Arkansas Forestry Commission Important Fire Information

Faulkner County Sheriff's Office is pleased to share this important fire information from the Arkansas Forestry Commission, and we encourage citizens to educate themselves on this.

Regardless of local Burn Bans, AR 5-38-310 states that an individual commits unlawful burning when the person "sets on fire or causes or procures to be set on fire any forest, brush, or other inflammable vegetation on another person's land; Allows a fire that he/she built or has charge of to escape from his/her control or to spread to a person's land other than that of the builder of the fire; Burns any brush, stumps, logs, rubbish, fallen timber, grass, stubble, or debris of any sort, whether on the person's own land or another person's land, without taking necessary precaution both before lighting the fire and at any time after lighting the fire to prevent the escape of the fire; and the escape of fire to adjoining timber, brush, or grassland is prima facie evidence that a necessary precaution was not taken."

Further, AR 20-22-302 requires any person in Arkansas who desires to burn forest vegetation, including debris from land clearing, to notify the Arkansas Forestry Commission of the person's intention to burn. This notification must include the time and location of the intended burning and other facts deemed relevant by the person or by the Arkansas Forestry Commission. In addition, the code requires the landowner or other person having charge of the land to be present and in attendance at the time of the burning. While this notification is not required for "open burning of yard wastes", further policies on open yard waste burning can be located in AR 8-6-1701.

In short, please know that any large burn pile or controlled burning must be reported to Faulkner County Non-Emergency Dispatch (501-328-5906) as well as the Arkansas Forestry Commission (501-332-2000).

Stay safe, Faulkner County!

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