Outdoor burning rules in Bay County, FL — also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance — set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Yard-debris and land-clearing burns in unincorporated Bay County need a Florida Forest Service authorization before you light them. Burning trash, treated wood, or debris hauled from off-site is always illegal.
Under Fla. Stat. §590.125 and Fla. Admin. Code 5I-2, open burning of yard debris, land-clearing, or pile material in unincorporated Bay County requires an authorization from the Florida Forest Service obtained before ignition. Burning household garbage, tires, treated or painted wood, and material trucked in from another site is prohibited outright. Post-Michael cleanup drove heavy pile burning of storm debris, which is exactly why authorizations and burn bans matter here. Cities like Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven, and Callaway restrict or ban open burning within their limits. During drought the Forest Service issues countywide burn bans that suspend all authorizations.
Burning without authorization or during a ban is a misdemeanor under Fla. Stat. ch. 590. If your fire escapes, you are liable for suppression costs and damage to neighboring property or forest.
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See how Bay County's outdoor burning rules stack up against other locations.
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