Macon County, IL Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Macon County, IL, 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
- Refuse burning
- prohibited except at state-permitted facility
- Landscape waste burning
- allowed on-site if monitored, no hazard
- Monitoring requirement
- responsible party present at all times
- Penalty
- $150-$500 per offense (§ 50.99)
- Enforcing agency
- Macon County Environmental Management Dept.
Summary
Unincorporated Macon County bans burning refuse except at a state-permitted or licensed incineration facility, but § 50.04(C) lets landowners burn landscape waste, brush, tree limbs, and unprocessed wood on the property where it was generated. The fire must be monitored, avoid creating a hazard or nuisance, and follow Fire Department and state or local burning orders.
No person, firm, or corporation shall burn any refuse or cause or permit the burning of any refuse in the county except at a state permitted and/or licensed incineration facility, and only those materials specified in the permit may be burned. Also, landscape waste including brush, tree limbs, and other unprocessed wood waste may be burned on the property at which the waste was generated, so long as it is done in such a manner that does not present a fire hazard nor is offensive to any occupants of any nearby dwelling. The fire must at all times be monitored by a responsible party and must not violate the orders of any Fire Department officials or state or local laws governing open burning.
Full Breakdown
04(C) prohibits any person, firm, or corporation from burning refuse, or causing or permitting refuse to be burned, anywhere in the county except at a state-permitted or licensed incineration facility, and even then only the materials specified in that facility's permit may be burned. 01 as leaves, grass clippings, brush, tree branches, and the like from normal lawn care, to be burned on the property where it was generated, along with other unprocessed wood waste such as tree limbs. That on-site burning is conditioned: it must be done so it does not present a fire hazard and is not offensive to occupants of any nearby dwelling, must be monitored at all times by a responsible party, and must not violate any orders issued by Fire Department officials or any state or local law governing open burning. 04(I) and can refer violations for the chapter's general penalty.
Violations & Fines
Burning refuse outside a state-permitted incineration facility, or burning landscape waste in a way that creates a fire hazard, is offensive to nearby occupants, or goes unmonitored, violates § 50.04(C) and is a misdemeanor under § 50.99: a fine of $150 to $500 per offense, with each continuing day a separate offense. The county may also seek an order to restrain or abate the burning under § 50.99(B).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I burn brush or tree limbs on my own property in Macon County?
Is it legal to burn household trash in unincorporated Macon County?
What rules apply while burning landscape waste outdoors?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Macon County
How Macon County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Macon County to another location·View the Illinois fire regulations overview
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