Burn Permit

Permits are required to burn brush in Thompson. Open burning permit applications, which are issued under the jurisdiction of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, are issued by the Town’s Burn Official. The burning permits issued by the Burning Officials are usually good for one month, but certain restrictions may be applied.  The Permit Fee is $20.

Complete the application form. Once the permit is filled out,  submit it to the Building Office who will contact the Open Burning Official for final approval of the permit application.

Open burning in Thompson is limited to only brush (defined as shrubs, vegetation or pruning, the diameter of which is not greater than three inches in diameter at its widest point) and on residential property on which the permitee resides.  Burning on property not zoned or classified as residential is prohibited. The burning must be attended at all times. Once burn is completed all embers and coals must be extinguished and wetted, to prevent smoldering and ignite.

Burning when permitted may begin at 10:00 am and must be extinguished by 5:00 pm. Permits are not required for contained campfires. However, garbage, construction debris, brush and hazardous materials may not be burned.

Applicants must call the Quinebaug Valley Emergency Communications Center at phone number (860) 774-7555 each day before burning to inquire if burning is allowed and advise the dispatcher where the burning will take place. The applicant must also call each day to report they are finished.  Burning will not be permitted if the fire danger is High, Very High, or Extreme. The air quality index cannot be greater than 75 for any part of state or should not take place when the wind is under 5 mph or over 15 mph, if it is cloudy, rainy, and/or too humid.

Open burning must cease if it becomes a nuisance to nearby properties, or directed by the Open Burning Official, Town Fire Marshal, Officer/Member of the local Fire Department, or any representative from the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Other regulated burning permits may be obtained in the Building Office or the Open Burning Official.