A recently passed Georgia law changes permit requirements for small-scale outdoor burning, including leaf piles.
Per the Georgia Forestry Commission, beginning July 1, Georgia landowners will no longer have to obtain a burn permit from the forestry commission for burning hand-piled natural vegetation or yard debris.
The changes come after Georgia Senate Bill 119, code section 12-6-90, was passed into law last month.
The bill includes stipulations including that such burning takes place between sunrise and sunset, location of burning is no less than 25 feet from woodlands, forestlands and/or open fields that contain brush, grass or other flammable material and no less than 50 feet from any structure including outbuildings, sheds, barns and homes.
It also states that responsible persons (burners) will take necessary precautions to prevent fires escaping or spreading and attend burnings at all times until they are completely extinguished. Burners will also be held liable for any damage to adjacent properties.
Georgia Forestry has launched a new “Take 5” informational campaign that summarizes the new changes with the acronym SSTAR:
S: Space – 25 or more 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 and measures put in place to prevent escaped fires.
“Escaped debris burning is the number one cause of wildfire in Georgia,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director Tim Lowrimore. “The Georgia Forestry Commission responds to more than 3,500 wildfires a year. With a strong focus on individual burning safety as required with these new changes, we can bring that number down significantly, together.”
Per Georgia Forestry, local burning ordinances may be more restrictive than state law and could also be enforced in some counties. According to Gilmer Public Safety Director Keith Kucera, the local fire department generally follows Georgia Forestry’s lead in such matters.
“We haven’t issued in the past, nor do we now issue any burn permits,” said Kucera. “We’ll be working hand in hand with Georgia Forestry in seeing how this is going to unfold for the future. I’m hopeful that people will heed the common sense approach that Georgia Forestry is trying to take on this.”
A summer burn ban enacted by Georgia EPD for 54 north Georgia counties will continue until Sept. 30. At last check, Gilmer was not among those restricted counties.
The law only makes changes for burning hand-piled vegetation and debris. Burn permits are still required for other forms of residential and commercial outdoor burning including land clearing.
“We’re still going to be taking land clearing, silviculture and agriculture (burning),” said Wesley Sisk, acting chief ranger for Gilmer County.
Sisk said those permits can be obtained by calling one’s county forestry commission office. The Gilmer office can be reached at 706-635-2363.
Burn permits will no longer be granted through the 1-800-GA-TREES hotline number, which was previously used for hand- piled debris permits. More information about the changes can be found online at GATREES.org.
Sisk noted that low humidity levels and windy conditions are two main factors that can cause even small fires to get out of control.
“When the weather starts to change back to summer and we get these cold fronts come through, it drops our humidity down. Usually, the wind comes with it. When the humidity gets below a certain percentage, the drier the air and the higher the wind, the quicker it’s going to burn. If you put those two together, you can have a better chance of a fire getting out on you,” he said.