Over here, most cities and towns have a total ban on household burning. Growing up in the state of Indiana, it was common for households to burn leaves in the fall, household paper/trash at all times of the year. There was an acrid smoke coming from somewhere in the neighborhood several times a week. Sometimes it was extremely unpleasant to be outside, and keeping doors and windows shut was necessary. There were also instances of burns getting out of control. At our house, if Dad asked us to go burn leaves, the rule was to stay with it until the fire was totally out (the drunk down the road did not do this; throw some gasoline on it, light a match, go back for another beer and forget it).
We haven't done household burning in decades. I can't remember the date, but it probably ended with bans in the 1970s. The improvement in air quality has been tremendous. You still sometimes see it in very rural areas, out and away from towns.
