Burn Ban in King County updated to Stage 2

Use of fire pits is prohibited during a Stage 2 burn ban.
Photo (and fire pit) by Roy Mangel

To protect public health from worsening air pollution, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is elevating the burn ban for King and Snohomish counties to Stage 2, effective at 2:00pm November 25, 2013. A Stage 2 burn ban remains in effect for Pierce County.

These bans remain in effect until further notice.

Sunday night fine particle pollution levels spiked in many areas throughout the Puget Sound region, especially in neighborhoods where wood-burning is common.

During a Stage 2 burn ban:

• No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home's other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home's only adequate source of heat.
• No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimneys.

Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.

It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage 2 burn ban.