As of May 1, you can’t openly burn debris in metro Atlanta.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division enforces a 54-county burn ban from May 1 to Sept. 30 each year in order to prevent air pollution.
Ozone, a greenhouse gas that can cause respiratory irritation, can be formed by the pollutants produced by open burning, according to EPD. Ozone is already at increased levels in metro Atlanta during the summer, and the burn ban is intended to prevent more from being produced.
READ | How to get a permit for a bonfire in Gwinnett
Grills and campfires are not included in the ban, so your summer cookouts and camping trips are safe. Agricultural burning, firefighting training and operating “open flame equipment” are also permitted.
Bonfires are allowed with proper permits, which you get by calling 1-877-OK2-BURN.
All other outdoor burning is prohibited in metro Atlanta through October 1, when the ban is lifted.
The burn ban covers 19 metro Atlanta counties: Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Spaulding, Rockdale and Walton. Thirty-five other counties are also included.
You can find a map and more county-by-county information here.
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