Beginning May 1, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division open burning ban will be in effect for 47 Georgia counties.
The ban will begin June 1 in seven additional counties, which were given extra time to clear vegetative debris from April storms. Counties that have until June 1 are Banks, Catoosa, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Upson and Walker counties.
Typically, the ban prohibits residents and businesses from burning yard and land-clearing debris during the summer ozone season, which runs from May 1 through Sept. 30. This is in addition to the rule that prohibits burning household garbage. Burning household garbage is never allowed anywhere in Georgia.
Recreational activities such as campfires and grilling are exempt from the open burning ban. Burning vegetative materials at agricultural operations is also exempt.
Counties included in the ban and contact information for the corresponding EPD District Office are as follows:
Mountain District Office in Atlanta: 404-362-2671 Carroll, Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Henry, Rockdale, and Spalding counties.
Northeast District Office in Athens: 706-369-6376 Banks, Barrow, Butts, Clarke, Hall, Jackson, Jasper, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Putnam, and Walton counties.
East Central District Office in Augusta: 706-667-4343 Columbia and Richmond counties.
West Central District Office in Macon: 478-751-6612 Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Lamar, Monroe, Peach, Pike, Twiggs, Upson, Meriwether, and Troup counties.
Mountain District Office in Cartersville: 770-387-4900 Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Floyd, Forsyth, Gordon, Haralson, Lumpkin, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, and Walker counties.
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 Marshall and the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) before conducting any burning. Permits for hand-piled, natural vegetation collected on site can be secured online at GaTrees.org or by calling 1-877-OK2-BURN. Permits for any other types of burning should be obtained by contacting the county GFC office.
Residents can access more information on the open burning ban by visiting https://epd.georgia.gov/ and clicking on “Open Burning Rules for Georgia” under Popular Topics, or by calling the EPD District Office serving their area.
For more information about alternatives to burning, such as composting and chipping, please visit https://epd.georgia.gov/…/open-burning…/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
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