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Collier County authorizes burn ban

Posted at 10:36 AM, May 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-23 22:55:00-04

UPDATE 6/22/2021:
The Collier County burn ban has been lifted.


The Collier Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban for Collier County effective immediately.

PHOTOS: Massive fire in Golden Gate

The decision came after a meeting between the Collier County Bureau of Emergency Services, Florida Forest Service, Collier County Fire Chiefs’ Association, and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

RELATED: Outdoor burning ban issued for the City of North Port

The ban prohibits open burning, which is an outdoor fire or open combustion of material that produces visible emissions, of trash and yard waste, which includes vegetative matter resulting from landscaping and yard maintenance operations

The ban includes all unincorporated Collier County but exempts all commercial agricultural burning, lawful controlled industrial or commercial environments that are part of the manufacturing or some type of assembly process, and those burning activities regulated by the Florida Forest Service.

This ban presently has no impact on the retail sales of fireworks, although the discharge of fireworks, sparklers, and incendiary devices is prohibited.

In addition, outdoor grills, stoves, cookers, and smokers may be used in the preparation of food if the cooking fire is controlled and attended to.

All outdoor cooking areas shall be free of burnable materials within an area having a circumference of three feet beyond the nearest edge of the cooking fire.

The city says anyone that violates the order could face up to $15,000 in fines.

The ban will remain in effect until further notice.

For more information, call 311 or (239) 252-8999.