The Georgia Rules for Air Quality define open burning as any outdoor fire from which the products of combustion are emitted directly into the open air without passing through a stack, chimney, or duct. All outdoor burning of natural vegetative materials is considered open burning and requires certain practices to be followed which may include burners obtaining a permit in certain situations.
Under Senate Bill 119, GA code section 12-6-90 was changed to eliminate the need to notify the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) by the person, firm, corporation, or association who intends to burn hand-piled natural vegetation/yard debris.
Any local burning ordinances are applicable and may be more restrictive than state law. In addition, burning is restricted in Polk County under the Environmental Protection Division summer burn ban from May 1st through Sept. 30.
Permits are No Longer Required for Hand-piled Natural Vegetation/Yard Debris. (Leaf and Limbs only)
It advises burners to carefully plan their burn by remembering to “Take Five,” and follow an easy to remember “S-S-T-A-R” formula:
S – Space – 25+ feet between fire and woodlands
S – Space – 50+ feet between fire and structures
T – Time – sunrise to sunset
A – Attendance – Person responsible on-site until the fire is extinguished
R – Reasonable precautions – Tools/measures in place to prevent escaped fire. Some examples are: tools/measures in place to prevent escaped fire. These include: continuous pressurized water source on site; man-made or natural barrier to contain fire, such as bare soil, rocks, bricks, burn barrel, etc.; hand tools or fire-containing equipment on site, such as rake, shovel, garden hoe, etc.; weather awareness – to NWS red flag warnings, High Fire Danger designation of Very High or Extreme days and other hazardous conditions, low relative humidity, high winds, etc.
DO require burners to contact their county forest ranger to provide notification and/or obtain a burn permit. Click here to contact your local county office.
To obtain a permit for the use of an Air Curtain Destructor (ACD) and other types of burning please contact your local GFC office to obtain a permit, please click here to contact your local GFC county office.
Additional steps for burning of machine piled natural vegetation and area burning
Burning of debris generated by machine clearing of an area for the purpose of establishing a small garden spot or land clearing is considered a land type change. These are subject to the EPD land clearing burning rules and may require the use of an Air Curtain Destructor depending on the county in which you live.
If you are planning on land clearing with or without an ACD, burning off acreage, or understory burning, please click here to contact your local GFC county office.
