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Campbell County, KY Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Outdoor burning rules in Campbell County, KY, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.

Key Facts

Default rule
Open burning prohibited without permit
Permit issued by
Local fire chief or designee
Fee-free burning
Agricultural, pest control, bonfires exempt
Emergency ban authority
County Judge/Executive by proclamation
Emergency ban penalty
Up to $100 per offense
Unresolved hazards
Referred to State Fire Marshal

Summary

Campbell County prohibits open burning by default, letting the local fire chief authorize it only in writing, with free permits for farming, pest control, and bonfires and paid permits for everything else. On top of that standing rule, the county can proclaim a total burn ban during extraordinary fire-hazard conditions, punishable by up to $100 per violation.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Campbell County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

§ 150.26 OPEN BURNING. Open burning shall be prohibited unless authorized in writing by the local fire chief or his designee. ... § 92.02 OPEN FIRES DURING TIME OF PROCLAMATION PROHIBITED. No person shall, when a proclamation (and/or executive order) as provided for in § 92.01 has been issued, light or maintain an open fire at any location in Campbell County while such proclamation is in effect.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-50: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. O-09-2026, passed 8-5-26; and Res. R-42-26, passed 7-15-26; and State legislation current through KRS Pamphlet 2025).

Full Breakdown

Campbell County bans open burning as a default rule and only lifts that ban through a written permit. 321, 815 KAR 10:040, Kentucky's fire prevention code), states plainly that open burning shall be prohibited unless authorized in writing by the local fire chief or his designee. 25, that written permit must be applied for and is issued by the fire chief or the fire department with jurisdiction over the property, except that no fee is charged for open-burning permits used for agricultural, silvicultural, range, or wildlife-management practices, disease or pest control, heating for outdoor workers, or a bonfire; every other permit carries a fee the Fiscal Court sets from time to time. 330. 26 permit already on hand.

Violations & Fines

Violating the standing open-burning permit rule of § 150.26 is enforced through the Standards of Safety chapter's penalty section, § 150.99; violating a fire-hazard proclamation ban under § 92.02 is punishable under § 92.99 by a fine of up to $100 for each offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is open burning allowed in Campbell County?
Not without permission. Section 150.26 states that open burning shall be prohibited unless authorized in writing by the local fire chief or his designee, so a resident needs a written permit before burning anything outdoors.
Does a Campbell County burn permit cost money?
Not always. Section 150.25 charges a fee set by the Fiscal Court for most open-burning permits, but waives it entirely for agricultural, silvicultural, range or wildlife-management burning, disease and pest control, warming fires for outdoor workers, and bonfires.
Can the county impose a total burn ban?
Yes. Section 92.01 lets the County Judge/Executive proclaim an extraordinary fire hazard whenever the Division of Forestry or State Fire Marshal reports one, and § 92.02 then bans lighting or maintaining any open fire anywhere in the county for as long as that proclamation stands, with violators fined up to $100 per offense under § 92.99.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Campbell County

All Campbell County rules

How Campbell County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Campbell County to another location·View the Kentucky fire regulations overview

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