When someone in Edgecomb gets a burn permit online, Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter gets a text and an email about it.

Close to half the permits for burns in Edgecomb are issued through a state system that Potter and other area chiefs said they have no issues with.

The online option has been available for years in Lincoln County and much of southern Maine.

Now the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is opening up the program to the rest of the state. Maine is one of the first states in the nation to offer the permits electronically, according to a department press release.

The permits are for burning brush, wood debris or agricultural fields. Permit seekers can still apply in their towns, on paper, for free. The online program provides a round-the-clock alternative, for a price: The permits carry a $7 fee, with $2 going back to the town, the release states.

"The online ... system has proven to be a convenient, safe and reliable alternative means to obtain burn permits. We are pleased to be able to offer it to all Maine citizens,” said the department's commissioner Walt Whitcomb.

Chiefs in Wiscasset, Edgecomb and Alna agreed that the option carries no downside for their departments, and that the fee is the only downside for online applicants.

Wiscasset Fire Chief T.J. Merry said he can cut off permits if conditions change. “If the wind's blowing too hard, I can shut the whole thing down on my computer,” he said.

The state system’s availability to residents cuts the number of permits local fire officials need to issue, which is helpful, Potter said. “Working a full-time job and trying to be around is kind of tough.

“I think it's a good tool,” Potter said about the online option.

As long as the fire danger is low, the permits are available 24-7. For details, go to www.maineburnpermit.com or call 207-287-4989.