An astounding 98 percent of all wildfires are caused by humans, and about half of those wildfires are caused by escaped debris burns.

State law requires that citizens notify the Forestry Commission before burning outdoors. This requirement applies only to unincorporated areas of the state (outside of city/town limits). Citizens burning residential yard debris must 1) limit their fires to vegetative material like leaves, limbs and branches; 2) clear a firebreak around the burning site; 3) have the right equipment available to keep the fire under control; and 4) stay with the fire until it is completely safe.

There are three types of outdoor burns for which the Forestry Commission takes notifications:

1. Residential yard debris burns
2. Forestry, wildlife and agricultural burns (also known as prescribed, or controlled, burns)
3. Construction-related/land-clearing burns

How to make notification for your residential yard debris burns
(excluding grills, campfires, portable fireplaces, permanent fire pits, chimineas, etc.)

Online – coming soon!
On most days, citizens will be able to notify the Forestry Commission of their residential yard debris burns through our website when that functionality is fully available. This option will be limited to days when there are no Forestry Commission warnings or bans anywhere in the state.

By phone
Citizens can also make notification with the Forestry Commission for their residential yard debris burns by calling the toll-free number for the county in which they live. Find your county’s toll-free burn notification number here.