ASHVILLE, Ohio — The Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Department is reminding Pickaway County residents that Ohio’s annual restrictions on outdoor burning took hold this week, limiting open fires across the state through the end of November.
The rule, spelled out in Ohio Revised Code 1503.18, bars most open burning between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day in March, April and May, and again in October and November, the department said in a Facebook post. It is a standing state law rather than a policy set by any individual fire department, and it applies the same way in every Ohio community.
State forestry officials have said the spring and fall windows line up with the times of year when dead leaves, dormant grass and dry, breezy conditions make an unattended fire most likely to spread out of control. Enforcement typically falls to local fire departments and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry.
The restriction does not outlaw a supervised campfire or cookout, according to state guidance, but anyone burning must stay with the fire and keep it from spreading at any time of year. Certain materials can never legally be burned in Ohio, including household trash, dead animals, tires and anything containing rubber, grease, asphalt or petroleum products.
Other year-round rules require a burn pile to sit at least 1,000 feet from a neighbor’s home, prohibit burning inside most cities and villages, and bar any outdoor fire during an air pollution alert, watch or warning. Smoke also cannot be allowed to drift across a roadway, railway or airfield in a way that blocks visibility.
Residents with questions about the restriction were encouraged to contact their local fire department.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Department.
