County starts new open burning permit system

The Hays County Fire Marshal’s Office has implemented a new online system for Open Burning Permits in the unincorporated areas of the county. Fire Marshal Nathan Mendenhall said the system is easy to use and open burn permits are free.

“Our new online portal offers Hays County residents an easy to way register for an open burn permit,” he said. “We review permit submissions in real time, except on weekends, so it should be a relatively fast turnaround time.”

Mendenhall said open burn permits are valid for seven (7) days. He added that the new portal offers several features not previously available.

“Another nice element of the new system is that it notifies individuals, when they activate their permit, if a burn ban is in effect or if it’s a ‘Red Flag’ day and burning is not allowed,” he said.

To register, visit http://www.hayscountypermits.com and select the Login or Register button in the top right corner. If it is your first time using the system, sign up for a free account by clicking the Register link. All registered users can then simply log into the portal in the future. After completing the registration, check the email provided during sign up for a verification email; registration is then complete.

Once logged in, click the ‘Apply for a new operational permit’ link at the top of the screen and choose the Open Burning Permit and complete the required info. Using the instructions provided, individuals will activate their permit each day they wish to burn during the seven-day permit.