51 East and Middle Tennessee Counties placed under regional burn ban by Gov. Haslam

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam issued a proclamation declaring a regional ban on burning in 51 counties in response to the ongoing drought and destructive wildfires throughout Middle and East Tennessee.

Effective immediately, residents in counties covered by the regional ban are not permitted to conduct any open-air burning. The ban includes campfires, and burning of brush, vegetation, household waste or construction debris. The ban will remain in effect until December 15. The counties under the ban are listed below.

Currently the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) Division of Forestry is fighting 67 wildfires across nearly 16,000 acres in the Cumberland and East Tennessee districts.

A violation of a burn ban is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor which carries a fine of $2,500 and/or up to 11 months, 29 days in jail.

Robertson and Sumner counties continue to be under a burn ban issued by TDA Commissioner Jai Templeton. A governor’s ban includes municipalities, whereas a commissioner’s ban is superseded by municipal ordinances.

Residents in counties not included under any of the current bans must obtain a safe debris burning permit to burn brush, vegetation, household waste or construction waste. The TDA Division of Forestry, however, does not expect to issue any permits until the state receives substantial precipitation. A violation of burning without a permit is punishable as a Class C misdemeanor which carries a fine of $50 and/or up to 30 days in jail.

Daily updates on the wildfire situation, active burn bans and tips to protect your home and property can be found at www.burnsafetn.org.

Counties under a regional burn ban:

Anderson

Bledsoe

Blount

Bradley

Campbell

Cannon

Carter

Claiborne

Clay

Cocke

Coffee

Cumberland

Dekalb

Fentress

Franklin

Grainger

Greene

Grundy

Hamblen

Hamilton

Hancock

Hawkins

Jackson

Jefferson

Johnson

Knox

Loudon

Macon

Marion

McMinn

Meigs

Monroe

Morgan

Overton

Pickett

Polk

Putnam

Rhea

Roane

Scott

Sequatchie

Sevier

Smith

Sullivan

Trousdale

Unicoi

Union

Van Buren

Warren

Washington

White

Burn ban issued for Cumberland County--absolutely no outdoor burning allowed.

State Agriculture Commissioner Jai Templeton has issued a burn ban for Clairborne, Cumberland, Hamilton, Jefferson, Loudon, Marion, Monroe, Robertson and Sevier Counties. The burn ban is effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice.

The ban applies to all open-air burning including leaf and woody debris and construction burning, campfires, outdoor grills and other fire activity in areas outside of municipalities where local ordinances apply.

“Due to dry conditions and little prospect for rain, firefighters are seeing an increase in fire activity across the state,” Commissioner Templeton said. “The public should use good judgment and avoid situations that cause fire and put citizens, property and emergency workers at risk.”

Under state law, the Commissioner of Agriculture, in consultation with the state forester, has the authority to issue burn bans at the request of county mayors under certain weather conditions. Requests for a burn ban are considered based on a number of factors including weather, climate, fire danger, fire occurrence and resource availability.

A violation of a burn ban issued by the Commissioner is considered reckless burning and is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor which carries a fine of $2,500 and/or up to 11 months 29 days in jail.

The ban includes ALL of the following:

• leaves
• brush
• fence rows
• ditch banks
• construction debris
• boards, plywood, decking, etc.
• fields
• gardens
• wooded areas
• grassland
• campfires
• cooking fires
• grills, charcoal or wood fired (but not natural or propane gas fired)
• burn barrels
• household waste
• cardboard
• air curtain destructors