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Terrebonne Parish, LA Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)

Heavy Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Outdoor burning rules in Terrebonne Parish, LA, 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

Governing section
Terrebonne Parish Code § 11-31(b)
Enforcing agency
Solid, Hazardous, and Recycling Waste Department
Fine range
$50.00 to $500.00 per conviction
Added penalty
4 hours community service, litter-abatement program
Cross-reference
Chapter 8, Fire Protection and Prevention

Summary

Terrebonne Parish Code section 11-31(b) bars anyone from kindling or setting fire to combustible material on public or private property to get rid of solid waste, except as another law specifically permits. A conviction brings a fine plus mandatory community service in a litter-abatement work program.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Terrebonne Parish. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

Sec. 11-31. - Littering, setting fires, etc. ... (b)No person, firm or corporation, individually or collectively, shall kindle or set fire to any combustible material upon any public or private premises for the purpose of disposing of solid waste material except as permitted by applicable laws.(c)Upon conviction of the provisions of this section, the person(s) shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) and sentenced to serve four (4) hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court. The judge may require an individual convicted of a violation of this section to remove litter from state highways, public rights-of-way, public playgrounds, public parks, or other appropriate locations for any prescribed period of time in lieu of the penalties prescribed in this section.

Full Breakdown

The parish's solid waste article, not a stand-alone open-burning code, is where the burn ban lives: section 11-31(b) makes it unlawful to kindle or set fire to combustible material on any public or private premises within the parish for the purpose of disposing of solid waste, unless another law specifically allows it. The same section, 11-31(a), separately bans dumping or throwing solid waste on public or private premises, so the burn prohibition and the dumping prohibition share one section and one penalty clause. The code cross-references Chapter 8, Fire Protection and Prevention, and notes the state fire marshal's own burning regulations, but the parish's own rule is what a Terrebonne resident or business is bound by day to day: no backyard burn barrels or brush-pile burns to dispose of garbage, trash, tree debris or other solid waste.

00, plus four hours of community service in a litter-abatement work program approved by the sentencing court. A judge may substitute litter removal from state highways, public rights-of-way, playgrounds or parks for part of the sentence. Because the ban sits inside the solid-waste chapter, code enforcement and the parish's Solid, Hazardous, and Recycling Waste Department handle it alongside illegal dumping complaints rather than the fire department.

Violations & Fines

A conviction under section 11-31 carries a fine of $50.00 to $500.00 and four hours of court-approved community service in a litter-abatement program. Judges can order litter removal from highways, rights-of-way, parks or playgrounds instead of part of the fine, and each instance of unlawful burning is charged separately from other violations of the section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I burn trash or brush in Terrebonne Parish?
No. Section 11-31(b) makes it unlawful to kindle or set fire to combustible material on public or private property to dispose of solid waste, except where another law specifically permits it. This covers backyard trash burning and brush-pile disposal fires alike.
What's the penalty for illegal burning in Terrebonne Parish?
Section 11-31(c) sets a fine of $50.00 to $500.00 plus four hours of community service in a litter-abatement work program approved by the court. A judge can order litter removal from highways or parks instead of part of that penalty.
Which department enforces the burn ban?
It falls under the parish's solid waste article, so the Solid, Hazardous, and Recycling Waste Department and code enforcement handle burn-ban violations the same way they handle illegal dumping, since both offenses are defined in the same code section.
Does the parish rule cover all types of open burning?
The parish ordinance specifically targets burning to dispose of solid waste; the code cross-references Chapter 8, Fire Protection and Prevention, and the state fire marshal's own burning rules for other fire-related burning restrictions.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Terrebonne Parish

All Terrebonne Parish rules

How Terrebonne Parish compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Terrebonne Parish to another location·View the Louisiana fire regulations overview

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