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La Porte County repeals countywide burn ban, leaves authority to township fire chiefs
Summary
The board voted to repeal the county-wide burn ban and said future burn-ban decisions should be made by local township fire chiefs, who the commissioners said are better placed to evaluate local conditions across the county’s varying weather patterns.
La Porte County commissioners voted Nov. 5 to repeal the countywide burn ban and to leave burn-ban declarations to township fire chiefs.
Commissioners said township-level fire chiefs, who operate locally across La Porte County’s varied weather and conditions, should have authority to set burn restrictions for their jurisdictions. One commissioner noted that the county does have statutory authority to set a burn ban, but that in practice township chiefs recently have preferred to make local determinations.
The motion to repeal the county burn ban was moved, seconded and carried by voice vote. Commissioners said they expect township officials to communicate any local burn restrictions to residents through their trustees and local channels.
No specific statutory citation was read into the record at the Nov. 5 meeting; commissioners referenced “the statute” during discussion but did not provide a specific citation in the transcript.
