Clinton County Burn Ban: Rules, Exceptions, and Penalties

In Clinton County, Ohio, the burn ban prohibits most outdoor open burning between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. during March, April, May, October, and November in unincorporated areas of the county.¹ The restriction covers wood, brush, weeds, grass, and rubbish. Small cooking fires that meet size limits are still allowed, and the governor can tighten the rules further during drought or other hazardous conditions.

When the Ban Is in Effect

The seasonal ban runs in two windows each year: March 1 through May 31 in the spring, and October 1 through November 30 in the fall. Inside those months, no one may kindle or authorize an open-air fire between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. outside a city or village boundary.² After 6 p.m., burning is permitted during those months, but Ohio EPA rules and local ordinances still apply around the clock.

The ban applies to unincorporated land. It does not cover land inside a municipal corporation or land controlled by a railroad company.¹ Living inside a village is not a free pass, though. Municipalities often have their own open burning ordinances that are stricter than state law, so check with your local fire department before lighting anything.

The governor can tighten or eliminate burning windows by executive order when conditions make fire especially dangerous, and the Ohio State Fire Marshal may impose additional county-level restrictions beyond the seasonal daytime ban.¹³ When those emergency orders are issued, the Clinton County Emergency Management Agency posts updates at cc-ema.org.

What the Ban Prohibits

During restricted hours, you cannot burn wood, brush, weeds, grass, or rubbish of any kind in the open air in unincorporated Clinton County. That reaches yard waste piles, brush clearing, burn barrels for trash, and bonfires. Even carelessly tossing a lit match, cigar, or cigarette butt counts as kindling a fire under the statute.¹

One narrow geographic exception sits inside the law. You may kindle a fire in a plowed field, garden, or public highway if the fire stays at least 200 feet from any woodland, brushland, or field with dry grass.¹ Most residential properties cannot meet that 200-foot buffer, so in practice the exception mostly serves large agricultural operations.

Cooking Fires and Grills

Small cooking fires and campfires used to prepare food are allowed during the ban, but only if every condition is met. The Clinton County EMA sets the following limits:²

Fuel must be clean, seasoned firewood or equivalent.
The fire can be no more than three feet in diameter and two feet in height.
It must be used for cooking, not for waste disposal.
Someone must stay with the fire at all times and fully extinguish it afterward.

Propane and gas grills fall outside the burn ban entirely, and charcoal grills used for cooking are permitted. The dividing line is purpose: a fire for preparing food is allowed; a fire for getting rid of yard debris or trash is not.

Ohio EPA Rules That Apply Year-Round

The seasonal daytime rule is only half the picture. Ohio EPA’s open burning regulations apply every day of the year, including outside the restricted months and after 6 p.m.

Distance and Prohibited Materials

Any debris burn pile, residential or agricultural, must be located more than 1,000 feet from a neighbor’s inhabited building.³ That setback is impossible to meet on most residential lots. Campfires and bonfires not used for waste disposal have more relaxed placement rules, but they still cannot create visible emissions past your property line, produce offensive odors, or damage neighboring property.⁴

Certain materials may never be burned outdoors, no matter the season or hour. Ohio EPA prohibits burning anything containing rubber, grease, asphalt, liquid petroleum products, plastics, or building materials.⁴ Food waste, dead animals, and animal waste are also off-limits.³ All yard waste or brush must have been generated on your own property; hauling trimmings from a job site or neighbor’s yard to your property for burning violates EPA rules.

Recreational Fires Outside the Ban

Outside the seasonal ban hours, you can have a recreational campfire or bonfire without notifying Ohio EPA, as long as the fire is not used for waste disposal, visible smoke does not cross your property line, and the fire does not create a health hazard or nuisance for neighbors.⁴ Open burning is also prohibited any time an air pollution warning, alert, or emergency is in effect, even outside the restricted months.

Agricultural Burning

Farmers have more flexibility, with conditions. Ohio EPA allows open burning of agricultural waste generated on the premises with prior notification to the agency. The fire must be at least 1,000 feet from any neighbor’s inhabited building, and no prohibited materials may be included.⁴ Agricultural waste covers tree trimmings, stumps, brush, weeds, fence posts, and scrap lumber, but not buildings, land-clearing waste, or dead animals.

These agricultural exemptions do not override the seasonal daytime ban. You still need to avoid the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. window during restricted months unless your activity also qualifies under the ORC 1503.18 exception for plowed fields with a 200-foot buffer.

Penalties for Violations

Violating Ohio’s seasonal burn ban is a third-degree misdemeanor.⁵ A conviction can bring a fine of up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail.

Ohio EPA can pursue separate enforcement for air quality violations tied to open burning, with authority to impose fines of up to $1,000 per day per offense for burning prohibited materials or violating open burning rules.⁶ A single illegal burn that violates both the seasonal ban and EPA regulations can draw penalties from both the criminal justice system and the environmental agency.

Some Ohio municipalities have adopted ordinances allowing their fire departments to recover the cost of responding to illegal fires, billing the responsible party or their insurer for equipment, personnel time, and damage to fire department property. Not every jurisdiction in Clinton County has such an ordinance, but the possibility adds financial risk on top of fines.

Insurance Consequences

Standard homeowner’s insurance policies generally cover accidental fire damage. If an illegal burn escapes and damages a neighbor’s property, your liability coverage might apply, but insurers look closely at whether the fire was truly accidental. Burning during a declared ban is an intentional act, even if you did not intend the fire to spread. That distinction gives your insurer grounds to deny or limit coverage for resulting damage, leaving you personally on the hook for the neighbor’s property losses, medical bills, and any other costs.

How to Check Current Conditions

The Clinton County Emergency Management Agency at cc-ema.org is the most direct source for local burn ban status and any emergency orders beyond the seasonal schedule.² The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also posts fire weather information and safety guidance through its Division of Forestry.⁷ Before any outdoor burn, a quick call to your local fire department about current conditions is worth the time; they often know things the websites have not caught yet.

How to Report an Illegal Burn

If you see someone burning illegally, call 911 when there is an active fire posing an immediate danger. For non-emergency open burning complaints, contact the Ohio EPA Southwest District Office, which handles Clinton County, at 513-946-7715.⁶ The ODNR Division of Forestry handles wildfire-related enforcement in unincorporated areas. Providing the address, a description of what is being burned, and whether the fire is unattended helps responders prioritize the call.

1
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 1503.18 – Kindled Fires
2
Clinton County Emergency Management Agency. 2025 Burn Ban
3
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. ODNR Urges Caution During Ohio’s Spring Wildfire Season
4
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 3745-19-03 – Open Burning in Restricted Areas
5
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 1503.99 – Penalty
6
Ohio EPA. Open Burning
7
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Open Burning Regulations