Burn Bans

Iowa has no statewide burn ban, and no county had one in force when the State Fire Marshal's own map was re-read on September 30, 2026. Under Iowa Code §100.40, the State Fire Marshal may prohibit open burning in an area — at the request of a local fire chief, city council or board of supervisors — during extremely dry or dangerous conditions; violating a proclamation is a simple misdemeanor. A ban does NOT prohibit permitted supervised burns, outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills, supervised landfills or approved metal/masonry incinerators. The official Active Burn Ban Map carries an entry for each of Iowa's 99 counties, and on September 30, 2026 every entry was blank — no active ban and no recently lifted ban. One caveat worth knowing: the map is built from county-filed entries, and its underlying data layer recorded no edit after April 27, 2026, so a county that has not filed an update will still read clear. Confirm with your county before burning.