Sangamon County, IL Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Sangamon 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
- Governs
- Unincorporated Sangamon County only
- Default rule
- Open burning prohibited
- Exceptions
- Ag/domicile/landscape waste, campfires
- Condition
- Must not create air pollution
- Penalty
- $250-$500 fine per day
Summary
Sangamon County bans open burning across the unincorporated county outright, permitting it only for narrowly defined agricultural, domicile, landscape, and recreational fires that meet specific distance, weather, and no-garbage conditions.
No person shall cause or allow open burning in unincorporated areas of Sangamon County except as provided in Section 8.04.360.
Full Breakdown
Sangamon County bans open burning outright in the unincorporated county, allowing it only under the narrow exceptions listed in §8.04.360 (§8.04.350). Those exceptions cover agricultural waste, domicile waste, and landscape waste burned on the generating premises under specific distance and weather conditions, plus campfires, recreational and cooking fires, and domestic fireplaces. Any burning must avoid creating air pollution under the state Environmental Protection Act. The ban applies only outside Springfield and the county's incorporated towns, which set their own burning rules.
Violations & Fines
Open burning outside the §8.04.360 exceptions violates the solid-waste chapter and carries a $250-$500 fine for each day it continues (§8.04.430).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is burning yard waste ever allowed in unincorporated Sangamon County?
Does the open-burning ban apply inside Springfield?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sangamon County
How Sangamon County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Sangamon County to another location·View the Illinois fire regulations overview
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