ATLANTA — Starting May 1, 54 Georgia counties will be part of a ban on open burning.
The state’s Environmental Protection Division said this has been the norm since the summer of 2005.
EPD said the burn ban means citizens and businesses are not allowed to burn yard and land-clearing debris from May 1 to Sept. 30, in addition to the statewide ban on burning household garbage.
Recreational activity like setting up a campfire or grilling are exempt from the burn ban, though.
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“Smoke from open burning can impact both the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, especially in children, elderly people, and people with preexisting conditions. When open burning creates smoky conditions, reducing exposure is important for everyone’s health," James Boylan, Chief of the EPD Air Protection Branch, said.
The following counties will have a burn ban in effect on May 1, organized by region:
- 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.
If you plan to burn “hand-piled, natural vegetation collected on-site” after the burn ban is over, permits are no longer needed.
However, EPD said there are new rules for it to ensure safety:
- Burn location must be no less than 25 feet from any woodlands, forestland or field that contains brush, grass, or other flammable material.
- Burn location must be no less than 50 feet from structures, which includes homes, outbuildings, sheds, and barns.
- Burning must take place between sunrise and sunset.
- Person responsible must attend burning at all times until the fire is completely extinguished and there is no risk for burning to escape control.
- Person responsible must take reasonable and necessary precautions to prevent fire escape or spread from the original location.
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