Santa Rosa County cancels burn ban

SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) - Santa Rosa County, Florida has lifted its burn ban after consulting with the Florida Forest Service. The action takes effect immediately as a result of significant and extensive rainfall throughout the area during the last several days.

Residents can now burn when following these outdoor burning guidelines:

• It is illegal to burn household garbage (including paper products), treated lumber, rubber materials, tires, pesticides, paint, and aerosol containers.
• Dry (not green) vegetative debris such as grass clippings, pine straw, leaves, tree limbs and shrub trimmings can be legally burned between 8 a.m. and one hour before sunset if it is in a pile not larger than 8 ft diameter and located on the property where the debris originated and is not closer than 25 ft to a wooded area or the owner’s residence. If it's not closer than 50 ft from a paved public road and not closer than 150 ft from other occupied buildings.
• Burning material in a pile larger than 8 ft. diameter, or burning any area of land, requires an authorization from the Florida Division of Forestry, and is subject to additional restrictions.

For more information on burning safely, visit the Department of Forestry’s web site at http://www.fl-dof.com/ , or call the Division of Forestry at (850) 957-6145.