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Lawrence County adopts amended burn ordinance adding burn‑notification and open‑fire limits north of interstate
Summary
The Lawrence County Commission adopted an amended ordinance on April 28 adding requirements for open‑fire notification, attendance and a prohibition when fire danger is high to reduce wildfire risk north of the interstate; commissioners discussed outreach to dispatch and public notice before the rule takes effect.
The Lawrence County Commission on April 28 adopted an amended county ordinance that tightens rules for open fires north of the interstate, adding a requirement to notify county dispatch of planned burns, mandating that any open fire be attended and extinguished cold to the touch, and prohibiting setting or maintaining open fires when the fire danger is high, very high or extreme.
The county’s presenter on the ordinance (speaker 6) said the change “starts out saying no person shall set an open fire, and we added or maintain an open fire previously set north of the interstate … when the fire danger is at high, very high, or extreme.” The amendment was described as targeted to the area north of the interstate; state law and existing fire‑district rules still control other jurisdictions. Commissioners moved and carried the ordinance on its second reading after staff described outreach plans to notify the public and dispatch centers. County staff and commissioners emphasized the change is regulatory of burning activity rather than a blanket burn ban.
Commissioners discussed how to make information easy to find; staff said they will push updates through local newspapers, the county website and social pages, and coordinate with dispatch. The commission approved the ordinance and instructed staff to publish guidance about when the restrictions apply and how residents should check current fire danger levels.
