SB-0925, As Passed House, December 9, 2004                                  

SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 925

                                                                             A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled                                             

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"                       

by amending sections 51501, 51506, 51509, 51510, and 51513 (MCL             

324.51501, 324.51506, 324.51509, 324.51510, and 324.51513), as              

added by 1995 PA 57, and by adding section 51503b.                          

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 51501.  As used in this part:                                          

2   (a) "Certified prescribed burn manager" means an individual                 

3   who has successfully completed the certification program of the             

4   department under section 51513 and possesses a valid                        

5   certification number.                                                       

6       (b) "Department" means the department of natural resources.                 

7   (c) "Domestic purposes" refers to burning that is any of the                

8   following:                                                                  

9                                                                                (i) A fire within the curtilage of a dwelling where the                             

1   material being burned has been properly placed in a debris burner           

2   constructed of metal or masonry, with metal covering device with            

3   openings no larger than 3/4 of an inch.                                     

4       (ii) A campfire.                                                             

5       (iii) Any fire within a building.                                            

6       (d) "Extinguished", in reference to prescribed burning, means               

7   that there is no longer any spreading flame.

8   (e)  (a)  "Forest land",  means timbered subject to                        

9   subdivision (f), means any of the following:                                

10                                                                               (i) Timber land, potential timber-producing land, or cutover                        

11  or burned timber land.  or grass lands not including lands

12  (ii) Wetland.                                                                

13      (iii) Prairie or other land dominated by grasses or forbes.                  

14      (f) "Forest land" does not include land devoted to                          

15  agriculture.                                                                

16  (g)  (b)  "Flammable material" means any substance that will                

17  burn, including, but not limited to, refuse, debris, waste forest           

18  material, brush, stumps, logs, rubbish, fallen timber, grass,               

19  stubble, leaves, fallow land, slash, crops, or crop residue.                

20  (c) "Domestic purposes" means any fire within the curtilage                 

21  of a dwelling where the material being burned has been properly             

22  placed in a debris burner constructed of metal or masonry with              

23  metal covering device with openings no larger than 3/4 of an                

24  inch, or a campfire, or any fire within a building.

25  (h) "Prescribed burn" or "prescribed burning" means the                     

26  burning, in compliance with a prescription and to meet planned              

27  fire or land management objectives, of a continuous cover of                

1   fuels.                                                                      

2       (i) "Prescription" means a written plan establishing the                    

3   criteria necessary for starting, controlling, and extinguishing a           

4   burn.                                                                       

5       (j) "Wetland" means land characterized by the presence of                   

6   water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that           

7   under normal circumstances does support, wetland vegetation or              

8   aquatic life, and is commonly referred to as a bog, swamp, or               

9   marsh.

10  Sec. 51503b.  (1) Prescribed burning does not constitute a                  

11  public or private nuisance when conducted in compliance with this           

12  part, part 55, and rules promulgated to implement this part or              

13  part 55.                                                                    

14      (2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), a property owner or                 

15  his or her agent conducting prescribed burning is not liable for            

16  damage or injury caused by the fire or resulting smoke.                     

17      (3) Subsections (1) and (2) apply to a prescribed burn only                 

18  if all of the following requirements are met:                               

19      (a) The landowner or his or her designee has specifically                   

20  consented to the prescribed burn.                                           

21      (b) The requirements of section 51503 are met.                              

22      (c) There are adequate firebreaks at the burn site and                      

23  sufficient personnel and firefighting equipment for the control             

24  of the fire.                                                                

25      (d) A certified prescribed burn manager is present on site                  

26  with a copy of the prescription, from ignition of the prescribed            

27  burn to its completion.                                                     

1   (e) The damage or injury does not result from the fire                      

2   escaping the boundary of the area authorized in the permit under            

3   section 51503.                                                              

4       (f) The property owner or his or her agent is not grossly                   

5   negligent.                                                                  

6       (4) Subsection (2) does not affect liability for injury to or               

7   death of a person engaged in the prescribed burning.

8       Sec. 51506.  (1)  Any Except as provided in section 51503b,                

9   a person who, in violating this part, causes a forest or grass              

10  fire is liable for all damages resulting from that fire,                    

11  including the cost of any governmental unit fighting the fire.              

12  This

13  (2) Except as provided in section 51503b, this part does not                

14  affect any other right of action for damages.                               

15      Sec. 51509.  (1)  Any Except as provided in section 51503b,                

16  a person who sets fire on any land and negligently allows the               

17  fire to escape and become a forest or grass fire is liable for              

18  all expenses incurred by the state in the suppression of the                

19  fire.                                                                       

20  (2) The department shall certify, in writing, to the person                 

21  the claim of the state under subsection (1) and shall list the              

22  items of expense incurred in the suppression of the fire.  The              

23  claim shall be paid within 60 days and, if not paid within that             

24  time, the department may bring suit against the person in a court           

25  of competent jurisdiction in the county of the residence of the             

26  defendant or of any defendant if there is more than 1, for the              

27  collection of the claim at any time within 2 years  of after the           

1   claim fire.  If the amount of the claim is cognizable by a                

2   circuit court, the department may file the suit in the circuit              

3   court of Ingham county, or in the circuit court of the county of            

4   the residence of the defendant or any defendant if there is more            

5   than 1.                                                                     

6       Sec. 51510.  (1) A person shall not do any of the                           

7   following:                                                                  

8       (a) Willfully, maliciously, or wantonly set fire or cause or                

9   procure to be set on fire any forest land, lands adjacent to                

10  forest land, or flammable material on such forest land.                     

11      (b) Willfully, maliciously, or wantonly set, throw, or place                

12  any device, instrument, paraphernalia, or substance in or                   

13  adjacent to any forest land with intent to set fire to the land             

14  or which in the natural course of events would result in fire               

15  being set to the forest land.                                               

16  (2) This section does not apply to a prescribed burn                        

17  conducted in compliance with section 51503b.

18      Sec. 51513.  (1) The department shall administer this part                  

19  and shall promulgate rules necessary to implement this part.  The           

20  department shall adopt rules governing prescribed burning and for           

21  certifying and decertifying prescribed burn managers based on               

22  their past experience, training, certification by another state,            

23  and record of compliance with section 51503b.  The department               

24  shall submit the proposed rules for public hearing pursuant to              

25  the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL                 

26  24.201 to 24.328, within 6 months after the effective date of the           

27  2004 amendatory act that amended this section.                              

Senate Bill No. 925 (S-2) as amended December 9, 2004

1   (2) The department may make, conduct, or participate in                     

2   investigations and surveys designed to establish the cause of  a

3   or responsibility for a particular forest fire or forest fire               

4   conditions generally.                                                       

5   (3) This part does not limit or otherwise impair the                        

6   jurisdiction or powers of any other department, agency, or                  

7   officer of this state to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute              

8   violators of this part.  or obviate This part does not preempt

9   local ordinances or  prevent enactment of  local regulations that           

10  are as restrictive or more restrictive than this part, except to            

11  the extent the ordinances or regulations conflict with the                  

12  exemption from liability for, or otherwise apply to [either of the

13 following:

    (a) Prescribed burns conducted in compliance with section 51503b.

    (b) Prescribed burns conducted by a federal agency or state agency on land that the agency is authorized to manage.]