Evansville, IN Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Evansville, IN, 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
- no burning except as allowed
- Ban authority
- Climate Collaborative Director or Fire Dept.
- Ban triggers
- high wind, drought, inversion, air alerts
- Enforcement
- fines under EMC 16.05.510
- Ordinance
- G-2024-2, passed Feb. 28, 2024
Summary
Evansville bans burning any material outdoors except in specific approved categories, and the City's Climate Collaborative Director or Fire Department can declare a citywide burn ban during drought, high winds, or air-pollution alerts.
No person shall burn any material except as allowed by this section. Fireworks are specifically excluded from regulation under this section.
(A) Open Burning Ban. An open burning ban for all types of fires regulated under this section may be issued by the Director or the Fire Department with jurisdiction when conditions set forth in subsection (B)(11) of this section exist. The Director may grant individual exemptions to the open burning ban.
(B) General Requirements. All burning under this section shall be subject to the following:
(1) All burning must comply with other State and Federal laws including, but not limited to, 40 CFR 61 Subpart M (National Emissions Standards for Asbestos) and the City’s municipal code.
(2) Except as specifically provided in this section, only clean wood products shall be burned.
(3) No rootballs or stumps shall be burned.
(4) No waste that is generated as a result of a routine business operation shall be burned.
(5) No asbestos-containing material shall be burned.
(6) No poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac or similar allergenic material shall be burned.
(7) No material contaminated or treated with preservatives, paint, coatings or pesticides shall be burned.
(8) The fire shall be extinguished if the fire creates a pollution problem, a threat to public health, a nuisance or a fire hazard.
(9) All fires must be attended at all times during burning until completely extinguished.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
EMC 16.05.200 opens with a blanket rule: no person shall burn any material except as allowed by the section (fireworks are excluded from its scope). The Director of the Evansville Climate Collaborative or the Fire Department with jurisdiction can issue an open burning ban citywide when conditions listed in subsection (B)(11) exist, temperature inversions, high winds, air stagnation, ozone or particulate alerts, or extremely dry conditions, and the Director can grant individual exemptions. Outside a ban, specific categories such as fire training, extinguisher training, recreational and ceremonial fires, agricultural and land-management burns, and permitted air curtain destructors are allowed with prior Agency approval; anything else needs a separate open burn waiver.
Violations & Fines
Violating the open burning section can mean revocation of a waiver, permit, or variance, plus a citation or legal action to collect the fines set in EMC 16.05.510.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Evansville declare a citywide burn ban?
Is all outdoor burning illegal in Evansville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evansville
How Evansville compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Evansville to another location·View the Indiana fire regulations overview
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