Outdoor Burning
June 2, 2020
Lately, we’ve been getting a lot of questions about outdoor burning so I thought we’d put it center stage! To put a fine point on it, outdoor burning of waste is not allowed within the JVFD district. Why? We are following the State of Texas rules on the subject. Per the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ):
“Grass, leaves, and branch trimmings from residences are all considered “domestic waste.” If your local government does not collect domestic waste and does not authorize a private collector to do so, you may burn material of this type. If such waste collection is available, then it cannot be burned under the domestic-waste exception.”
On the other side of the topic, cooking fires in a controlled container (BBQ’s, smokers, etc.) and warning fires during the winter, also in controlled containers (outdoor stoves, chimineas, masonry fire pits, etc.) are legal as long as they are not emitting flames of dangerous heights or emitting large numbers of embers that could pose a threat to structures or vegetation. We would also recommend that these items not be used on combustible surfaces or near structures or vegetation.
If you see someone burning illegally, contact our department and we will respond. If the situation becomes a problem, the department can levy a fine. We can also involve WCSO and/or TCEQ and the State Fire Marshall’s Office to assist in correcting the issue.
You can access the entire Outdoor Burning in Texas publication at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/publications/rg/rg-049.html