Polk County, FL Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- KBDI averaging 500+ over 50% of county
- Declared by
- Fire chief or designee, Sec. 7-73(a)
- Board ratification
- Required at next regular meeting
- Fire chief suspension
- Up to 7 days without board vote
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine, 60 days jail
- Applies in cities
- Only those opted in or fire-assessment cities
Summary
Polk County's fire chief can declare a countywide burn ban under Sec. 7-73 whenever drought data shows heightened wildfire danger, prohibiting all open and recreational fires except burning done under a state permit. The Board of County Commissioners must ratify the ban by resolution at its next meeting or it repeals automatically. Violators face up to a $500 fine and 60 days in jail.
Fire hazard conditions: Atmospheric conditions on the basis of applicable data and indicators including without limitations of over fifty (50) per cent of Polk County having an average of five hundred (500) on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index and local circumstances which increase the likelihood of uncontrolled fires and brush fires. ... Declaration of a burn ban by the Polk County Fire Department. During times of fire hazard conditions the fire chief or the fire chief's designee may prohibit any and all open and recreational fires in Polk County, except for any burning that is conducted pursuant to a state-issued permit by declaring a burn ban. ... Any person who refuses to comply with or violates a fire department burn ban shall be in violation of this article and shall be punished according to law and, upon conviction for such offense, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment by a term not to exceed sixty (60) days in the county jail or both.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 109 | Land Development Code: Supplement 12).
Full Breakdown
A "fire department burn ban" triggers on "fire hazard conditions," defined in Sec. 7-72 as atmospheric data showing over 50 percent of Polk County averaging 500 or higher on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, plus local circumstances that raise the odds of uncontrolled fires and brush fires. Once the fire chief or designee declares a ban under Sec. 7-73(a), it prohibits "any and all open and recreational fires," except burning under a valid state permit. The declaration must be published on the county website's homepage and becomes effective the day it is signed and filed with the clerk of the Board of County Commissioners.
Sec. 7-73(d) requires the board to ratify the ban by resolution at its next regular meeting; if the board fails to act, the ban is automatically repealed. The fire chief may suspend a declared ban for up to seven days without board action, and the board itself may suspend it to a set date. Sec. 7-74 extends a county ban into municipal limits only for cities subject to the Polk County Fire Assessment or that have adopted an ordinance letting their administrator opt in, after 24 hours' notice each way.
Sec. 7-76 sets the repeal procedure, requiring the same website publication and clerk filing before the ban lifts, and a board failure to ratify a repeal reinstates the ban.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 7-75 makes it a violation to refuse to comply with or to violate a declared fire department burn ban. Conviction carries a fine of up to $500, imprisonment in the county jail for up to 60 days, or both. The ordinance applies whether the fire is on unincorporated land or in a municipality that has opted into the ban under Sec. 7-74's notice procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What actually triggers a Polk County burn ban?
Does a Polk County burn ban cover cities like Lakeland or Bartow?
What happens if I burn during a declared ban?
How is a Polk County burn ban lifted?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Polk County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Polk County to another location·View the Florida fire regulations overview
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