Spring Open Burning 2024

Per Oelwein City Ordinance 16-80, the open burning dates for inside the Oelwein City limits are set to start at 8:00 a.m. on March 14, 2024. The final date for the spring open burning will be April 28, 2024. The open burning has the following restrictions:

1.  Time Restriction: Burning shall be allowed only on specific days, between 8:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M., and under favorable atmospheric conditions or local circumstances designated by the Public Safety Chief or the Fire Chief and said fire does not create a nuisance, health or safety hazard.
2.  Location: No burning shall be allowed within fifty (50) feet of any structure unless the landscape waste pile is three (3) feet or less in diameter and two (2) feet or less in height, in which case the separation distance shall be a minimum of twenty-five (25) feet from the structure.
3. Attendance: All fire shall be constantly attended by a person who shall assume responsibility for the burning. A garden hose connected to a water supply or other approved fire-extinguishing equipment must be readily available at the burning site.
4. Ordered Discontinuance: The Public Safety Chief, the Fire Chief, or his/her designee, is authorized to order the cessation of the burning if smoke emissions create a nuisance or safety hazard.
5. Landscape waste: The disposal by open burning of landscape waste originating on the premises during the designated burning seasons each year, provided such burning is conducted in accordance with the above rules.
6. Recreational fires: Open fires for cooking, heating, recreation and ceremonies, provided they comply with the limits for emission of visible air contaminants established by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Rubber or plastic materials shall not be burned in a recreational fire.

Persons are not allowed to burn garbage, construction materials, etc…

If burning is not possible, the Oelwein Yard Waste Disposal Site is open. It is located at the intersection of 4th Street SW and 7th Avenue SW. The site is open 7 days a week. Only natural yard waste is allowed to be dropped off, which includes leaves, grass trimmings, brush, garden waste, and tree branches.