By Mike Kruzman /news@whmi.com


Tyrone Township is doing away with burn permits.

At their most recent meeting, the Tyrone Township Board of Trustees discussed removing the burn permit requirement from their Open Burning Ordinance and fee schedule.

Supervisor Mike Cunningham said they have kicked this around for some time, and with it starting to become more of a hassle during COVID times, started wondering why they need it. He called the $5 permit fee “trivial,” and said the township doesn’t make any money on it.

Cunningham recently discussed the decision with the two fire chiefs that serve Tyrone Township, with Fenton Fire Chief Bob Cairnduff said to have expressed a little concern about what happens if people don’t follow the rules. The Hartland-Deerfield Fire Authority used to issue burn permits through the department until a few years ago when they stopped. Cunningham said their chief helped make him believe this could work. He said their policy was to sell the permit, have residents call in to check conditions, and then the department would go out to check to burn site. Cunningham relayed that the ones who were calling were following the rules, and that the department felt like they were harassing the responsible citizens more than anything.

The Supervisor said that everybody should be able to be responsible enough to be able to look at their phones, check the wind speeds, and not burn if it is too windy. In Tyrone Township, opening burning is prohibited if sustained wind speeds are greater than 9 miles per hour. Additionally, when weather conditions warrant, the fire chief or the state of Michigan may suspend open burning. If caught violating, the property owner will pay the fees established.

The Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of the decision.