The Oklahoma burn ban map from Oklahoma Forestry Services shows current burn ban status for all 77 counties on a single interactive page, available through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry website.1Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Forestry Services It marks Governor-issued bans and county commissioner bans in different colors, so you can tell at a glance which type applies where you live or plan to travel. That distinction matters, because the two kinds of bans carry different penalties and different exemptions, and violations can mean fines up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, and civil liability if your fire spreads.
How to Read the Map
Each county is color-coded by its current status, with a legend that separates gubernatorial proclamations from county resolutions.2ArcGIS Experience Builder. OFS – Burn Ban Map Click any county to pull up details on the active restriction. There’s also a list view for anyone who has trouble interacting with the map itself.
Look at the timestamp before you rely on what you see. County commissioners can enact or lift a ban at any board meeting, and the map may lag by a day or two. When conditions are shifting quickly, call your county sheriff’s office or local fire department to confirm the current status before you burn anything.
The Two Kinds of Bans on the Map
Governor-Proclaimed Bans
When drought and fire danger threaten a large portion of the state, the Governor can issue a proclamation covering specific counties or the entire state. The Division of Forestry advises the Governor when emergency drought conditions create extraordinary fire danger, and the proclamation describes the boundaries of the affected area.3Justia. Oklahoma Code 2-16-26 – Emergency Drought Conditions – Extreme Fire Danger – Burning Prohibitions – Penalties – Fireworks A gubernatorial ban overrides less restrictive local rules and stays in effect until the Governor rescinds it.
This is the strictest tier. Both controlled burns and prescribed fires are prohibited under a Governor’s ban.4Oklahoma Forestry Services. Burning Within Oklahoma Law The agricultural exemption that applies to county bans does not apply here, which catches some landowners off guard.
County Commissioner Bans
County commissioners can independently declare a period of extreme fire danger inside their borders, often on a recommendation from local fire chiefs.3Justia. Oklahoma Code 2-16-26 – Emergency Drought Conditions – Extreme Fire Danger – Burning Prohibitions – Penalties – Fireworks These bans stop at the county line, so a neighbor one county over may be operating under completely different rules.
A county ban lasts up to 14 days from the date the board passes the resolution. Commissioners can extend it by passing a new resolution, but it doesn’t renew automatically, and they can also lift it early if conditions improve.3Justia. Oklahoma Code 2-16-26 – Emergency Drought Conditions – Extreme Fire Danger – Burning Prohibitions – Penalties – Fireworks That 14-day cycle is why checking the map regularly matters during dry spells.
What a Burn Ban Prohibits
The statute broadly prohibits setting fire to any grassland, forest, cropland, or rangeland, along with campfires, bonfires, and trash burning.3Justia. Oklahoma Code 2-16-26 – Emergency Drought Conditions – Extreme Fire Danger – Burning Prohibitions – Penalties – Fireworks County resolutions may also restrict fireworks, sky lanterns, and similar items that can start a wildland fire.5Rogers County. Frequently Asked Questions – Section: Rogers County Emergency Management One quirk worth knowing: selling fireworks is explicitly not a violation of a county burn ban, even though using them may be.
Outdoor welding and cutting-torch work also fall under the prohibition. County guidelines typically allow welding to continue only when a fire watch is posted with a pressurized water source or fire extinguisher and the surrounding area has been cleared of flammable material. Burning woody debris from land clearing during a county ban is allowed only when you use an air-curtain incinerator that burns below ground level, wind speed stays under 15 miles per hour, vegetation is cleared for a 100-foot radius, and Department of Environmental Quality open-burning rules are followed.6Tulsa County. Guidelines for Oklahoma’s Ban on Outdoor Burning
The Agricultural Exemption (County Bans Only)
Producers who burn cropland, rangeland, or pasture as a management tool can qualify for an exemption from a county commissioner ban. Again, this exemption does not apply during a Governor’s ban. To qualify, you have to complete every one of these steps before you strike a match:3Justia. Oklahoma Code 2-16-26 – Emergency Drought Conditions – Extreme Fire Danger – Burning Prohibitions – Penalties – Fireworks
- Submit a written prescribed burn plan to the local fire department (and to the Forestry Division if the land sits inside a protection area). The plan must include your contact information, a legal description of the area, the purpose of the burn, a list of adjoining landowners, firebreak descriptions, weather conditions, smoke management notes, and an ignition plan.
