Open Burning & Burn Permits

Burn Permit Online Application - apply and pay online for faster service! Applications open for 2026 season!  Permits are only available from 1/15-5-1 each year. 

Check our pinned post to see if burning is allowed today.

Open Burning Season Rules

• The open burning season is from January 15th to May 1st each year.
• A permit is required from the Mendon Fire Department. Permits are $10, check or money order, payable to the TOWN OF MENDON. Permits are available on the Online Permitting System or in person at the Police Station at 24 Main Street or the Fire Station at 8 Morrison Drive. Cash will not be accepted at either location.
• Permits are good for the whole season, but each day the permit holder must check to see if burning is allowed by calling the station at 508-473-5330. We will also try to post on our Facebook page each morning, see "Mendon Fire Department".
• The Department of Environmental Protection and the Fire Department decide each morning, based on atmospheric conditions and wind conditions, whether burning is allowed. Please check after 9 am
• The open burning must be a minimum of 75 feet from all buildings and must be conducted between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm

Burning (with a Permit) for the Following Materials Is Allowed

• Brush, cane, driftwood, and forestry debris from sources other than commercial or industrial
• Materials normally associated with the pursuit of agriculture, such as a fruit tree
• Prunings, dead raspberry stalks, blueberry patches for pruning purposes, and infected
• Bee hives for disease control.
• Trees and brush resulting from agricultural land clearing.
• Fungus-infected elm wood, if no other acceptable means of disposal are available.

Burning of the Following Materials Is Prohibited Statewide

• Brush, trees, cane, and driftwood from commercial and/or industrial land clearing operations.
• Grass, hay, leaves and stumps, and tires.
• Construction material and debris.

Open Burning Safety Tips

• An adult should always be present during open burning, and children and pets should be kept a safe distance away.
• Never use gasoline, kerosene, or any other flammable liquid to start a fire because the risk of personal injury is high.
• Burn one small pile at a time and slowly add to it. This will help keep the fire from getting out of control.
• Select a location away from any utility lines.
• While the fire is burning, an adult must attend the fire until it is completely extinguished.
• Have fire extinguishment materials on hand, including a water supply, shovels, and rakes.
• Watch the Wind: Be Prepared to Extinguish All Open Burning
• Be prepared to extinguish your fire if the winds pick up or the weather changes. Use common sense and don't wait for the fire department to contact you that it has become unsafe to burn. Sudden wind change is how most open burning gets out of control.
• If, for some reason, the fire should get out of control, call 911 immediately.
• Use the utmost caution to prevent injury to yourself or family members or any damage by fire to your home.
• Prevent permit fires from becoming wildland fires by burning early in the season. Wet and snowy winter conditions, hinder the rapid spread of fire on or under the ground. Weather conditions and increased fire danger in the Spring may lead to many days when burning cannot be allowed to take place.