Comal County Commissioners Court adopted Order 576, prohibiting outdoor burning in unincorporated Comal County beginning Oct. 23 at 6 a.m., subject to the order’s exceptions and an earlier lift.
The restriction covers the county’s unincorporated area; the order does not establish burning rules inside incorporated cities.
From the source record
All outdoor burning is prohibited in the unincorporated area of Comal County for 90 days from the date of adoption of this Order, unless the restrictions are terminated earlier based upon a determination made by the Texas Forest Service or this Court.Comal County Commissioners Court ↗
Residents of unincorporated Comal County must check the current burn status before lighting an outdoor fire; a knowing or intentional violation of Order 576 can bring a fine of up to $500. The order classifies that violation as a Class C misdemeanor. Its 90-day term runs from adoption, but the restriction can end sooner under the order’s lifting provisions.
The exceptions are specific. The order allows burning with a written permit from the county Fire Marshal. It also exempts certain Texas Commission on Environmental Quality-authorized public health and safety activities involving firefighter training, public utilities, natural gas pipelines, mining, or planting and harvesting crops. Burns by a certified prescribed-burn manager are exempt when they meet the statutory standards cited in the order. Those exceptions are narrower than general permission to burn.
The order allows the county judge to lift the restriction temporarily for no more than 48 hours. It also authorizes a lift after a Texas Forest Service determination, supported by the county Fire Marshal, that drought conditions no longer exist. Because those provisions can change what is permitted before the 90-day limit, residents should use the county Fire Marshal’s burn-status page or call 830-643-3748 to verify the status before burning. The county’s outdoor-burn information page gives that number and directs readers to the Fire Marshal’s status page.