Today’s the day.

Pinal County began issuing open burn permits today for residents in unincorporated Maricopa to safely dispose of trash. The county put a moratorium on such permits April 28.

Permits are required before county residents can openly burn any plant material measuring 20 cubic feet or less on property outside of Maricopa or Florence city limits.

The permits are valid until April 30, 2025.

Thunderbird Fire District Chief Allen Alcott said burn permits help keep departments like his aware of any fires in the area. It also allows them to help educate people on how to safely burn materials on their property.

“The burn permit has my number, so people can say, ‘Hey, we’re burning at this place.’ I make sure they have shovels, rakes, water and the area around the burning area is cleared,” he told InMaricopa.

He added that failure to obtain a permit puts residents at risk of citations, arrest or even igniting a brush fire.

“I don’t like seeing people get tickets and get cited for not doing things correctly when it’s very easy to get,” Alcott said.

Permits can be obtained online or in person at the Development Services building in Florence for as little as $2. Permits are only issued Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and may take up to 24 hours to process.