Clayton County, GA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

Georgia's Environmental Protection Division runs the Summer Open Burn Ban under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-1-.02(5), and EPD's own Summer Open Burning Ban page is the source for this summary. The ban runs from May 1 through September 30. In that window the rule prohibits citizens and businesses from burning yard and land-clearing debris, and the page's instruction is blunt: don't burn anything from May 1 to September 30.

EPD's stated reason is air quality. In Atlanta, during the summer months, the ozone in the air reaches unhealthy levels. Ozone forms when volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides react in sunlight, and EPD has identified open burning as a significant contributor of those pollutants. Clayton sits in the Metro Atlanta District Office group of 12 counties: Carroll, Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Henry, Rockdale and Spalding. That district office answers at 404-362-2671.

The page lists these exceptions: agricultural burning, forestry prescribed burning, campfires or barbeques, fire-fighting training where the appropriate permit is issued, operation of open flame equipment, and explosive disposal under U.S. Department of Labor safety regulations. Prescribed burning carries an asterisk. It is not exempted in the 19 county metro Atlanta non-attainment area, and Clayton is on that list of 19 counties, so the forestry exemption does not apply to burning in Clayton during the ban.

The summer ban is in addition to the year-round state ban on the burning of household garbage, so garbage cannot be burned in Clayton in any month. Separately, EPD's page says outdoor burning in Georgia requires a permit from the Georgia Forestry Commission for burn activities 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11 and 13, while GFC permits are not required for burn activities 1, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 12. The local GFC office explains the activity categories. EPD issued a press release on the 2026 season dated April 29, 2026.