New ‘Open Burn Permit’ Bill Proposed in Illinois Has Campfire Lovers Fired Up

If you live in Illinois and enjoy sitting by a campfire or fire pit on a nice summer evening, get ready for your blood pressure to rise a few notches.

Proposed 'Campfire Tax' in Illinois

It's no secret that Illinois gets a bad rap for charging so many taxes, and just when it seems like this State has nothing left to tax, you read an article about a new proposed bill that would require residents to buy permits to have a campfire.

The bill is officially called the "Local Government Open Burn Permit Act" but many unhappy Illinois residents are now referring to it as the "Campfire/Fire Pit Tax".

Basically, under this bill, anyone who wants to have a fire in their backyard would need to purchase a $5 permit, every time they have an open burn, and failing to do so could land you a penalty of up to $100,000.

Pros of Illinois' Proposed Open Burn Permit Act

While this proposed bill sounds a lot like charging Illinois residents fees to have fun, there are a few pros to consider.

• Every municipality and county in Illinois will have the choice to opt in or out of the Local Government Open Burn Permit Act.
• Permit fees collected would go towards local fire protection services.
• Promotes safer open burning practices.

If just the thought of this bill becoming reality upsets you, don't worry, it still has several steps to go through. So far, the bill has been filed with the state Clerk, but has not been assigned to a committee yet.

Now the only question I have left is, will this permit fee apply to gas fire pits too? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.