Fire Danger Prompts Stage 1 and 2 Fire Restrictions Across Northern Idaho

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 7, Stage 2 Fire Restrictions will be in effect in Bonner and Boundary Counties (the dividing line deviates slightly from the county line on the Bunco Road). Stage 1 Fire Restrictions will be in effect for Kootenai, Shoshone, and Benewah Counties. 

Fire Restrictions apply to all lands managed or protected by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (including lands in Washington and Montana administered by the IPNF), the Bureau of Land Management, the Idaho Department of Lands, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, including all state, state endowment, federal, tribal, and private forest and range land. All other private property owners are advised to check with their fire department for any applicable constraints. Restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.

Moderate to severe drought conditions coupled with persistent high temperatures have raised the fire danger rating to very high and extreme across northern Idaho. The National Preparedness Level is 5, meaning National resources are heavily committed, and active geographic areas must take emergency measures to sustain incident

operations. These conditions have prompted Fire Restrictions to be implemented in accordance with the criteria established in the 2026 Idaho Fire Restrictions Plan for all lands in the Coeur d’Alene Dispatch area. To view the Idaho Fire Restrictions Plan, please visit https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/ 

With the extreme temperatures and drought the region is experiencing, fire managers are asking the public to be extra cautious when spending time outdoors.  As a reminder, fireworks are prohibited on state and private forestland and rangeland, and on public lands, roads, and trails in Idaho during closed fire season (May 10 through October 20).  Possession and/or use of fireworks is always prohibited on federal public lands. 

Under Stage II fire restrictions, the following acts are prohibited:

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire.
2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a designated recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
3. Operating motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails in accordance with existing travel management plans for non-commercial purposes including ATVs, UTVs, and pickups. 
4. The following acts are prohibited from 1:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.: (A patrol is required for one hour following cessation of all work as described in a, b, and c below.)
   1. Operating a chainsaw or other equipment powered by an internal combustion engine for felling, bucking, skidding, yarding, processing, road building and woodcutting during industrial operations or firewood gathering.
   2. Blasting, welding, grinding or other activities that generate flame or flammable material.
   3. Using an explosive.

The following are exemptions to the Stage II Fire Restrictions:

1. Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.
2. Persons using a fire or stove fire fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels. Such devices, including propane campfires, may be used only in an area cleared of flammable material.
3. Persons using a generator with an approved spark arrester on areas that are cleared of all flammable materials within three feet of the generator.
4. Log loading and hauling only from landings and existing roads.
5. Private landowners using charcoal (disposed of properly) or propane barbecues on their own lands.
6. Normal operations on crop lands.
7. Emergency repair of public utilities and railroads as per conditions in Stage II Exemptions for Public Utilities and Railroads. 
8. Any federal, state, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force, in the performance of an official duty. 
9. Persons conducting activities in those designated areas where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.
10. All land within a city boundary (unless otherwise restricted).

Under the Stage I Fire Restrictions, the following acts are prohibited until further notice: 

1. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire except within a designated recreation site, or on their own land, and only within an owner-provided fire structure. 

2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials. 

Stage I Exemptions: (An exemption does not absolve an individual or organization from liability or responsibility for any fire started by the exempted activity.) 

1. Persons with a written permit that specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act. 

2. Persons using a fire solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels. Such devices, including propane campfires, may be used only in an area cleared of flammable material. 

3. Persons using stove fires with a chimney of at least five (5) feet in length and employing a spark arrester with a maximum mesh screen opening of ¼ inch. 

Maps and information detailing all Stage 2 and Stage 1 Fire Restrictions may be found at Idaho - Fire Restrictions | Bureau of Land Management.