Whether a Kimble County burn ban is in effect changes with the weather, so confirm the current status before lighting anything outdoors in the unincorporated parts of the county. The quickest check is the county’s own homepage at co.kimble.tx.us, which posts the active order. If the site is down or looks out of date, call the Kimble County Judge’s office or the Kimble County Sheriff’s Department. The Texas A&M Forest Service also publishes a statewide burn ban map with an interactive viewer, a PDF, and a plain-text county list.1Texas A&M Forest Service. Burn Bans and Information The map can lag the county’s order by a day or two, so treat the county website and the two phone numbers as the authoritative sources.
What a Burn Ban Prohibits
When a ban is active, Kimble County orders prohibit igniting any combustible or vegetative material outside of an enclosure that contains all flames and sparks.2Kimble County. Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning That rules out open trash piles, brush and agricultural debris burns, campfires, and open fire pits. These are the ignition sources behind most accidental Hill Country wildfires once the wind picks up.
The order reaches only the unincorporated parts of the county. If your address is inside a city, the municipal fire ordinance governs, though most nearby cities tighten their own rules during dry stretches.
What You Can Still Do
The dividing line in Kimble County orders is enclosure. Fire that stays sealed inside a structure generally stays legal. Recent orders have allowed:
- Charcoal and gas grilling, because the grill itself contains the flames and sparks.2Kimble County. Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning
- Burning household trash in a metal barrel fitted with a metal screen whose openings are one inch or smaller, provided the barrel sits in an area cleared of grass and debris and weather conditions are appropriate.2Kimble County. Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning
- Welding, so long as any resulting fire is not set maliciously or intentionally.2Kimble County. Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning
State law layers in further exceptions that the county cannot override: firefighter training burns, public utility and pipeline operations, agricultural planting or harvesting activities authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and prescribed burns run by a certified and insured prescribed burn manager meeting the Natural Resources Code standards.3State of Texas. Texas Local Government Code 352.081 – Regulation of Outdoor Burning
Exception language shifts from one order to the next, so read the current PDF on the county website rather than relying on what was allowed last time.
Penalties and Civil Exposure
Knowingly or intentionally violating a burn ban is a Class C misdemeanor under Texas law.3State of Texas. Texas Local Government Code 352.081 – Regulation of Outdoor Burning The maximum fine is $500 and no jail time attaches.4State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 12.23 – Class C Misdemeanor An officer responding to a reported fire can investigate and issue a citation on the spot.5Kimble County. Order Prohibiting Outdoor Burning
The fine is the smaller problem. If a fire you start escapes and damages someone else’s property, you can be sued for the full cost of that damage. Texas law also allows any person to seek an injunction to stop a violation or threatened violation, so a neighbor who sees you readying a burn pile can go to court before you ever strike a match.3State of Texas. Texas Local Government Code 352.081 – Regulation of Outdoor Burning
How Long a Ban Lasts
Each burn ban order sets its own duration and cannot run longer than 90 days from the date the Commissioners Court adopts it. The court can renew immediately on expiration, which is why back-to-back bans spanning months of dry weather are common in this part of the Hill Country. A ban also ends automatically when the Texas A&M Forest Service determines drought conditions no longer exist, or when the court or its designee (such as the county judge or fire marshal) finds the hazard has passed.3State of Texas. Texas Local Government Code 352.081 – Regulation of Outdoor Burning Because status can flip either direction without much notice, recheck before any outdoor burn, even if you confirmed the rules a week ago.
Fireworks During Drought
Fireworks sit under a separate statute from burn bans, but they often come into play at the same time. The Commissioners Court can prohibit or restrict the sale and use of skyrockets with sticks and missiles with fins when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index averages 575 or higher in the county. A violation of that fireworks order is also a Class C misdemeanor.6State of Texas. Texas Local Government Code 352.051 When both orders are active, the same conduct can draw a citation under either statute.
Reporting a Violation
If you see someone burning in violation of an active ban, call the Kimble County Sheriff’s Department, or 911 if the fire looks like it’s spreading. Don’t try to confront the person or put the fire out yourself. Tell the dispatcher the location, what is burning, and whether the fire is contained or growing. Fast reports give crews the best shot at knocking down a small fire before it reaches homes, fences, or livestock.