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Habersham County adopts revised open-burning rules to match state statute
Summary
The commission approved amendments to Chapter 30 (Fire Prevention and Protection) updating open-burning rules to align with Georgia law (OCGA §12-6-90).
Habersham County commissioners approved a second reading and adopted revisions to the county’s open-burning ordinance to bring local rules into alignment with state requirements.
The amendment revises Article 2 of Chapter 30, which covers general requirements for open burning, residential burning, construction-site burning, agricultural and right-of-way burning, and emergency burning. County staff said changes were prompted by discrepancies identified by the Georgia Forestry Commission and by the need to reference the statewide standards in OCGA §12-6-90.
Why it matters: The updates are intended to ensure county regulations match state law and to remove conflicting or missing statewide numeric thresholds and requirements the Forestry Commission requires for bulk burning. Officials said the changes clarify when burning is permitted and the time limits tied to daylight and darkness.
County staff confirmed the ordinance ties permitted burning times to local daylight/dark periods, which vary seasonally. No members of the public signed up to speak for or against the amendment during the hearing. After the second-reading motion, the commission voted to adopt the revisions.
What changed: The ordinance text revises sections 30-19 through 30-23 to incorporate state numeric thresholds and definitions requested by the Georgia Forestry Commission and to clarify operational rules for different types of open burning.
Next steps: The updated ordinance is effective per standard county procedures; staff said they will publish the updated code text and provide notice to the public and fire officials.
