Burning Leaves and Limbs in Dawsonville, GA

1What changed in 2021

Under Senate Bill 119, Georgia changed code section 12-6-90 so that people burning hand-piled natural vegetation or yard debris no longer have to notify the Georgia Forestry Commission, effective July 1, 2021. EPD's page explains that the change shifts safety responsibility and awareness to the person doing the burning. The no-permit rule covers leaves and limbs only.

Storm debris and land-clearing debris are not yard debris under GFC's categories and still need a permit; see the burn permit page.

2The S-S-T-A-R rules

GFC asks burners to plan carefully, to Take Five, and to follow an easy formula. Space: keep the fire 25 feet or more from woodlands and 50 feet or more from structures. Time: burn between sunrise and sunset. Attendance: the person responsible stays on site until the fire is out. Reasonable precautions: have tools and measures in place to prevent an escaped fire, such as a continuous pressurized water source.

GFC also asks burners to watch the weather: National Weather Service red flag warnings, high fire danger days, low humidity and high winds are reasons to wait.

3Seasonal and local limits

EPD's summer burn ban, May 1 through September 30, applies in 54 northern Georgia counties; check whether Dawson County is among them before a summer burn. EPD notes that local burning ordinances apply and may be stricter than state law. Inside the City of Dawsonville, ask the city whether a local rule applies.

If burning is not practical, chipping limbs into mulch or hauling them avoids the question entirely, and many tree services chip on site.

4Safety while you wait

Keep people and pets away from any tree that is cracked, hung up in another tree, leaning on a structure or touching a wire. Do not stand under hanging limbs, and do not try to pull a tree off a roof or a line yourself. Mark the area with tape or cones if you can do so from a safe distance. If a tree is resting on the house, move people out of the rooms underneath until it is removed. Shut off the gas or water only if you know how and the shutoff is safely reachable. Write down what happened and when, take photographs from a safe distance, and keep a list of anyone you call. If you are hiring help, describe the hazard clearly so the provider can bring the right equipment and crew.

5A short checklist

Confirm whether the property is inside the City of Dawsonville or in unincorporated Dawson County. Note how much ground the work will disturb and how close it comes to any creek, stream, pond or the lake. Check the subdivision's first plat date if the lot is in one. Look for power lines above the trees and call the utility on your bill if any tree is near them. Call Georgia 811 before any stump grinding or digging. Decide whether wood and brush will be chipped, hauled or burned, and check the burn permit rules if burning. Get written quotes that list the trees, the stumps, the debris and any permits. Ask for proof of insurance. Photograph the site before and after the work, and keep every permit, receipt and approval together.

6Alternatives to burning

Burning is only one way to deal with tree debris. Many tree services chip limbs on site and either haul the chips or leave them as mulch, which avoids burn permits and smoke. Trunk wood can be cut to firewood lengths, split and stacked away from the house, or hauled away with the rest of the job. Leaves can be composted or mulched into the lawn. Ask the provider what is included in the quote: some leave the wood in log lengths, some haul everything, and some charge separately for each. If you plan to burn the remaining brush yourself, keep the pile small enough to attend safely, and check the rules on this site before you light it.

7Keep a record

Start a single folder, paper or digital, for the job. Put in it the photos, the quotes, any permit or encroachment approval, the utility's reference number if you reported an outage, the insurer's claim number and the names of everyone you dealt with. Note dates. After the work, add the final invoice and photos of the finished site. A record like this helps with an insurance claim, with a question from the county or city, and with a buyer years from now who asks why a tree is gone or where a stump was ground.

8What not to burn

The no-permit rule is for natural vegetation: leaves and limbs. Lumber, treated wood, household trash and other materials are not yard debris. Large logs and stumps from a removal take a long time to burn down and are hard to attend safely until fully out; splitting them for firewood or hauling them away is often easier.

For removal of the tree itself, see the hiring checklist.