Once you have a permit, it’s important to monitor weather and other safety alerts. Your permit is not valid if there is a red flag warning, fire restriction or an air quality alert in place. “Burn permits are issued so that people who need to burn, can,” Epidemiology Program Manager Heidi Dragoo said. “We know that’s important for our agricultural community. However, to protect the health of our residents, we want to ensure burning happens on days where there are good conditions for smoke dispersal and suitable conditions for fire safety.”
Composting is also a great option to rid your yard of waste, including leaves and grass clippings – which cannot be burned. The Mesa County Organic Materials Composting Facility at Mesa County Solid Waste, 3071 U.S. Hwy 50, accepts organic materials like leaves, grass clippings, tree limbs, hay and straw free of charge from Mesa County residents. The facility is open from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call (970) 263-9319 for more information about composting.
Residents who live within Grand Junction City limits will need to purchase their permit through the Grand Junction Fire Department and abide by those burn season rules and regulations. Call (970) 549-5800 or email fire@gjcity.org for more info.
All residents need to have a permit to burn, whether burning for residential or agricultural purposes. If you suspect someone in your area is burning illegally, contact non-emergency dispatch at 242-6707.