Georgia · Burn Bans

The rule today

Georgia's EPD summer open-burning ban is in effect NOW: May 1 through Sept 30, burning yard and land-clearing debris is prohibited in 54 north/central Georgia counties (incl. Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Bibb, Richmond); campfires and grilling are exempt, and burning household garbage is illegal statewide year-round. The separate, first-ever GFC mandatory drought burn ban (issued Apr 22, 2026 for 91 southern counties, later eased to 17 southeast counties) expired May 22, 2026 with no extension announced — but county-level restrictions can still apply, so check the GFC Public Viewer for current county bans and the daily fire-danger rating before burning. Outside restricted areas, hand-piled yard debris needs no permit but must follow the S-S-T-A-R rules (25+ ft from woodlands, 50+ ft from structures, sunrise-to-sunset, attended until out, escape precautions); agricultural, silvicultural and land-clearing burns require a GFC permit (1-800-GA-TREES).

✓ Verified against the official source · August 17, 2026 · Official source ↗