Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp on Monday announced the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau will be issuing Emergency Burn Permits, free of charge, for residents in the county’s unincorporated areas to burn fallen tree limbs and debris caused by storms in early May. Following conversations with residents in Sale Creek and other areas impacted by last month’s severe weather, the decision was made to open burn permit applications for the remainder of June to accelerate cleanup efforts.
“After hearing from residents across the county about safety and day-to-day inconvenience caused by storm damage, I requested burn permits be made available to assist in pickup efforts,” said Mayor Wamp. “We’re grateful for Commissioner Gene-O Shipley’s leadership in relaying the concerns of his constituents and working with our office to make sure the needs of those who live on the outskirts of our community are met in a timely manner.”
Emergency Burn Permits are available only to those in unincorporated Hamilton County, whereas residents who live within the incorporated areas are eligible for brush pickup through their municipality’s Public Works Department. Residents must obtain an Emergency Burn Permit prior to burning, and all permits will require an inspection. Storm debris should be gathered into piles no larger than eight feet tall, eight feet wide, and eight feet in diameter prior to applying for a permit.
Residents with storm damage may only burn vegetation or brush that is less than 12 inches in diameter, and/or clean, raw, untreated, non-manufactured wood from their property. In order for the approval of an Emergency Burn Permit, the following additional criteria must be met: debris must be a result from recent storm damage and for purposes of inconvenience, the burn site is more than 100 feet away from the nearest structure other than the applicant’s home and more than 50 feet from nearby wooden fences.
Applications for an Emergency Burn Permit are open from June 10 through 30. For more information, visit the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau website linked here.