NYS Burn Ban - 2025-03
Steuben County Manager Jack Wheeler declared a local state of emergency Wednesday banning all outdoor burning due to the high potential for wildfires.
The state of emergency declares it illegal to conduct outdoor burning in Steuben County from 12 p.m. Wednesday until the executive order expires in five days at 11:59 a.m. on Monday, March 17, said Tim Marshall, Steuben County Director of Public Safety.
New York State is set to initiate a burn ban next week.
The ban will officially go into effect statewide on March 16. Due to wildfires downstate, Governor Kathy Hochul issued a burn ban already for Long Island, New York City and parts of the Hudson Valley.
During a burn ban, New York State residents are prohibited from burning the following:
- Refuse, trash, tires and solid wastes
- Loose leaves and leaf piles
- Pressure of chemically treated wood, painted or stained wood, or composite wood such as plywood and particle board. Firewood that has been heat treated or kiln dried is allowed to be burned
- The practice of burning large piles of brush collected from local residents at town or county transfer sites. The individual landowners in small towns may burn their brush on-site, as discussed above. Downed limbs and branches generated at a transfer site are also allowed to be burned on-site with the same restrictions.
The following types of open fires are allowed:
- Campfires, small cooking fires or any other outdoor fire less than 3 feet high and 4 feet in length, width or diameter
- Ceremonial or celebrity bonfires
- For most of the year, downed tree limbs and branches (also called brush) that are less than 6 inches in diameter and 8 feet in length, including branches with attached leaves, are allowed to be burned on-site in towns with total population less than 20,000 residents. The burning of brush is prohibited from March 16 through May 14 due to the increased risk of wildfires.
- Open fires to control the spread of invasive species are allowed with case-by-case approval from DEC. Approval can be obtained from DEC regional offices.
The burn ban is scheduled through March 16 to May 14.