Elk County tightens open-burn rules, bars burns when winds exceed 25 mph or humidity under 20%

At a special meeting on March 17, 2025, the Elk County Board of Commissioners revised Section 6 of Resolution 21-02, the Revised Elk County Burning Regulations, to impose stricter limits on open burning. Commissioner Perry Russell moved to amend Section 6 to remove the word "agricultural" and to add a prohibition that when wind speed exceeds 25 mph or humidity is below 20% no burning will be allowed; Commissioner Jake Liebau seconded. The board voted 3-0 in favor of the change.

The updated Section 6, as adopted, states that no open burn shall be conducted on a day that the National Weather Service’s forecast indicates "extreme fire danger" or red-flag conditions will exist at any point in the day, and that Elk County Sheriff’s dispatch will recommend that callers not conduct open burns during forecasts indicating "high fire danger." The revision adds specific local thresholds—25 MPH wind and 20% humidity—under which burning will be prohibited, and removes the prior reference to "agricultural" activities as an explicit exception. The motion to adopt the revised language carried 3-0. The meeting recessed at 10:45 a.m. and returned at 10:55 a.m.; the meeting adjourned at 11:02 a.m.

The change narrows permitted burning during elevated fire-risk conditions and directs county dispatch to advise against burns when forecasts indicate high danger. No public comments nor dissenting votes were recorded in the minutes; the record shows Commissioners Perry Russell, Jake Liebau and Chairman Doug Hendricks voting in favor.