Parish President Riley “Pee Wee” Berthelot has “opt-out” of the state-wide burn ban, effective October 19, 2023 at 8:00am. This is in accordance with the authority granted to him by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and the State Fire Marshal.
After consultation with the West Baton Rouge Parish Fire Department and evaluating the more desirable weather conditions that lower the fire risk; parish residents may under caution burn small incidental fires on their property. It is recommended that safety be of the utmost importance and that any burning be supervised and have readily available means to extinguish fires before they become out of control.
Per Louisiana Revised Statute 33, Part III:1109, Outdoor burning (other than incidental burning) consists of trees, brush, grass, and other vegetable matter for land clearing and right of way maintenance operations IF THE FOLLOWING conditions are met:
a) Winds away from town/city
b) At least 1000 ft from dwelling not located on property
c) Minimize dirt on the material being burned
d) Heavy oils, items containing natural or synthetic rubber, or any non-plant material which produce unreasonable amounts of smoke are prohibited
e) Burning must be conducted between 8 am and 5 pm;
f) Burning must be controlled as to not cause a traffic hazard