Texas · Burn Bans

Before

Texas has no statewide burn ban; outdoor burning bans are declared county-by-county by each commissioners' court, and the statute reaches only the county's unincorporated area. As of the Texas A&M Forest Service's official list generated September 24, 2026, 216 of Texas's 254 counties have an active burn ban (85 percent of the state), including Harris (Houston), Bexar (San Antonio), Brazoria, Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Travis, Williamson, Bell, McLennan, Fort Bend, Galveston, Nueces, Hidalgo, Webb, El Paso, Potter, Randall, Smith, Hays and Comal. Since the September 23, 2026 list, Chambers has been ADDED to the ban list and 3 counties have come OFF it: Dallam, Hartley and San Patricio. Only these 38 counties were NOT on that list: Angelina, Borden, Cameron, Camp, Concho, Crockett, Dallam, Dawson, Ector, Gaines, Hardin, Hartley, Haskell, Hockley, Jasper, Jefferson, Kenedy, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Loving, Lubbock, Maverick, McMullen, Mitchell, Montgomery, Newton, Nolan, Orange, Pecos, Polk, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Sterling, Stonewall, Titus, Tyler and Val Verde. A commissioners' court may adopt a ban when drought conditions exist or it finds a public-safety hazard; an order may not run beyond 90 days from adoption but may be renewed. Where a county ban is in effect most outdoor burning is illegal - a Class C misdemeanor under Local Government Code 352.081, fine up to $500 - and fireworks use is commonly restricted too. Exempt are TCEQ-authorised burns for firefighter training, public utility, natural gas pipeline or mining operations, planting or harvesting of agricultural crops, and burns conducted by a certified and insured prescribed burn manager. Bans change daily - check the Texas A&M Forest Service county burn-ban map for your county before burning.

Now

Texas has no statewide burn ban; outdoor burning bans are declared county-by-county by each commissioners' court, and the statute reaches only the county's unincorporated area. On the Texas A&M Forest Service's official county burn-ban layer, queried September 29, 2026 (its most recent ban start date is September 28, 2026), 216 of Texas's 254 counties have an active burn ban (85 percent of the state), including Harris (Houston), Bexar (San Antonio), Brazoria, Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Travis, Williamson, Bell, McLennan, Fort Bend, Galveston, Nueces, Hidalgo, Webb, El Paso, Potter, Randall, Smith, Hays and Comal. The count is unchanged since the September 24, 2026 list but the membership is not: Titus has been ADDED to the ban list (ban starting September 28, 2026) and Hutchinson has come OFF it. Only these 38 counties are NOT on the list: Angelina, Borden, Cameron, Camp, Concho, Crockett, Dallam, Dawson, Ector, Gaines, Hardin, Hartley, Haskell, Hockley, Hutchinson, Jasper, Jefferson, Kenedy, Leon, Liberty, Live Oak, Loving, Lubbock, Maverick, McMullen, Mitchell, Montgomery, Newton, Nolan, Orange, Pecos, Polk, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Sterling, Stonewall, Tyler and Val Verde. A commissioners' court may adopt a ban when drought conditions exist or it finds a public-safety hazard; an order may not run beyond 90 days from adoption but may be renewed. Where a county ban is in effect most outdoor burning is illegal - a Class C misdemeanor under Local Government Code 352.081, fine up to $500 - and fireworks use is commonly restricted too. Exempt are TCEQ-authorised burns for firefighter training, public utility, natural gas pipeline or mining operations, planting or harvesting of agricultural crops, and burns conducted by a certified and insured prescribed burn manager. Bans change daily - check the Texas A&M Forest Service county burn-ban map for your county before burning.