HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. – Hernando County officials officially lifted the county-wide burn ban for all unincorporated areas on Tuesday, following a noticeable shift in local weather patterns.
The decision comes after a drop in both brush fire emergencies and overall dry conditions across the region. Local emergency crews reported a reduced number of brush fire responses over the last few weeks. At the same time, the area received enough steady rainfall to drop the Keetch-Byram Drought Index—a metric fire officials use to measure how dry the soil and deep duff layers are—out of the danger zone.
With the ban canceled, residents living outside city limits can legally resume outdoor burning. However, local officials noted that all outdoor fires must still strictly adhere to the standard setbacks and regulations set forth by the Florida Forest Service.
Property owners who have questions about specific burn regulations or those who need to request official burn authorizations are directed to contact the Florida Forest Service Withlacoochee office directly at 352-797-4100.
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