Fire Marshals corner

A summary of Texas Burning Regulations Presented by Ed McBurney, Combine Fire Marshal I have received numerous calls from citizens about the general burning regulations in
Texas. These state regulations apply everywhere in the state of Texas including in the City of Combine. The regulations are primarily geared toward the burning of brush piles. With few exceptions the only thing that is legal to burn on open ground in Texas is brush, branches, limbs and leaves that occur from that particular property. It is illegal to burn anything hauled-in from another location or property. It is illegal to burn trash in Texas at any time that includes asphalt, plastics, rubber products, metals, glass, furniture, appliances, paint, painted wood, wood paneling, treated wood, etc… It is also illegal to bury any trash in the ground in Texas. A citizen of Combine may burn common non-toxic household waste in a burn barrel. The barrel must have a grate or screen on top and must be monitored during the burning. A water hose is also required at the burn barrel. Whenever the burn barrel becomes full of any non-burned products, it must be disposed of at a proper landfill. Brush burning should be conducted as early in the daylight hours as possible and no brush should be added to the burn pile approaching dark. This is to avoid a flame producing fire after dark. All burn piles should be extinguished before nightfall. This will reduce the number of phone calls reporting unknown type fires. In addition to state regulations that controls what materials can be burned, see Combine City Ordnance Number 197B that prohibits the burning of outdoor brush piles after dark or during periods of drought when a BURN BAN is in effect and establishes a violation penalty (up to $2,000.00). All citizen of Combine, by law, must comply with both the state regulations and the City Ordinances. The entire contents of the Texas burning regulations can be found online on the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality website at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/forms_pubs/pubs/rg/rg-049.html/at_... or a copy of this document titled Outdoor Burning in Texas is provided on this Website. A copy of Combine’s BURN BAN Ordnance Number 197B is also provided on this Website. NOTE: If you live in Kaufman County or anywhere within the City Limits of Combine call the Kaufman County Sheriff’s office at 972-932-4337 and get permission before open outdoor burning is performed. If you live in Dallas County and outside the City Limits of Combine you must get a permit from Dallas County before open outdoor burning is performed. THESE RULES ONLY APPLY WHEN THERE IS NOT A BURN BAN IN EFFECT!!!!!