- Keep a copy of the burn plan on site during the burn.
- Notify the county sheriff and the local fire department dispatch center before burning.
- Notify all adjoining landowners orally or in writing within 60 days before the burn.
Skipping any step strips the exemption. Plenty of ranchers assume a phone call to the fire department is enough. It isn’t. The written plan is the backbone of the exemption, and without it you’re burning illegally during a ban.
Penalties for Burning During a Ban
Violating a Governor’s burn ban is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in the county jail, or both.3Justia. Oklahoma Code 2-16-26 – Emergency Drought Conditions – Extreme Fire Danger – Burning Prohibitions – Penalties – Fireworks Violating a county commissioner ban is also a misdemeanor, but the maximum fine is $500, with the same potential for up to a year of imprisonment.7Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Burn Ban FAQ
Civil Liability and Suppression Costs
The criminal fine is often the smaller problem. Anyone who burns land they don’t own or aren’t authorized to burn is civilly liable for the full amount of injury or damage to anyone harmed by the fire. Even legal prescribed burns that escape carry civil consequences: a landowner conducting a prescribed burn who causes damage through ordinary negligence is liable for actual damages, and gross negligence brings both civil and criminal liability.8Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. New Prescribed Burning Law and Guide
On top of property damage, Oklahoma Forestry Services and local fire departments can charge you for the reasonable costs of suppressing a fire that escaped from an illegal or unauthorized burn.9Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Burning Within the Law A single incident involving aircraft, dozers, and multiple crews can generate a bill that makes a $500 fine look trivial.
Where the State Map Doesn’t Apply
The map covers state and county authority. Two categories of land operate under different rules.
Federal land has its own fire restrictions. On National Park Service land, fires are only allowed in designated areas or receptacles under conditions set by the park superintendent, and during high fire danger the superintendent can close any part of a park to fire use entirely.10eCFR. 36 CFR 2.13 – Fires National forests use a staged system that can restrict campfires to developed recreation sites (Stage I) or ban campfires, welding, fireworks, and afternoon chainsaw use outright (Stage II). If you’re camping or recreating on federal land in Oklahoma, contact the managing agency directly; those restrictions run on a separate schedule from the state map.
Tribal trust land is also outside the map’s authority. State burn bans may not apply on lands held in trust or restricted status by the United States. The Bureau of Indian Affairs manages wildland fire on these lands, and a BIA burn permit is required to burn on trust or restricted-status land.11Muscogee (Creek) Nation. BIA Wildland Fire Management The BIA Regional Director can suspend even blanket recreational and ceremonial fire exemptions during extreme fire danger. If your property is on tribal trust land, contact the relevant BIA agency office rather than relying on the state map for your legal obligations.
Prescribed Burning When No Ban Is Active
A green county on the map doesn’t mean you can burn without paperwork. Within 60 days before a prescribed burn, you must notify all adjoining landowners orally or in writing, and you must submit a prescribed burning notification plan covering the location, acreage, objectives, projected timeframe, and contact information to the nearest rural fire department.8Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. New Prescribed Burning Law and Guide
If your land is inside a forestry protection area, you also have to submit the plan to the nearest Forestry Division office and get verbal or written approval at least four hours before burning. Within 48 hours of the actual burn, notify the fire department that received your plan.8Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. New Prescribed Burning Law and Guide These notification requirements apply year-round, ban or no ban. Skipping them doesn’t just expose you to fines; it strips the liability protections the prescribed burning statute otherwise gives compliant landowners.