Town of Milton, WI Chapter 62 Burning, Open

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Milton 10-8-2001 by Ord. No. 10-0801. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Brush, grass and weeds — See Ch. 46.

Emergency services — See Ch. 141.

Solid waste — See Ch. 352.

§ 62-1 Definition.

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

OPEN FIRE

Any fire which is initiated in a burn barrel, a fire ring, or other structure intended for the containment of a fire; fires initiated to burn yard waste or grass and other ground cover; and fires initiated to destroy a structure.

§ 62-2 Firesafety regulations.

Any person, company, or corporation initiating a fire within the Town of Milton must adhere to the following regulations:

A. All open fires must be initiated in a manner that is lawful under the statutes and administrative rules of the State of Wisconsin.

B. All open fires must be controlled in a manner that does not require suppression of such fire by a fire department.

C. Only dry, natural materials may be burned. No burning of garbage, refuse or recyclable materials is allowed, except for agricultural packaging in a farm setting.

D. Open fires are allowed only between the hours of sunrise and sundown, except for fires initiated to burn grass and other ground cover on land zoned for agricultural use when the Rock County Communications Center or the Milton-Milton Town Fire Department is notified prior to the initiation of the fire.

E. All open fires must be more than 25 feet from any building, utility pole, overhead wire, or other combustible material.

F. All open fires shall be at least 25 feet from any lot line of residences in any subdivision in the Town of Milton.

G. All open fires must be attended at all times.

H. Outdoor cooking in a grill or fireplace or a campfire in an open pit shall be permitted where the cooking surface and/or campfire surface is less than 50 square feet. Materials to be burned shall be limited to wood logs and charcoal briquettes and shall not include any garbage, refuse or recyclable materials. All unattended grills and campfires shall be completely extinguished.

§ 62-3 Liability for fire calls.

If any person, company, or corporation initiates an open fire in violation of § 62-2 of this chapter and a fire department responds, the owner of the property on which such fire is initiated shall be liable for the full cost of the fire call and other penalties that may be imposed.

§ 62-4 Billing and payment procedure.

The cost of fire calls resulting from any violation of this chapter shall be billed by the Town Clerk to the property owner and paid to the Town Treasurer within 60 days of the date the bill was mailed. The failure to pay the bill within 60 days shall result in interest being charged at the rate of 1 1/2% per month from the date the bill was mailed. Those bills, including accrued interest, outstanding on November 1 of any year shall become a lien against the real estate involved and shall be placed on the tax roll as a delinquent special charge pursuant to § 66.0703, Wis. Stats.

§ 62-5 Violations and penalties.

Any person, company, or corporation violating this chapter may be issued a summons to appear before the Municipal Court of the Town of Milton and shall be fined not less than $100 and not more than $250 plus court costs.