The Georgia Rules for Air Quality 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. All outdoor burning of natural vegetative materials is considered open burning and requires a burn permit.
Proper permit requirements for your outdoor burn
A permit is required for burning all-natural vegetation that is hand piled, including:
- leaf piles on the premises that they fall
- existing small clearings to plant vegetable and flower gardens
- vegetative debris disposal from storm damage, weed abatement, disease and/or pest prevention
Additional steps for burning of machine piled natural vegetation and area burning
A hand piled permit does not include the burning of debris generated by machine clearing of an area for the purpose of establishing a garden spot or land clearing. This type of activity is considered a land type change and is subject to the EPD land clearing burning rules and may require the use of an Air Curtain Destructor depending on the county in which you live.
Click here for EPD open burning rules
If you are planning on land clearing without an ACD, burning off Acreage, or understory, please click here to contact your local GFC county office.
How to obtain a burn permit
For hand piled natural vegetation use the form below or contact GFC by phone at 1-877-OK2-BURN (652-2876) to request a burn permit.
NOTE: Permits are good only for the day they are issued. If you obtain your permit after dark, your permit will be good for the following day.
Helpful Resources
Please refer to the documents and websites in the following table for daily fire weather information, as well as laws and important tips for proper outdoor burning.
| Title | Description | Document Type |
|---|---|---|
| Area Fire Weather Forecast | Daily forecasts with NFDRS Ratings and State-wide Fire Danger Ratings | Page on GFC Website |
| Current Fire Danger Rating | Daily updated information on current fire dangers across the state | Page on GFC Website |
| Debris Burning Safe Practices – English | Best practices to prevent injury and damage when burning | |
| Debris Burning Safe Practices – Español | Mejores prácticas para evitar lesiones y daños al quemar | |
| EPA Office of Air and Radiation | Information for the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), which oversees policies and protections for air quality and radiation exposure | External Website |
| Federal Clean Air Act | Overview of the Clean Air Act and corresponding protections and actions by the EPA | External Website |
| Fire Danger Rating | Graphic data from statewide fire danger weather stations | Page on GFC Website |
| Forecast Fire Danger Rating | Daily updates for 24-hour fire danger forecast | Page on GFC Website |
| Georgia EPD | Contact information and resources for the state’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) | External Website |
| Georgia EPD Open Burning Rules | Overview of permissible and impermissible open burning practices | External Website |
| Hidden Hazards of Backyard Burning | Important information about the illegal practice of burning household waste | |
| Hidden Hazards of Backyard Burning (Español) | Peligros ocultos de la quema del patio trasero. En Georgia, es ilegal quemar la basura que generamos en nuestros hogares. | |
| Safety First For Landowners Burning Debris | This video provides helpful tips for safely burning debris. | Video |
| V Smoke | VSmoke-Web is a web-based implementation of VSmoke (Lavdas, 1996) and is designed to assist with planning prescribed burns in the Southern United States. | External Website |