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Jim Wells County extends burn ban for 90 days as drought conditions persist
Summary
Emergency Management Coordinator Lance Brown told the court KBDI readings and local drought patterns justify a 90‑day extension of the county burn ban; the court approved the extension and authorized the county judge to lift it if conditions improve.
Jim Wells County Commissioners voted Dec. 15 to extend the county’s outdoor burn ban for 90 days amid continuing drought-like conditions.
Lance Brown, the county’s emergency management coordinator, told the court that as of Dec. 13, 2025 the county’s Keetch‑Byram Drought Index readings “were 623” and had been near the 616 marker, indicating sustained dry conditions with some variation across the county. He described how the county’s burn‑notification process allows controlled agricultural burns under conditions that mitigate risk and said the judge may lift the ban if heavy rainfall occurs before the extension expires.
Commissioners approved the extension by voice vote and added language authorizing the county judge to lift the burn ban earlier if conditions qualify. Brown praised earlier implementation of a burn‑notification process for improving accountability and reducing illegal burns; he also noted that some areas of the county had received localized rainfall while others had not.
The extension is intended to reduce wildfire risk while preserving an administrative avenue for permitted agricultural burns when appropriate.
