Can I burn leaves and yard waste in southwest Illinois? See ordinances for where you live
With colorful fall foliage comes piles of leaves in metro-east backyards, but are you allowed to burn them under city ordinances?
Many environmental experts recommend against bagging leaves, as the filled plastic bags often end up in landfills, NPR reported in 2022. Alternatives include mowing thin layers of leaves so they don’t stifle light to your grass and raking leaves into landscape beds so they turn into mulch, but some people prefer to burn their leaves.
In addition to legal questions, forestry officials also recommend people take into consideration safety factors such as dry weather and windy conditions when deciding whether to burn leaves. The National Weather Service reports the metro-east has roughly equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation this fall.
Here’s what to know about local ordinances concerning burning leaves and other yard debris in your southwestern Illinois city.
Metro-east city ordinances on leaf-burning
Belleville
Open burning within Belleville city limits, including leaf burning, was banned in 2011, according to the municipality’s website.
Swansea
Burning leaves or other yard waste in Swansea is prohibited except for certain days and times, according to city ordinance.
A Swansea resident can burn yard waste generated on their property at these times:
From March 15 to May 15, only on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, only on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; burning is not allowed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Saturday after.
“While there have been minor infractions since being passed, the Village’s goal is always voluntary compliance,” Swansea village administrator Ben Schloesser wrote in a recent email to the BND.
Joint burning between neighbors is permitted on designated burning days if both homeowners agree.
Swansea officials may prohibit burning on those days if the weather is excessively windy or otherwise not conducive to safe burning. Officials may also designate additional burning days in the case of a major storm leading to a significant number of down trees and branches.
A resident who obtains a burn permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is exempt from the date and time limitations.
Burning is not allowed on any Swansea public street.
O’Fallon
Burning leaves, tree limbs or other yard waste within O’Fallon city limits is banned by city ordinance, except for on property zoned “A-Agriculture,” and only for waste generated on the premises.
O’Fallon officials issued two citations related to this ordinance in 2023, and none were issued in 2022. No leaf-burning citations have been issued so far this year, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request made by the BND.
Fairview Heights
Leaf-burning in Fairview Heights is allowed on the yard it was generated under local ordinance at specific times and dates, including:
Nov. 1 to April 30 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Burning must be kept under control and not left unattended. It is only allowed on private property. Violating the ordinance can result in a $100 fine for each offense in Fairview Heights.
Collinsville
Leaf-burning is not allowed under Collinsville city ordinance.
Edwardsville
“Burning of leaves, brush, and other landscape waste materials are specifically prohibited,” Edwardsville’s city ordinance reads.
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