Open Burning and Burn Permits

When a burn ban is in place, issued by either Adams County Sheriff or Arapahoe County Sheriff, the Fire District will enforce the most restrictive ban District-wide. No burning is allowed without a permit from your local fire authority unless the activity is exempt.

The open burn period is currently OPEN. The burning period runs from April 1st - October 31st and requires a valid (current year only - not expired) and approved CDPHE permit to be obtained before open burning. Fire department notification and approval are also required for all burning activity, even if the activity is permit-exempt, on the day of burning. Burning cannot be preapproved. Permit applications for 2024 can be submitted to CDPHE for approval for the current burn season.

Current as of April 13, 2024

If you need to perform an Open Burn of any kind within the Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue service area, you must contact us before conducting the burning activity. Specially trained personnel consistently evaluate fire conditions throughout our District. While an area may visually seem safe to burn in, there may be unseen factors present that could initiate a dangerous situation.

Contact the Life Safety Division to assist in your planning, to ensure that your site and preparations are reviewed for safety, and that you have obtained a burn permit to ensure that your burn is a legal one. This also makes your job easier in that you have enlisted the aid of someone well-versed in the current state, county, and local ordinances. Many of these ordinances and fire weather conditions can change rapidly, and it's our responsibility to remain alert to these changes for our citizenry.

For information on obtaining burn permits, contact our Administrative Offices at (303) 644-3572 Monday through Friday from 8 am until 4 pm. If you would like to schedule an open burn and the administrative offices are closed, please contact our dispatch center, (720) 258-8911 and they will alert the on-duty crew to contact you.
Below you will find State information on open burning:

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Air Pollution Control Division APCD-SS-B1
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246

Phone: (303) 692-3204

Fax: (303) 782-0278

Open Burn Information - English Open Burn Information - Spanish Open Burning Fact Sheet Open Burn Application

Website Accessibility Policy

Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.

If you need any special assistance or accommodations:

Call us at (303) 644-3572

Ongoing Compliance Information

Compliance Officer

Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations. The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.

Compliance Procedures and Reports

In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards, Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found.

Linked Documents and Third Parties

Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do not have accessible content. This site may also include documents provided by third parties included in our agenda packets, for example. While we cannot control the accessibility of content provided by third parties, we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.

See an opportunity for us to improve? Please contact our accessibility officer or call us at (303) 644-3572.

Report a Website Accessibility Issue

We are committed to your ability to access all content, and we will respond to all requests as soon as possible.

Open Burning and Burn Permits

Adams County Sheriff Burn Ban Information

Arapahoe County Sheriff Burn Ban Information