Burn ban lifted for St. James Parish, remains in place for St. John & St. Charles

Published 1:13 pm Friday, September 17, 2021

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BATON ROUGEAs recovery efforts progress following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning and Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain are lifting the cease and desist order issued for all private burning, pursuant to authority under R.S. 40:1602, for the following parishes: Ascension, Assumption, Livingston, Plaquemines, St. Helena, St. James, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa parishes.

The cease and desist order remains in place for Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and Terrebonne parishes. In these parishes, private burning shall only be allowed by permission of the local fire department or local government. This revised order is effective as of 8 a.m., September 17, 2021, and shall remain in effect until rescinded.

This ban shall not apply to prescribed burns by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, by those trained and certified by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, by those who conduct prescribed burning as a “generally accepted agriculture practice” as defined by the Louisiana Right to Farm Law (R.S. 3:3601 et seq.), or as permitted by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

Violation of this Fire Marshal order could result in criminal and/or civil penalties.

Where the burn ban is being lifted, the SFM would like remind residents that the only legal items you can burn in Louisiana are vegetation and ordinary yard waste items like leaves, tree branches, grass clippings, etc.

According to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, items NOT allowed to be burned include:

  • Plastic and other synthetic materials
  • Tires and other rubber products
  • Paints, household and agricultural chemicals
  • Asphalt shingles, heavy oils, wire
  • Newspaper, cardboard and other paper products
  • Buildings and mobile homes