Washington · Burn Bans

Before

Washington's statewide outdoor burn ban has ENDED. Governor's Emergency Proclamation 26-03 prohibited all outdoor and agricultural burning in all 39 counties "until noon on Wednesday, September 30, 2026," and it expired on its own terms at that hour; the Governor's later wildfire proclamation, 26-03.3 (signed September 28, 2026), does not extend the burn ban. DNR RESTRICTIONS STILL APPLY in 12 of DNR's 23 fire-danger areas on land under DNR fire protection (state forests, state parks, DNR campgrounds and DNR-protected private forestland). 2 MORE NORTHEAST AREAS EASED FROM 12:01 a.m. ON OCTOBER 15, 2026: in Methow and Highlands, DNR's official burn-restriction layer now shows no DNR burn ban — campfires are allowed, and rule burns no larger than 4 feet in diameter are allowed for forest debris from property that is not improved, rising to 10 feet in diameter from October 16, 2026. Rule burns are still prohibited, and campfires are allowed only in approved, designated campgrounds, in 3 Northeast-region areas: Foothills, Kaniksu and Upper Basin (in effect since September 25, 2026). In the 7 Southeast-region areas (Blue Mountain Grass and Brush, Chelan, Lower Basin, Lower Yakima, Northern Blue Mountains, Upper Yakima and Valley), campfires are allowed only in approved designated campgrounds, and rule burns no larger than 4 feet in diameter are allowed for forest debris from property that is not improved, rising to 10 feet in diameter from October 16, 2026. Burning under a written DNR permit is allowed subject to its conditions everywhere. The Olympics and Upper White Salmon areas defer to Olympic National Forest, Olympic National Park and Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and the layer lists Upper White Salmon with rule burns banned. The layer shows no DNR burn ban in Central Lowlands and Central WA Cascades (rule burning, permit burning and campfires authorized from October 9, 2026); Gorge West, South Lowlands, South WA Cascades and Vancouver (from October 9, 2026: rule burns no larger than 10 feet in diameter allowed for forest debris from property that is not improved, and campfires allowed, but on state land only in DNR campgrounds); North Cascade and North Lowlands (permit burns and campfires authorized from October 1, 2026); and Coast (from October 2, 2026: rule burns no larger than 10 feet in diameter and permit burns allowed; on state land, campfires only in DNR campgrounds). Fireworks, exploding targets, sky lanterns and tracer ammunition are illegal on all DNR-protected lands. A DNR burn restriction is a crime to violate. Restrictions are set area by area and change often, and county, city, fire-district, clean-air-agency, national forest and landowner rules can be stricter — check DNR's Burn Portal (burnportal.dnr.wa.gov) and your county and fire district before you burn.

Now

Washington's statewide outdoor burn ban has ENDED. Governor's Emergency Proclamation 26-03 prohibited all outdoor and agricultural burning in all 39 counties "until noon on Wednesday, September 30, 2026," and it expired on its own terms at that hour; the Governor's later wildfire proclamation, 26-03.3 (signed September 28, 2026), does not extend the burn ban. DNR'S OFFICIAL BURN-RESTRICTION LAYER NOW SHOWS NO DNR BURN BAN IN 22 OF ITS 23 FIRE-DANGER AREAS after 10 more areas eased on October 16, 2026; the 23rd, Olympics, defers to Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park. RULE BURNS ARE ALLOWED AGAIN from 12:01 a.m. on October 16, 2026 in the 3 Northeast-region areas where they had been prohibited since September 25, 2026 - Foothills, Kaniksu and Upper Basin: rule burns no larger than 10 feet in diameter (4 feet in diameter in Spokane County, in Foothills and Upper Basin) are allowed for forest debris from property that is not improved. Campfires there are still limited: in Foothills, only in approved, designated campgrounds; in Kaniksu and Upper Basin, campfires are allowed but not on state land except in DNR campgrounds. In the 7 Southeast-region areas (Blue Mountain Grass and Brush, Chelan, Lower Basin, Lower Yakima, Northern Blue Mountains, Upper Yakima and Valley), from October 16, 2026 campfires are allowed on DNR-managed land under recreational fire rules, no longer only in designated campgrounds, and rule burns no larger than 10 feet in diameter are allowed for forest debris from property that is not improved. In Methow and Highlands, campfires are allowed and rule burns no larger than 10 feet in diameter are authorized from October 16, 2026. Burning under a written DNR permit is allowed subject to its conditions everywhere. Upper White Salmon contains only national forest land and defers to Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The layer shows no DNR burn ban in Central Lowlands and Central WA Cascades (rule burning, permit burning and campfires authorized from October 9, 2026); Gorge West, South Lowlands, South WA Cascades and Vancouver (from October 9, 2026: rule burns no larger than 10 feet in diameter allowed for forest debris from property that is not improved, and campfires allowed, but on state land only in DNR campgrounds); North Cascade and North Lowlands (permit burns and campfires authorized from October 1, 2026); and Coast (from October 2, 2026: rule burns no larger than 10 feet in diameter and permit burns allowed; on state land, campfires only in DNR campgrounds). Fireworks, exploding targets, sky lanterns and tracer ammunition are illegal on all DNR-protected lands. A DNR burn restriction is a crime to violate. Restrictions are set area by area and change often, and county, city, fire-district, clean-air-agency, national forest and landowner rules can be stricter, including air-quality burn bans from the Department of Ecology or a local clean air agency - check DNR's Burn Portal (burnportal.dnr.wa.gov) and your county and fire district before you burn.