Smoke in Alpharetta due to construction at 400 and McGinnis Ferry Road

For the past few weeks, residents in Alpharetta and South Forsyth may have noticed the smell of smoke in the air; some have seen the smoke. This may continue for a few more weeks as the Georgia Department of Transportation burns vegetation that has been cleared for the construction of the new Ga. 400 interchange at McGinnis Ferry Road.

According to the city, “While this type of outdoor burning is typically prohibited, there are exceptions. One of the largest relates to the ability of agencies such as GDOT to operate under state law, which supersedes local ordinances.”

Georgia routinely enacts a burn ban each summer to avoid forest fires from May 1 through Sept. 30. In addition, the state requires a permit for outdoor burning from the Georgia Forestry Commission. There are 13 types of open burning that are legal in Georgia with a permit. But the state notes “that the burning of garbage or lumber, even in a burn barrel, is illegal.”