Fulton County, GA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Fulton County, GA, 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
- No burning
- Weekends, nights, and 4 holidays
- Exception
- Only leaves may burn those days
- Wind rule
- No burning toward populated areas
- Enforcement
- Fire marshal may extinguish violations
Summary
Unincorporated Fulton County bans open burning on weekends, nights and holidays, and lets the fire marshal halt any fire during hazardous weather.
(a)The fire marshal may prohibit any or all outdoor fires when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous.(b)No burning is permitted on Saturdays, Sundays, nights, and/or holidays. Recognized holidays are: Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the 4th of July. (Exception: Only leaves may be burned on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.)(c)No burning is permitted when prevailing winds are in the direction of populated areas.(d)No burning is permitted when there is fog, rain, or cloud bases that are diffused, or ill defined, or for at least one day following the passage of a cold front.(e)No burning is permitted during an air pollution episode, such as an air pollution alert/warning/emergency declared by proper authorities. (Note: An air pollution episode occurs when the air contaminate concentration in an area is great enough to cause danger to public health.) (94-RC-007, § 3, 1-6-94)
Secs. 30-45—30-75. - Reserved.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 57).
Full Breakdown
Fulton County Code § 30-44 gives the fire marshal authority to prohibit any outdoor fire when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make it hazardous, and bars burning on Saturdays, Sundays, nights and the county's four recognized holidays, Christmas, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and July 4th, except that leaves may still be burned those days. Burning is also barred whenever prevailing winds blow toward populated areas, during fog, rain or after a cold front, or during a declared air pollution episode. The rule applies only in unincorporated Fulton County; incorporated cities such as Atlanta enforce their own fire codes.
Violations & Fines
Violating any open-burning provision, including burning during a prohibited period, is a misdemeanor under § 30-36, and the fire marshal may summarily extinguish a noncompliant fire under § 30-37.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn leaves on a Sunday in unincorporated Fulton County?
What happens if I burn during a fire marshal's ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fulton County
How Fulton County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Fulton County to another location·View the Georgia fire regulations overview
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