question about fire...

[skullshogun]

Right, so this is an odd question, but here goes nothing:

I live in the city (ish). That is to say, I live technically in the city, but I live on a neighborhood, this is not a terribly urban city, the residentials are kind of set apart from the rest of the town in little sections that have grass and some trees ,etc. etc.
Now, my question is if it is legal for me to take an old aluminum trashcan that I have in my backyard, put my old highschool books in it (I payed for those books, they are mine, and they are books I was forced to keep because my highschool changed books every time I tried to resell them). and burn them in a small fire. The trashcan is simply to contain the fire so I would not have to have an open fire on my pattio.
The reason I am asking if this is legal is because Im not sure how a fire would look legally honestly, haha. I know on a more country property is fine, but Im curious if a contained fire is. Im not planning on making it a party or noisy event, simply a fire to get rid of these old outdated books while giving me something to do at night. There would be no noise issue, basically nothing else would be done aside from igniting the books in the trashcan, and of course proper safety measures would be taken in order to ensure the safety of my home and those around me (including water and a fire extinguisher).
And this would be done in my backyard which is fenced in. I have done a small fire before on the patio when I was younger. I just want to make sure this is legal before doing anything else.

Any cop give me some insite on this at all?

[SpecialBlend]

Off the top of my head I would assume it's legal though I'm sure someone will know for certain.

Instead of burning them, why not sell them online at like half.com or some place like that? Makes you a little money and gets rid of the books too

[skullshogun]

yeah i already explored hose options. but its the sentimental value of burning them after having said I would all highschool, I want to be the one mofo who actually does it, haha. (small highschool).
sides that, they arent worth much beause they are outdated now and all have new editions.

[crass cop]

call the local fire dept and ask if legal...or just throw them in a recycling dumpster

[Nessmuk]

Not in this state. The only thing you can burn in the ambient air is "clean, untreated wood and brush under five inches in diameter" with a specific prohibition against burning paper, waste, household trash, & so forth. The fire itself needs a permit from the town. The only exceptions are products of the explosives industry like boxes & bags for ANFO & dynamite, which by other laws can only be disposed of by burning.

Here, a fire in a barrel is not considered "contained" even if there is a screen on top. A "contained" fire must be in a purpose-built device completely enclosed, with products of combustion emitted through a purpose-built stack, the definition of which is incredibly lengthy, so as to regulate draft & control the emission of sparks & smoke.

Failure to have the permit is a misdemeanor (RSA 227-L:17); burning prohibited materials is a violation (RES 5601 subject to RSA 227-G:5-a). Furthermore, also under RES 5601 sections, you can be charged with a violation if your smoke creates a nuisance for another landowner, the fire is too close to an occupied structure, it is left "unattended" or you fail to "completely extinguish" the fire before leaving it, or you burn at a time or place not indicated on the permit.

However, all that goes out the window if the "ground is covered with snow" in which case neither the permit nor the rules apply; that is the STATE law & rule, and many communities have enforceable open burning ordinances that can also be enforced (the chances are greater the larger the community).

That's here in the Granite State...things are very different with fire laws & codes throughout the U.S. and Canada. It would be a good bet to check with your local fire department, state forestry or environmental services agency before you go lighting things on fire outdoors. The last thing you want is to get in trouble over a dream; on the other hand, if you do your homework and find out that it is o.k. to light up your yearbooks in S.C. then you will be one up on anyone who complains - enjoy a few beers and cehck out the interesting color flames you get when burning inked & glossy papers. Assuming, of course, it is legal to do so in your jurisdiction.

Frankly, a can or barrel is very inefficient for burning paper products, and even more so for books & catalogs (it used to be legal here). What you end up with is a pile of incompletely combusted & charred/smoldering stacks of papers in the bottom of your hot barrel. They would burn much better if you had a brush pile already to burn, and tossed one or two books on at a time so that they get sufficient air flow to completely burn. Or, toss one in each time you fire up a woodstove, so the controlled draft generates enough clean-burning heat to do the job.

[CruiserClass]

Your not going to get a good answer here. This kind of thing varies not only state to state, but county to county, city to city, etc. etc. It might be legal on one side of the road and subject to hefty fines on the other side.

Call your local fire department and ask.

[PhilipCal]

To the OP. If you live in an incorporated city, you're bound by any applicable city ordinances. That would include ordinances related to burning. I recommend you call, either your city Fire Dept or Code Enforcement Office,to see if your proposed burning is legal. Or, you could take the very good sugestion of simply depositing the books in a recycling dumpster. No question of the legality of that choice.

[nuthead]

To the OP. If you live in an incorporated city, you're bound by any applicable city ordinances. That would include ordinances related to burning. I recommend you call, either your city Fire Dept or Code Enforcement Office,to see if your proposed burning is legal.

+1. Here in SC, you'll also need to call the Forestry Commission and notify them: 1-800-895-7056.

But make sure you call your local FD FIRST, as they could well be city ordinances that apply.

[StudChris]

Call your local FD and ask them. I definitely understand the sentimental value of burning your high school books... so good luck.

[nonickname69]

Sell them on half.com you will get some of your money back on most of them.