Peachtree City council asks staff to draft ban and lot-size alternatives after public outcry over backyard burning

Peachtree City council members on Thursday directed staff to prepare ordinance language that would either ban residential yard-debris burning citywide or limit burning to properties above an explicit lot-size threshold, after a presentation from Fire Marshal Jeff Thelmet and multiple public speakers who said smoke from neighbors’ burn piles routinely affects nearby homes.

Fire Marshal Jeff Thelmet told the council the city’s current ordinance allows daily permits for burning yard debris with a maximum pile size of 75 cubic feet and that cooking and recreational fires are exempt. He said state air-quality rules bar outdoor burning from May 1 through Oct. 1 in the Metro Atlanta area and that the city’s online permit system provides limited enforcement data. "In the last 24-month period, we issued 4,881 burn…