Burn Bans

BENTON COUNTY IS UNDER A COUNTYWIDE BURN BAN: on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's official Burn Ban Map, Benton County Emergency Management reported a Countywide Burn Ban on October 12, 2026 (Benton's entry on the layer last edited October 13, 2026). The map carries 93 reporting units - all 92 counties plus the Pokagon Band - and the other 92 read "No Burn Ban Reported". Indiana has no statewide burn ban. Burn bans are issued locally - by a county's legislative body, a city or town, or a local fire chief, not the State Fire Marshal - and can appear quickly in dry spells. Each county reports its own status and the map shows the time that status was last provided, with a full alphabetical table of every unit below the map. Treat a clear county as a county self-report rather than a state finding: only 32 of the 93 units reported a status in the 30 days to October 16, 2026, 20 last reported before July 1, 2026, and the oldest reported status dates from April 15, 2024 (the Pokagon Band), so a county that has not updated in months still displays as reporting no ban - restrictions are set county by county, so confirm with your county emergency management agency or local fire department before any open burning. A ban typically bars debris burning, campfires and open-flame cooking. Clark, Floyd, Lake and Porter counties also have year-round residential open-burning restrictions under 326 IAC 4-1 (IDEM), and open burning of trash is prohibited statewide.