If you plan to light an outdoor fire, check first with your city and county about burn bans and local fire rules. Check the Texas burn ban map to see county burn ban information maintained by the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Statewide, Texas limits outdoor burning to:
- Campfires, bonfires, fire pits, and cooking fires.
- Household trash fires on your home property—only if you don’t have trash pickup.
If you are planning a large outdoor burn, call the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) at 888-777-3186. TCEQ sets the outdoor burn rules for Texas.
Most wildfires start from carelessness. Control your fire by putting trash, grass, leaves, and branch trimmings in a burn barrel or similar container. Top it with a screen or metal grid.
Also, keep water, a shovel, and a rake handy in case your fire starts to spread. Finally, stay by your fire until it’s out.
Items that shouldn’t go into a fire include aerosol cans or anything that could explode, electrical insulation, and building materials like treated lumber, and plastics and asphalt-based materials.
If you spot a dangerous fire, call 911.
For more information, visit the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office, a division of the Texas Department of Insurance.
These columns by the Texas Department of Insurance are available for use in publications. They may be edited as needed and used without copyright. For questions, contact TDI media relations at 512-676-6595 or MediaRelations@tdi.texas.gov.