Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Annual Ban on Outdoor Burning Now in Effect

Media release from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division:

On May 1, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) open burning ban took effect for 54 Georgia counties. The ban, which has been in place every summer since 2005, affects many of the counties in north and central Georgia (a full list is shown below).

EPD’s open burning ban helps protect air quality and human health during the summer, when the warm, sunny days create conditions for the formation of ozone. The burn ban prohibits citizens and businesses from burning yard and land-clearing debris during the summer ozone season, which runs from May 1 through September 30. This is in addition to the year-round, statewide prohibition against burning household garbage in Georgia. Recreational activities such as campfires and grilling are exempt from the open burning ban.

According to James Boylan, Chief of the EPD Air Protection Branch, “Smoke from open burning includes small particles and gaseous air pollutants that can form ground-level ozone.  Ground-level ozone can cause inflammation of the lungs, especially in children, elderly people, and people with preexisting conditions.  When open burning creates smoky conditions, reducing exposure is important.” Things you can do to reduce your exposure to smoke are listed at https://www.airnow.gov/wildfires/.

Citizens can access more information on the open burning ban by visiting https://epd.georgia.gov/air-protection-branch/open-burning-rules-georgia, or by calling the EPD District Office serving their area. Counties included in the ban and contact information for the corresponding EPD District Office are as follows:

• Mountain District Office (Atlanta, 404-362-2671): Carroll, Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Henry, Rockdale, and Spalding counties.

• Northeast District Office (Athens, 706-369-6376): Banks, Barrow, Butts, Clarke, Hall, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Putnam, and Walton counties.

• East Central District Office (Augusta, 706-667-4343): Columbia and Richmond counties.

• West Central District Office (Macon, 478-751-6612): Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Lamar, Monroe, Peach, Pike, Twiggs, Upson, Meriwether, and Troup counties.

• Mountain District Office (Cartersville, 770-387-4900): Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Floyd, Forsyth, Gordon, Haralson, Lumpkin, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, and Walker counties.

For more information about alternatives to burning, such as composting and chipping, please visit https://epd.georgia.gov/air-protection-branch/open-burning-rules-georgia/alternatives-burning. Debris can also be hauled to a commercial processing/grinding/composting operation or to an inert or construction and demolition landfill. For a list of landfills in your area, please call EPD’s Solid Waste Management Program at 404-362-2692 and/or visit the Land Protection Branch website for more details: http://epd.georgia.gov/land-protection-branch.   

Some Georgia counties and cities have burning restrictions that are more stringent than the EPD open burning ban. EPD recommends that citizens check with their local Fire Marshal before conducting any burning.

Last week, the Georgia Forestry Commission issued a mandatory ban on outdoor burning for 91 counties in the lower half of the state. Georgia Forestry Commission’s ban is in response to drought conditions and is separate from EPD’s opening burning ban to address ozone. The Georgia Forestry Commission has an interactive website (https://georgiafc.firesponse.com/public/) with a wildfire and burn permit map that contains the current Air Quality Index at all monitors in Georgia with the option to add the following layers: (1) burn restrictions, (2) daily burn permits, (3) PM2.5, (4) NOAA Hazardous Mapping System smoke plumes, (5) wind vectors, and (6) smoke forecast. The zoom feature allows users to see if smoke might impact their location.

Open Burning After the Burn Ban Ends

For citizens seeking to burn hand-piled, natural vegetation collected onsite (e.g., yard debris and leaf piles) after the EPD open burning ban concludes, the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) no longer requires permits for this activity. Instead, the following five safety precautions are required: 

1. Burn location must be no less than 25 feet from any woodlands, forestland or field that contains brush, grass, or other flammable material.
2. Burn location must be no less than 50 feet from structures, which includes homes, outbuildings, sheds, and barns.
3. Burning must take place between sunrise and sunset.
4. Person responsible must attend burning at all times until the fire is completely extinguished and there is no risk for burning to escape control.
5. Person responsible must take reasonable and necessary precautions to prevent fire escape or spread from the original location.

GFC Permits for any other types of burning (e.g., silviculture, agriculture, and land-clearing) should be obtained by contacting your county GFC office. You can find your county GFC office here: https://gatrees.org/about/county-contacts/.