Any person who proposes to set fires in the course of weed abatement shall obtain a permit from an air pollution control authority, the department of ecology, or a local entity delegated permitting authority under RCW 70A.15.5100. General permit criteria of statewide applicability shall be established by the department, by rule, after consultation with the various air pollution control authorities. Permits shall be issued under this section based on seasonal operations or by individual operations, or both. All permits shall be conditioned to insure that the public interest in air, water, and land pollution and safety to life and property is fully considered. In addition to any other requirements established by the department to protect air quality pursuant to other laws, applicants for permits must show that the setting of fires as requested is the most reasonable procedure to follow in safeguarding life or property under all circumstances or is otherwise reasonably necessary to successfully carry out the enterprise in which the applicant is engaged, or both. All burning permits will be designed to minimize air pollution insofar as practical. Nothing in this section relieves the applicant from obtaining permits, licenses, or other approvals required by any other law. An application for a permit to set fires in the course of weed abatement shall be acted upon within seven days from the date such application is filed.

Purpose—2009 c 118: See note following RCW 70A.15.5000.