Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildfire Prevention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Converse County enacts countywide Stage 1 fire restrictions amid extreme fire danger
Summary
The Converse County Board of Commissioners on March 24, 2026, adopted Resolution No. 03-26 imposing a countywide partial closure with Stage 1 restrictions effective immediately; the order bans fireworks and most open fires in unincorporated and unimproved areas, exempts emergency personnel, and carries misdemeanor penalties.
The Converse County Board of Commissioners on March 24, 2026, approved Resolution No. 03-26 to implement a countywide partial closure with Stage 1 Restrictions because of extreme fire danger. Commissioner Robert Short moved to approve the resolution and Commissioner Trent Kaufman seconded; the motion carried and the order took effect immediately upon signing.
The resolution states the entirety of Converse County has a high fuel load and that the risk of wildfire is aggravated by unrestricted outdoor and open fires. Citing Wyoming Statutes §35-9-301 and related provisions and the Board of Land Commissioners’ rules and regulations, the board adopted a partial closure within the county and specified a set of Stage 1 restrictions and exceptions.
Key provisions of the Stage 1 order include a prohibition on discharging fireworks and all outdoor fires in unincorporated and unimproved areas; campfires are allowed only at residences or campsites in a fire ring with a cleared radius of at least 10 feet. Trash or refuse fires are limited to containers with spark arresters and to the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., again within a cleared 10-foot radius. Enclosed charcoal grills are permitted. The resolution also allows the use of acetylene cutting, electric arc welding and metal grinding within a cleared 10-foot radius, and certain portable stoves and enclosed ("sheepherder type") stoves and open-fire branding activities when a cleared 10-foot radius is maintained.
The order specifies exemptions for "any federal, state, or local officers engaged in fire, emergency, and law enforcement activities" and for members of organized rescue or firefighting forces while performing official duties. The resolution allows written exceptions by the appropriate jurisdictional entity.
Per the text of the resolution, violations of the closure are misdemeanor offenses under W.S. §35-9-304, punishable by a fine not to exceed $100, imprisonment in the county jail for up to 30 days, or both, and may include restitution.
Minutes record that the initiation of the fire ban was recommended by Converse County Fire Warden Tom Reed, with concurrence from local volunteer fire departments. The order remains in effect until formally lifted by the Board of County Commissioners with concurrence from the Fire Warden. The special meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.
The minutes note the board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for April 7–8, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. in Commission Chambers at the Converse County Courthouse in Douglas; the published minutes list a March 24, 2026 adoption date and indicate the resolution was published April 1, 2026, in the Douglas Budget and Glenrock Independent.
