Burn Bans

Wisconsin has no statewide burn ban, and no county's DNR-issued burning permits are suspended. On the DNR's official burn-restriction feed, 8 counties - Adams, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, Monroe and Wood - now allow burning with a DNR annual burning permit from 9 a.m. to midnight (their postings are dated October 15 to October 16, 2026), only for a covered barrel, a debris pile smaller than 6 by 6 by 6 feet, or a grass or wooded area smaller than 1 acre. In 22 counties - Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oneida, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, Taylor, Vilas and Washburn - and in northern Oconto County (the Townships of Brazeau, Bagley, Breed and those to the north), burning is allowed only with a DNR annual burning permit, only from 6 p.m. to midnight, and only for those same 3 kinds of burn. In all 30 of these counties, anything larger needs a special burning permit from the local DNR Ranger Station. In 12 counties - Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Grant, Green Lake, Iowa, Marquette, Portage, Richland, Sauk, Waupaca and Waushara - and in southern Oconto County, a DNR annual permit is not required from June 1 to December 31 unless emergency burning restrictions are in effect. In the other 29 counties the DNR does not issue burning permits; local fire departments, town chairpersons and municipal ordinances control burning there. The feed rates fire danger LOW in all 72 counties. The feed is not a same-day statewide snapshot - each county carries its own posting date, and those range from June 5 to October 16, 2026 - DAILY burn restrictions do not post until after 9 a.m. Central, and the DNR can shorten burning hours or suspend permits again on any day, so check WisBURN or call 1-888-WIS-BURN (947-2876) on the day you plan to burn. Several counties also ask you to call the sheriff or dispatch center before burning a brush pile. Restrictions are set county by county; check your county before you burn.