Rankin County, MS Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Outdoor burning in Rankin County is governed by the Mississippi Air and Water Pollution Control Law (MS Code Ann. §49-17-1 et seq.) and MDEQ Air Pollution Control Regulations 11 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2, R. 1.3 governing open burning. Prohibited burning statewide includes household garbage, plastics, tires, treated lumber, painted or treated wood, asphalt materials, and construction and demolition debris. Yard waste burning (leaves, limbs, and grass clippings) is permitted in unincorporated areas but generally prohibited within the city limits of Brandon, Pearl, Richland, Flowood, and Florence under local nuisance and fire prevention ordinances. Land clearing burns and forestry burns require notification to or permits from the Mississippi Forestry Commission under MS Code Ann. §49-19-1 et seq.; MFC maintains a burn permit hotline at 1-800-240-7202 where rural Rankin County residents can register burns during allowed conditions. Burns must be at least 50 feet from any structure, 300 feet from an occupied dwelling for land clearing burns, and attended at all times with water or earth-moving equipment on scene. Burning during red-flag wind conditions or during a declared burn ban is prohibited. The MFC routinely issues summer drought bans that cover Rankin and surrounding Central Mississippi counties, and ozone action days declared by MDEQ can suspend yard waste burning.