Burn ban starts for 47 Georgia counties
The start of May marks the start of a burn ban that is effective in 47 Georgia counties.
The ban started Friday, May 1 and will last until Sept. 30, WMAZ reported.
The ban is put in place yearly during the summer ozone season to improve air quality because burning releases pollutants.
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"The Georgia Rules for Air Quality (391-3-1-.01(tt)) define open burning as any outdoor fire from which the products of combustion are emitted directly into the open air without passing through a stack, chimney, or duct," according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division website.
According to a news release from the EPD, the ban is in addition to the rule that prohibits burning household garbage, which is never allowed in the state.
“Recreational activities such as campfires and grilling are exempt from the open burning ban,” EPD said in the news release. “Burning of vegetative materials at agricultural operations is also exempt.”
The Georgia EPD burn ban is in effect for Hall County from May 1st to September 30th.
— Hall County Fire (@hallcofire) May 1, 2020
What does this mean for YOU? Don't burn anything from May 1 - September 30.
Some exceptions include: Agricultural burning, Campfires and grillshttps://t.co/iw4UeGfhB4 pic.twitter.com/SQJjXLQc5u
Metro Atlanta counties under the burn ban include Carroll, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Henry, Rockdale and Spalding.
Seven counties -- Banks, Catoosa, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Upson and Walker -- will be given extra time to clear debris from April storms. The ban will start in those counties June 1.
The full list of counties under the burn ban is below:
- Banks (begins June 1)
- Barrow
- Bartow
- Bibb
- Butts
- Carroll
- Catoosa (begins June 1)
- Chattooga (begins June 1)
- Cherokee
- Clarke
- Clayton
- Cobb
- Columbia
- Coweta
- Crawford
- Dawson
- DeKalb
- Douglas
- Fayette
- Floyd (begins June 1)
- Forsyth
- Fulton
- Gordon (begins June 1)
- Gwinnett
- Hall
- Haralson
- Heard
- Henry
- Houston
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jones
- Lamar
- Lumpkin
- Madison
- Meriwether
- Monroe
- Morgan
- Newton
- Oconee
- Paulding
- Peach
- Pickens
- Pike
- Polk
- Putnam
- Richmond
- Rockdale
- Spalding
- Troup
- Twiggs
- Upson (begins June 1)
- Walker (begins June 1)
- Walton
About the Author
Kelcie Willis is a writer and online content producer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Sociology from the University of Georgia. At the AJC, she covers state, regional and national news with the Content Curation Desk.
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