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), keeps the earlier provisions in force only "except to the extent they have expired by their terms" and does not extend the burn ban, and no extension appears among the Governor's proclamations or news releases (re-read September 30, 2026 after noon). DNR RESTRICTIONS STILL APPLY on land under DNR fire protection (state forests, state parks, DNR campgrounds and DNR-protected private forestland). DNR's official burn-restriction layer, re-read September 30, 2026, lists a restriction in 21 of its 23 fire-danger areas. Rule burns are prohibited in 20 areas; burning under a written DNR permit is allowed subject to its conditions. Campfires are prohibited in all of the Chelan area; allowed only in approved, designated campgrounds in 11 areas across the Northeast and Southeast regions (Foothills, Highlands, Kaniksu, Methow, Upper Basin, Valley, Blue Mountain Grass and Brush, Lower Basin, Lower Yakima, Upper Yakima and Northern Blue Mountains); allowed only in improved concrete, brick or metal fire pits in 5 areas (Coast, Vancouver, Gorge West, South WA Cascades and South Lowlands); and allowed in Central Lowlands and Central WA Cascades. The Olympics and Upper White Salmon areas defer to Olympic National Forest, Olympic National Park and Gifford Pinchot National Forest. In the Northwest region, North Cascade and North Lowlands show no DNR burn ban, with permit burns and campfires authorized from 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2026. 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 RESTRICTIONS STILL APPLY on land under DNR fire protection (state forests, state parks, DNR campgrounds and DNR-protected private forestland). DNR's official burn-restriction layer, re-read October 2, 2026, lists a restriction in 20 of its 23 fire-danger areas, after the Southeast region eased its restrictions from 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2026. Rule burns are prohibited in 12 areas: Central Lowlands, Central WA Cascades, Foothills, Gorge West, Highlands, Kaniksu, Methow, South Lowlands, South WA Cascades, Upper Basin, Upper White Salmon and Vancouver. In the 7 Southeast-region areas (Blue Mountain Grass and Brush, Chelan, Lower Basin, Lower Yakima, Northern Blue Mountains, Upper Yakima and Valley), rule burns no larger than 4 feet in diameter are now 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. Campfires are allowed only in approved, designated campgrounds in 12 areas (Foothills, Highlands, Kaniksu, Methow and Upper Basin in the Northeast region, and the 7 Southeast-region areas above, including Chelan, where campfires had been banned outright); allowed only in improved concrete, brick or metal fire pits in 4 areas (Vancouver, Gorge West, South WA Cascades and South Lowlands); and allowed in Central Lowlands and Central WA Cascades. The Olympics and Upper White Salmon areas defer to Olympic National Forest, Olympic National Park and Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The layer shows no DNR burn ban in 3 areas: North Cascade and North Lowlands (permit burns and campfires authorized from 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2026) and Coast (campfires, rule burning and permit burning authorized; its note is dated "10/2/2025" as printed). 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.